The ARRL Letter, Vol 26, No 27 (Friday, July 6, 2007)
 

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The ARRL Letter
Vol. 26, No. 27
July 06, 2007
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IN THIS EDITION:

* + FCC Responds to ARRL's BPL Brief
* + Huntsville to Host Global EmComm Conference in August
* + ARRL In Action: What Have We Been Up to Lately?
* + Amateurs Play Key Role in Tennessee Earthquake Exercise
* + North Carolina Eagle Scout Named 2007's Young Ham of the Year
* + New Section Manager Appointed in Sacramento Valley
* Solar Update
* IN BRIEF:
This Weekend on the Radio
ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Course Registration
+ Solar Flux to Bottom Out This Month as Cycle 24 Gets Closer
+ Get Ready for the IARU HF World Championship, July 14-15
Walt Legowski, WA1KKM, wins June QST Cover Plaque Award
ARRL VEC Team Keeps Busy!
Emma Berg, W0JUV/AAR7AX (SK)
Let Us Know
Corrections and Clarifications


+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,

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

== FCC Responds to ARRL's BPL Brief

On Monday, July 2, the FCC filed its reply brief with the US Court of
Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The FCC attempted to rebut
the ARRL's challenge to the FCC's Broadband over Power Line (BPL) rules
enacted in late 2004 and affirmed by the agency in 2006. According to
ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, "The FCC's brief does not
accurately describe ARRL's arguments concerning harmful interference."

Given what is in essence a 100 percent probability of interference from
BPL systems to fixed and mobile HF facilities at significant distances
from power lines, Imlay said Section 301 of the Communications Act does
not allow unlicensed BPL systems to operate in the HF bands. "Basically,
Section 301 says you can not operate a radio frequency emitting device
without a license. The legislative purpose of Section 301 is clearly to
avoid interference. FCC's Part 15 rules have assumed that certain very
low power devices and systems can operate without predictable
interference, thus allowing them to operate without a license,
notwithstanding Section 301. But with BPL, the FCC has ignored
conclusive record evidence which shows that there will be, and in fact
our experience conclusively demonstrates, that BPL causes severe
interference to licensed services," Imlay said.

The FCC claims that it has the authority to permit unlicensed BPL under
Section 302 of the Act; this section allows the FCC to regulate the
interference potential of RF devices. What Section 302 does not do,
Imlay said, is to create a loophole in, or modify, or invalidate Section
301.

"It is the ARRL's position," Imlay said, "that the FCC can regulate and
authorize BPL with certain safeguards, consistent with the terms of
Section 301; however, the FCC simply cannot honestly maintain the
position that BPL has an inherently low interference potential. It has a
high interference potential, and the rules they have enacted to date are
woefully inadequate and insufficient to address it." The ARRL has long
maintained that BPL, when not adequately "notched," causes harmful
interference to Amateur Radio operations. In its brief, the FCC claims
BPL does not cause significant interference and the Courts must defer to
the FCC's expertise to decide this issue.

ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, said, "The FCC
misrepresents the ARRL's position as being that the FCC has no authority
to allow unlicensed devices that pose any risk whatsoever of causing
interference to licensed services. That's not our position at all. Our
position is that the FCC possessed clear evidence, at the time it made
its BPL decisions, that the limits it was adopting would allow the
deployment of BPL systems with a near-100 percent probability of causing
harmful interference to radio receivers hundreds of feet from the power
lines. Yet, despite this evidence it characterized the likelihood of
harmful interference as 'low.'"

The brief goes on to say that, in the FCC's view, mobile stations and
fixed stations are protected against harmful interference from BPL. But
with respect to mobile stations complaining of interference, the FCC
requires only that BPL operators reduce the radiated emission levels to
20 dB below the Part 15 maximum levels for radiated emissions. This, in
the HF bands, still permits BPL noise at levels that preclude
communications entirely. It offers mobile stations no protection
whatsoever, Imlay stated.

Sumner explained, "The FCC claims that it continues to protect mobile
stations from harmful interference, but it does so simply by defining
whatever interference a mobile station might encounter from a notched
BPL system as not harmful! None of the steps to limit the interference
potential of BPL systems that the FCC took in this rulemaking proceeding
reduce the likelihood of interference to the amateur service, and to
this day the FCC has declined to enforce its rules even when protracted
violations and interference have been documented."

The FCC's brief also attempted to justify its presumption that a BPL
radiated interfering signal decays at a rate of 40 dB per decade of
distance. "A 'decade of distance' is a factor of 10," Imlay explained.
"For example, if a victim receiver moves from 3-30 feet from the power
lines (10 times farther away), that is one decade of distance. For each
decade of distance, the FCC believes that there is a 40 dB signal decay.
In the HF bands, however, the evidence in the record shows that the
signal decay is closer to 20 dB than 40 dB per decade of distance from
the power lines. The FCC's brief claimed that there was conflicting
evidence on the subject, but ARRL's view is that the FCC merely avoided
consideration of the overwhelming evidence favoring the more
conservative decay factor."

Imlay said the ARRL has asked the Court to order the FCC to "rethink the
rules governing BPL and for the first time to take into account the
evidence on the record concerning harmful interference to Amateur
Radio." ARRL's reply brief is due for filing with the Court July 28,
2007. There is no date set yet for oral argument before the three-judge
panel in Washington, DC.

== Huntsville to Host Global EmComm Conference in August

The 2007 Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Conference
(GAREC-07) is scheduled for Thursday and Friday, August 16-17 in
Huntsville, Alabama. GAREC-07 registrants will participate in emergency
communications-themed presentations, discussions and demonstrations. The
conference will be held just before the 2007 ARRL National Convention
and annual Huntsville Hamfest, which take place on Saturday and Sunday,
August 18-19.

In 2005, current IARU Region 1 Emergency Communications Coordinator
Seppo Sisatto, OH1VR, organized the first GAREC meeting in Tampere,
Finland. Tampere was the site of a 1998 intergovernmental meeting where
the Tampere Convention was adopted -- an international treaty that
facilitates the use of telecommunications in humanitarian assistance. In
2006, GAREC met in Tampere for the second time, in connection with the
International Conference on Emergency Communications (ICEC-2006) and the
United Nations Working Group on Emergency Telecommunications.

According to IARU International Coordinator for Emergency Communications
Hans Zimmermann, F5VKP/HB9AQS, "...GAREC wants to be a forum for the
exchange of information. Many IARU Member Societies and specialized
emergency communications groups have developed and implemented emergency
concepts. Many others want to benefit from their technical, operational
and, not the least, their administrative or even 'political' experiences
when establishing the necessary cooperation with partners in emergency
and disaster response. GAREC also developed new concepts, such as the
'Center of Activity Frequencies,' meanwhile adopted by the IARU Region 1
and 3 conferences."

The packed GAREC-07 agenda includes reviews of advanced digital
technologies and their applications to emergency telecommunications. The
ARRL Alabama Section, Zimmermann said, "leads the way" with respect to
D-STAR repeater systems, activities and users. There will also be a
demonstration of the Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS), another
capability of the Amateur Radio Services. Zimmermann noted, "A
demonstration of [APRS'] capabilities found much interest among the
delegates of the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Turkey last
November."

Zimmermann added that EchoLink and eQSO are "yet more such tools, and
specialized groups have developed emergency applications for these
modes. More technologies are being developed or have become available
already. The two days in August will be packed with practical
information, and experts will arrange demonstrations of the capabilities
of 21st century Amateur Radio!" Emergency communication vehicles and
equipment will be on hand throughout the conference.

Details for GAREC-2007 are now being finalized. Information about
GAREC-07 and the related events is available at these Web sites:
http://www.arrl-al.org/GAREC07.htm and
http://www.iaru.org/emergency/. The sites will be updated as more
information becomes available. To register for GAREC-07, please see the
registration page https://www.arrl.org/forms/misc/garec07.html.
GAREC-07's tentative agenda
http://www.arrl-al.org/garec_schedule.htmis also available.

== ARRL In Action: What Have We Been Up to Lately?

In June, ARRL HQ staffers, officers and directors were busy. ARRL
President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, expressed his appreciation to Arkansas
Senator Mark Pryor after the senator introduced a BPL-related bill in
the US Senate. ARRL Chief Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH,
oversaw the installation of the Diamond Terrace at ARRL Headquarters.
Several members of the ARRL HQ staff, area hams and out of state
visitors activated W1AW during Field Day weekend.

The ARRL sent out more than 100 letters to repeater owners/trustees who
have repeaters affected by the Pave Paws radars. The letters provided an
update on the ongoing negotiations with the US Air Force. In response,
most have reported that they have voluntarily reduced power.

The ARRL Worked All States (WAS) award has been redesigned. The August
issue of QST and the July/August issues of QEX and NCJ have been printed
and mailed. The 2006 Annual Report is available electronically or, upon
request, in printed form.

ARRL Field and Regulation Correspondent Chuck Skolaut, K0BOG, compiled
and forwarded the ARRL Monitoring System/Intruder Watch report to the
IARU Region 2 Coordinator. US Virgin Islands Section Manager John Ellis,
NP2B, is serving as the main liaison between the Hurricane Watch Net and
ARRL HQ staff during the 2007 hurricane season.

ARRL Education Project Coordinator Mark Spencer, WA8SME, led two
Teachers Institutes, one in Rocklin, California and one in Spokane,
Washington. Mark and his wife Doris spent a good part of a week in
EmComm support for a local wildfire emergency in Coleville, California,
including offering their home as shelter. The Executive Committee has
approved seven new grants to Education & Technology Program schools.

The new editions of The ARRL General Class License Manual and General
Q&A are available for sale. Jon Bloom, KE3Z, managed the process of
switching the massive Logbook of The World QSO repository over to a more
robust server. Several staff members helped reorganize the ARRL HQ lobby
publications and apparel display.

ARRL HQ staff traveled internationally and domestically promoting and
advocating on behalf of Amateur Radio. On behalf of the IARU, ARRL Chief
Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, took part in a meeting of
International Telecommunication Union-Radio Communication Sector (ITU-R)
Working Party 1A in Geneva, Switzerland. IARU President Larry Price,
W4RA, ARRL Chief Technology Officer Paul Rinaldo, W4RI, and Sumner also
took part in a meeting of ITU Working Party 8A in Geneva. Dan Henderson,
N1ND, took part in the ARRL Forum at the Georgia State
Convention/Atlanta Hamfest, as well as the Iowa State Convention in
South Sioux City, Nebraska. Mary Hobart took part in the Northwestern
Division Convention at Seaside, Oregon. Katie Breen, W1KRB, attended the
New York State Convention in Rochester. David Sumner, Dave Patton, NN1N,
and Maria Somma, AB1FM, Joel Harrison, W5ZN, and Rod Stafford,
W6ROD,represented the ARRL at HAM RADIO 2007 at Friedrichshafen,
Germany. Steve Ewald, WV1X, attended the National Citizen Corps
Conference in Alexandria, Virginia. ARRL News Editor S. Khrystyne Keane,
K1SFA, gave a presentation at the West Gulf Division Convention/HamCom
2007 in Plano, Texas.

== Amateurs Play Key Role in Tennessee Earthquake Exercise

Almost 100 radio amateurs participated in TNCAT '07, the largest and
most comprehensive exercise ever conducted by the Tennessee Emergency
Management Agency (TEMA). The exercise, conducted over a 3 day period
from June 19-21, was based on a presumed 7.7 magnitude earthquake along
the New Madrid Seismic Zone.

TEMA's Operations Chief Hank Koebler, Jr, N3ORX, said he was very
impressed with the response from the amateur community. "I anticipated a
top-notch performance from them, but they exceeded those expectations by
far."

Throughout the exercise, ARES and MARS continued to provide the bulk of
the emergency communications. At the State Emergency Operations Center
in Nashville, ARES and MARS operators were set up side-by-side to handle
the communications load -- ARES handled voice on VHF/UHF and HF links
into the disaster area, while MARS handled all Winlink traffic via HF.
In the affected counties in West Tennessee, ARES operators performed
damage assessments, provided the sole means of communications for the
county Emergency Operations Centers and were the communications
workhorses for TEMA's Regional Center in Jackson, Tennessee.

== North Carolina Eagle Scout Named 2007's Young Ham of the Year

Grant H. Morine, W4GHM, a 17 year old from Wilmington, North Carolina,
has been named the 2007 Young Ham of the Year (YHOTY), announced YHOTY
Award Administrator Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, and Award Committee Chairman
Mark Abramowicz, NT3V. Grant was selected based on his commitment to
Amateur Radio, along with his work in public service and his promotion
of the Amateur Radio Service to others through the Boy Scouts of
America. Grant will receive his award as part of the Huntsville Hamfest,
held in conjunction with the 2007 ARRL National Convention.

The son of Bill, N2COP, and Pamela Morine, and the brother of Reid,
W4RSM, Grant was first licensed in June of 2001 when he was 10; he holds
a Technician class license. His nomination told of the public service
project that he spearheaded to earn the rank of Eagle Scout -- the
construction and donation of 30 220-MHz J-pole antennas to the Carolinas
Amateur Radio Emergency Services (CARES). The antennas are indoor
back-ups for the CARES network of hospitals, located in some of the
storm-prone coastal areas of the Carolinas.

To complete his project, Grant successfully solicited the donation of
the needed raw materials from a local hardware store. He then organized
a group of three adults and 10 Scouts to assemble the antenna systems at
his home. After each antenna was completed, it was tested for proper
performance before being handed over to CARES managers in October 2006.
Grant's antennas were recently tested by CARES when they were utilized
in a test run in South Carolina.

Antenna design and construction are not new to Grant. In 2006, he won
first place in the North Carolina Science Fair with an environmentally
inspired project that he called "Can Homemade Antennas Made from
Recyclable Materials Work As Well As Commercially Made Antennas?" He
proved that they could by designing and constructing a dual-band 2 meter
and 70 cm antenna from a steel can, a soda can and a wire coat hanger.
Grant won county and regional science fairs when he was in 7th and 8th
grades using ham radio antenna projects.

Aside from ham radio, Grant served as a Page in the North Carolina
legislature in the summer of 2006. He was also appointed to serve on the
Junior Crime Prevention Council of New Hanover County in 2006 by the
County Commissioners. During his tenure, he was the sole representative
under age 18 on this government panel.

Grant is currently in his senior year at the Lyceum Academy. Grant hopes
to enroll in the United States Naval Academy, after which he plans to
attend Duke University's School of Law with an eye toward a long-term
career as a military Judge Advocate General (JAG).

The 2007 Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year Award will be
presented on Saturday, August 18, 2007 at the Huntsville Hamfest in
Huntsville, Alabama. As the 2007 Young Ham of the Year, Grant will
receive a trip to the Huntsville Hamfest, ham radio equipment, various
books and magazines and an all-expense-paid week at Spacecamp in
Huntsville. Amateur Radio Newsline will award Grant with a commemorative
plaque at the ceremony.

The presentation of the YHOTY award is a regular feature of the
Huntsville Hamfest and has been made possible through the generosity and
kindness of the event's Planning Committee. In addition to the 2007 ARRL
National Convention, the International Amateur Radio Union's Global
Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Conference (GAREC-07) will take
place at the Huntsville Hamfest. This year's YHOTY award ceremony will
be co-hosted by Pasternak and Don Wilbanks, AE5DW, of Amateur Radio
Newsline, along with representatives of corporate underwriters
Vertex-Standard and CQ Communications, Inc.

The Amateur Radio Newsline "Young Ham of the Year" award program
(formerly the Westlink Report Young Ham of the Year Award), is now
entering its 21st consecutive year. It is presented annually to a
licensed radio Amateur Radio operator who is 18 years of age or younger
and who has provided outstanding service to the nation, his/her
community or the betterment of the state of the art in communications
through the Amateur Radio hobby/service.

== New Section Manager Appointed in Sacramento Valley

Ron Murdock, W6KJ, of Yuba City, California, has been appointed Section
Manager of the Sacramento Valley Section. Dave Patton, NN1N, Manager of
ARRL's Membership and Volunteer Programs Department, made the
appointment effective July 2 since outgoing Section Manager Casey
McPartland, W7IB, will be moving out the section soon. Murdock was
scheduled to become Section Manager on October 1. "I have been looking
forward to this for some time," Murdock said after getting the word that
his term is starting three months early. He comes to the position with
strong recommendations from McPartland, as well as former Sacramento
Valley Section Manager Jettie Hill, W6RFF. Murdock is active with the
Yuba-Sutter Amateur Radio Club, and has also served as ARRL Bulletin
Manager and ARRL Emergency Coordinator. Licensed since 1967, he has been
involved in public service events and emergency communications since
1969, helping out with earthquakes, wildfires and floods. Murdock and
his wife Jo Anne, N6YLO, have two grown sons.

==SOLAR UPDATE

Tad "You Are the Sun(spot) of My Life" Cook, K7RA, this week reports:
The average daily sunspot number for this week rose nearly 18 points
from the previous seven days. On July 4, the A index was moderately
elevated due to a solar wind stream. Expect to see a similar increase
around July 11, and a much greater increase in geomagnetic activity from
July 16-19. Geophysical Institute Prague predicts quiet conditions for
July 6-9, quiet to unsettled July 10, and unsettled conditions for July
11. Monthly averages of daily sunspot numbers for April 2006 through
June 2007 were 55.2, 39.6, 24.4, 22.6, 22.8, 25.2, 14.7, 31.5, 22.2,
28.2, 17.3, 9.8, 6.9, 19.8 and 20.7. Monthly averages of daily solar
flux for the same period were 88.9, 80.9, 76.5, 75.8, 79, 77.8, 74.3,
86.3, 84.4, 83.5, 77.7, 72.2, 72.4, 74.4 and 73.7. Sunspot numbers for
June 28 through July 4 were 27, 29, 36, 30, 13, 12 and 13 with a mean of
22.9. 10.7 cm flux was 74.9, 75.3, 74, 74.3, 72.6, 71.7, and 72.4, with
a mean of 73.6. Estimated planetary A indices were 6, 13, 6, 5, 3, 9 and
16 with a mean of 8.3. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 5, 5, 4, 4,
2, 6 and 13, with a mean of 5.6. For more information concerning radio
propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information Service Propagation
page http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html.

__________________________________

==IN BRIEF:

* This weekend on the radio: This weekend, look for the VK/Trans-Tasman
160 Meter Contest (SSB) on July 7. The Venezuelan Independence Day
Contest, the DL-DX RTTY Contest and the Original QRP Contest are
scheduled for July 7-8. On July 8, look for the DARC 10 Meter Digital
Contest and the ARCI Summer Homebrew Sprint. Later in the week on July
11, the SKCC Sprint and RSGB 80 Meter Club Championship (SSB) are on the
air. Next weekend, the big event is the IARU HF World Championship, from
1200 UTC July 14-1200 UTC July 15. On July 13, the NCCC Sprint Ladder is
on the air, and on July 14, look for the FISTS Summer Sprint. The
Colorado QSO Party is on July 15-16, while the Run for the Bacon QRP
Contest is on July 16. The NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint and the RSGB 80
Meter Club Championship (Data) are on July 19. See the ARRL Contest
Branch page http://www.arrl.org/contests/, the ARRL Contester's Rate
Sheet http://www.arrl.org/contests/rate-sheet/ and the WA7BNM Contest
Calendar http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html for more
info.

* ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Course Registration:
Registration remains open through Sunday, July 22 for these online
courses beginning on Friday August 3: 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).
To learn more, visit the CCE Course Listing page
http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html or contact the Continuing
Education Program Coordinator .

* Solar Flux to Bottom Out in July as Cycle 24 Gets Closer: The National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Space Environment Center
(SEC) released their monthly forecasts of sunspot number and 10.7 cm
radio flux, including high and low bounds to their forecasts. The SEC
forecasts that the smoothed sunspot number reached its low value of 11.7
in March 2007, and predicts that the solar flux will reach its low of
75.4 this month. This is the fourth month in a row that the SEC predicts
the solar flux will bottom out in July. Based on the SEC predictions,
this is probably at the bottom of Cycle 23 and extremely close to the
beginning of Cycle 24. Two events will mark the beginning of the next
sunspot cycle: The observation of the first opposite magnetic polarity
sunspots compared to Cycle 23 sunspot polarity, and the observation high
solar latitude sunspots -- the Cycle 23 sunspots are now very near the
solar equator. The SEC predictions table
http://www.sec.noaa.gov/ftpdir/weekly/Predict.txt and sunspot number
and solar flux prediction graphs http://www.sec.noaa.gov/SolarCycle/
are available on the SEC's Web site.

* Get Ready for the IARU HF World Championship, July 14-15:
Participation in the IARU HF World Championship has grown steadily for
the past four years, despite solar activity trending in the wrong
direction. The creation of Low Power and QRP categories has contributed
to increasing both the popularity and the competitiveness of the event.
The ARRL administers the HF World Championship on behalf of the IARU. At
its May 2007 meeting the IARU Administrative Council discussed various
issues related to the event and asked that the ARRL devote the resources
necessary to maintain a high standard of adjudication. A condition of
entry in the IARU HF World Championship is that each entrant agrees to
be bound by the provisions of the announced rules, by the regulations of
his/her licensing authority, and by the decisions of the ARRL Awards
Committee acting for the IARU International Secretariat. Leading
competitors should expect their entries to be carefully scrutinized. If
exceptional results are claimed, entrants must be prepared to explain
how they were achieved. Reminder: In addition to the zone and "HQ
station" multipliers there are four additional multipliers available per
band by contacting members of the IARU Administrative Council and the
regional IARU executive committees. Administrative Council members may
send "AC" instead of their zone, while regional executive committee
members may send "R1," "R2" or "R3" as appropriate. See
http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2007/iaru.html for more
information.

* Walt Legowski, WA1KKM, wins June QST Cover Plaque Award: The winner of
the QST Cover Plaque Award for June is Walt Legowski, WA1KKM, for his
article "AARA 1, Murphy 0: Our Linux Logging Program at Field Day."
Congratulations, Walt! 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?pidx=1. Cast a
ballot for your favorite article in the July issue by Tuesday, July 31.

* ARRL VEC Team Keeps Busy!: July 23 marks the 5 month anniversary of
the FCC's elimination of the 5 WPM Morse code exam requirement. Since
February 23, the ARRL VEC reports that test session registration and
attendance has been steady and strong. The average number of test
sessions per month is up from last year (602 in 2007 compared to 472 in
2006), as is the average number of examinees per session (8 candidates
in 2007 compared to 5 candidates in 2006). Of the nearly 700 test
sessions registered for June, more than 600 sessions have been received
and processed by the VEC staff. ARRL booth traffic was brisk at the
International Ham Radio Exhibition held June 22 to 24 in
Friedrichshafen, Germany. More than 18,000 people from 36 countries
attended. An ARRL VEC exam session was held on Saturday morning at the
convention. Thirty-one exams were given, with 25 achieving an upgrade or
new license. Packages were mailed last month to more than 900 ARRL VEC
volunteer examiner teams. These teams have now been provided with test
materials. The packages contained the new General Class Element 3 exams
to be used at test sessions beginning July 1. For ARRL VE teams who are
using the ExamWin Software, the updated version was released on June 18
and is available on our ExamWin Web page
http://www.arrl.org/arrlvec/examwin. A VE Express Newsletter was
emailed on June 18 to more than 5500 subscribers. To view the current VE
Newsletter or to view previous editions, visit the "ARRL VEC News
Briefs, Announcements, Newsletters" Web page
http://www.arrl.org/arrlvec/announcements.html.

* Emma Berg, W0JUV/AAR7AX (SK): Emma Berg, 102, died June 7 at Lawrence
Presbyterian Manor in Lawrence, Kansas. Mrs Berg remained active in the
Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS) on a daily basis. A member of the
Douglas County Amateur Radio Club since 1942 and a member of the
American Radio Relay League as well as Army MARS, "She was very spry for
her age," said Kansas State MARS Director John Halladay, AAA7KS. "Always
busy -- a person we could be proud to emulate in our own aging." Over
the years, Mrs Berg served as net control operator on Kansas CW nets and
was a First Lieutenant in the Civil Air Patrol. Mrs Berg edited the
Sunflower Seeds, the Kansas MARS quarterly newsletter, in her younger
years -- when she was in her 90s - and later penned the publication's
"Fun & Relaxation" articles. Outside of radio, Mrs Berg was a teacher
and administrator in Douglas County before she retired in 1962. She also
taught and was principal at several rural schools, and served as Douglas
County superintendent of public instruction from 1949 to 1959. Survivors
include two nieces, Jane Semple Cox of Phoenix, Arizona, and Nancy
Semple Menchen of Las Vegas, Nevada. The family suggests memorials to
Heart of America Hospice, 1420 Wakarusa, Suite 202, Lawrence, KS 66049.

* Let Us Know: What's your favorite part of The ARRL Letter? What kind
of stories would you like to see in the Letter? Would you like to see
pictures in the Letter? This is your Letter and your chance to let your
voice be heard. Please send your suggestions to ARRL News Editor S.
Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA, at , with the subject line "ARRL
Letter Suggestions." All messages will be read and discussed, and we
look forward to implementing positive suggestions into the ARRL Letter.

* Corrections and Clarifications: In last week's ARRL Letter (Vol 26, No
26), it was reported that the Emergency Coordinator for Williamson
County, Texas was Jim Taylor, NQ5L. Williamson County's EC is Jim
Russell, NQ5L.

================================================== =========
The ARRL Letter is published Fridays, 50 times each year, by the
American Radio Relay League: ARRL--the National Association for Amateur
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860-594-0259; http://www.arrl.org. Joel Harrison, W5ZN, President.

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