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http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2016-03-10

The ARRL Letter

March 10, 2016
Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME

 *  ARRL Executive Committee to Meet in Texas
 *  ARES Groups, Individual Hams Support Army and Air Force MARS Exercise
 *  NCVEC Announces Third Public Release of 2016-2020 Amateur Extra Question
    Pool
 *  Air Force Pledges Continued Cooperation with Radio Amateurs During Cape
    Cod Radar Upgrades
 *  National Parks on the Air Update
 *  Elementary Schoolers' CubeSat Ready to Deploy from ISS
 *  Fox-1E (RadFxSat-2) Selected for Participation in NASA's CubeSat Launch
    Initiative
 *  Amateur Radio Accompanying "Great Northern Way" Arctic Russia Expedition
 *  Heil Sound Celebrating 50th Anniversary
 *  Vessel with Rich Ham History -- the Bowdoin -- Being Refurbished for
    Further Exploring
 *  World-Famous Moonbounce Enthusiast Doug McArthur VK3UM, SK
 *  In Brief...
 *  The K7RA Solar Update
 *  Just Ahead in Radiosport
 *  Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events


ARRL Executive Committee to Meet in Texas

The ARRL Executive Committee (EC) will hold its first meeting of the year on
Saturday, March 12, in Dallas, Texas. The session will mark some other
significant milestones. ARRL's new President, Rick Roderick, K5UR, will chair
his first Executive Committee meeting since taking office in January, and
incoming ARRL Chief Executive Officer Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, will be attending
his very first EC meeting, as he prepares to assume his full CEO duties on
April 18. And this week's EC gathering will mark the last that current CEO
David Sumner, K1ZZ, will attend in that capacity. Elected by the ARRL Board of
Directors in January, Gallagher, now designated as CEO-Elect, arrived at ARRL
Headquarters on February 29 to begin the transition process. Sumner has
directed the Headquarters staff since March 1982 -- initially as General
Manager -- and has been a member of the Headquarters staff for some 44 years.

The EC is expected to hear a report from ARRL Chief Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD,
on a variety of regulatory, legal, and legislative matters, including the
anticipated authorization by the FCC of new bands at 135.7 kHz and 472 kHz.
Also up for discussion is the status of ARRL's Petition for Rule Making
(RM-11759) that calls on the FCC to repair what it has called a "shortfall in
available RTTY/data spectrum" in the 80 and 75 meter bands.

Still outstanding is the League's November 2013 Petition (RM-11708) to delete
restrictions on symbol rates for data communication and to establish a 2.8 kHz
maximum occupied bandwidth for data transmissions below 29.7 MHz. Various
Amateur Radio antenna and radio frequency interference cases are other
possible discussion topics.

The panel is also expected to discuss the progress of the Amateur Radio Parity
Act legislation now before both houses of Congress.

The EC will continue its review of standing orders. In addition, it will
approve ARRL conventions and club affiliation applications and recognize new
ARRL Life Members.

The Executive Committee is chosen by the ARRL Board of Directors to make
decisions on League matters between Board meetings, in accordance with
existing Board of Directors' policy. Read more.


ARES Groups, Individual Hams Support Army and Air Force MARS Exercise

On February 12, more than 300 Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) members
and individual radio amateurs participated in the first quarterly Military
Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) US Department of Defense (DOD) communications
exercise of 2016 (COMEX 16-1). US Army and Air Force MARS operators across the
US, Europe, and the Pacific took part in the 12-hour HF exercise, which
simulated a widespread loss of telephone and Internet communication across the
US. MARS operators reached out to ARES members and individual hams in as many
US counties as possible to obtain status reports via radio.

"The purpose of the exercise was to give MARS operators the opportunity to
demonstrate their proficiency in responding to DOD requests for simulated
emergency situational awareness reports from counties across the United
States," Army MARS Program Manager Paul English, WD8DBY, explained. "DOD and
the MARS leadership want to thank the more than 300 Amateur Radio operators
who assisted in making this exercise a success by providing local county
information using VHF, UHF, and NVIS HF voice communications."

English said the DOD "was very pleased with the outcome of the exercise, and
especially with the number of Amateur Radio stations that participated on a
weekday and the number of unique county reports received over the 12-hour
period." After eliminating duplicates, English said, MARS received 312 county
status reports.

The exercise aimed to focus on individual MARS operator skills, refine joint
operational procedures between Army and Air Force volunteer leaders, and to
continue to develop local-level working relationships between MARS operators
and ARES groups and individual radio amateurs and clubs, English said.


NCVEC Announces Third Public Release of 2016-2020 Amateur Extra Question Pool

The National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC) has
released the third revision of the Amateur Extra class (Element 4) question
pool that goes into effect on July 1. This revision supplants the Element 4
question pools released on January 8 and February 5, and includes corrections,
modifications, and various editorial changes. The Element 4 question pool
diagrams are in a separate document.

"We would like to remind the public that users of question pool documents are
free to correct minor typographical or punctuation errors, including obvious
minor omissions of same," the NCVEC Question Pool Committee said in releasing
this revision. "Such corrections must not cause a change in the meaning of a
question or any of the proposed answers to the questions."

The QPC notes that FCC Part 97 rule citations are not a part of the exam
question itself, but are included for reference purposes, and that errors in
or changes to Part 97 are not considered adequate reason to remove a question
from the pool.

The QPC invites comments and questions. -- Thanks to the NCVEC Question Pool
Committee


Air Force Pledges Continued Cooperation with Radio Amateurs During Cape Cod
Radar Upgrades

As updating of the Pave PAWS radar installation gets under way at the Cape Cod
Air Force Station in Massachusetts, the US Air Force has reached out to the
Amateur Radio community to continue the positive working relationship
developed between the two parties since March 2007. Pave PAWS radar
installations on both coasts have required the modification of some 70
centimeter Amateur Radio systems to mitigate interference to the military
radars. The Amateur Service is secondary on 70 centimeters. ARRL Regulatory
Information Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, said work now has begun to install
the updated early-warning radar standards at Cape Cod.

"This is the new version of Pave PAWS and it will bring the Cape Cod radar up
to the same higher standard already employed at the Beale Air Force Base Pave
PAWS facility in California, as well as at others in the Space Early Warning
system," Henderson said. "The radar will be a little more sensitive, so some
additional mitigation is possible, but nothing like that required when the
project started in 2007. This is the last Pave PAWS site to be upgraded."

Henderson, who has served as the League's point person on this project, and
ARRL New England Division Director Tom Frenaye, K1KI, were briefed in late
2015 on the changes by officials at the Cape Cod facility. "The fact that the
Air Force reached out to inform us of the pending changes speaks volumes about
the excellent working relationship we have managed to build with them over the
past 9 years," said Henderson. "The Amateur Radio communities in proximity to
both the Cape Cod and Beale sites have stepped up to the plate and
demonstrated their willingness to be good-faith partners with the Air Force,
accepting their responsibility as secondary users of this part of the
spectrum, and, in almost all cases, taking the necessary steps to achieve the
required mitigation standards while still maintaining Amateur Radio access to
this spectrum."

In a statement, Cape Cod AFS Sixth Space Warning Squadron Crew Commander and
Public Affairs Officer Lt Drew S. Dutcher said his facility recognizes and
appreciates Amateur Radio's service to the community and its continued
cooperation.

"In the coming months we will be undergoing upgrades to our facility which
will help us improve our capabilities to locate and track satellites for
entities such as NASA and SpaceX," Dutcher said. "The improvements will also
ensure utilization of cutting-edge technology to protect our eastern sea
border from incoming Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles and Sea Launched
Ballistic Missiles. As always, we ask that you be mindful and courteous of our
frequency range. We do not anticipate any interference or spurious emissions
to any [Amateur Radio] frequencies." Henderson asked amateurs with questions
about the project to contact him.

____________________________________________________________________________


National Parks on the Air Update

ARRL's National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) event will take center stage at
Dayton Hamvention(R) May 20-22. NPOTA co-managers Sean Kutzko, KX9X, and Norm
Fusaro, W3IZ, will be on hand to answer your NPOTA questions, host a forum on
the event, and help guide you through your activation plans. As part of the
NPOTA presence at Dayton, ARRL is looking for high-quality videos or
photographs of your NPOTA activities. Video should be no more than 3 minutes
in length and highlight both ham radio and the NPS unit itself. You should
also have the rights to any background music included in a submitted video.
Help us tell the NPOTA story by sharing yours. E-mail npota@arrl.org for more
information.

The weather must be getting warmer, as the number of weekly scheduled
activations is going up. No fewer than 46 are on tap for March 10-16,
including the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail in Alabama, and the
first-ever activation of Chamizal National Memorial in Texas, which has
extremely limited access for hams.

Details about these and other upcoming activations can be found on the NPOTA
Activations calendar.

Keep up with the latest NPOTA news on Facebook. Follow NPOTA onTwitter
(@ARRL_NPOTA).

____________________________________________________________________________


Elementary Schoolers' CubeSat Ready to Deploy from ISS

The 400 youngsters attending a suburban Washington, DC, parochial school are
eagerly awaiting the day the CubeSat they constructed will be deployed from
the International Space Station. The little STMSat-1 spacecraft -- an
educational project of pupils attending St Thomas More (STM) Cathedral School
in Arlington, Virginia -- is equipped with a slow-scan TV (SSTV) payload that
will transmit on 70 centimeters (437.800 MHz). The school won a NASA
competition for the launch. The satellite is the first to be designed and
built by grade-schoolers, who have been supported by NASA technical
advisors. Transported to the ISS in December by an Orbital ATK Cygnus
spacecraft, the kit-built 1U satellite had been scheduled for release in
mid-February, but deployment was postponed.

"The STM Sat-1 mission is to perform Earth observation and engage grade-school
students around the world as remote Mission Operation Centers," the STMSat-1
website explains. The satellite project is part of the school's STEM (science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics) education initiatives. St Thomas
More includes students from pre-kindergarten through grade 8. School Principal
Eleanor McCormack is the project manager.

NASA's Technology Demonstration Office is the space agency's sponsoring
organization. The school has been working with Joseph Pellegrino at Goddard
Space Flight Center in Maryland, and with the Arlington Amateur Radio Club.
NASA provided the school with a mobile "cleanroom" to ensure that the
construction phase met with strict guidelines and standards for launch and
deployment from the ISS. NASA also provided the school with an antenna, so the
school can receive the SSTV images and temperature readings the satellite
sends back. The students already have tested their CubeSat by sending it aloft
on a tethered balloon. The school has been working with the Arlington Amateur
Radio Club.

The SSTV camera on board STMSat-1 will transmit a Martin-2 image every 30
seconds, but no beacon. The youngsters are hoping it will send back images of
Earth as seen from space. The transmitter runs 3 W, and there is no onboard
data storage capability.

The little satellite also carries a medal blessed by Pope Francis, a capsule
filled with personal items from St Thomas More's annual auction winners, and a
metal plate etched with the signatures of all STM students, faculty, and staff.

The project aims to engage other schools around the world as "Remote Mission
Operation Centers" (RMOCs). STMSat-1 has an estimated lifetime of at least 9
months.


Fox-1E (RadFxSat-2) Selected for Participation in NASA's CubeSat Launch
Initiative

RadFxSat-2, the Space Radiation Effects CubeSat -- also known as Fox-1E -- has
been selected to participate in NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI).
RadFxSat-2 (Fox-1E) is a partnership opportunity between Vanderbilt
University's Institute for Space and Defense Electronics (ISDE) and AMSAT. The
Fox-1E spacecraft bus will be built as part of the Fox-1 series but will
feature a linear V/U (Mode J) transponder "upgrade" instead of the standard FM
repeater that Fox-1A through D have carried.

Vanderbilt University, with cooperation from AMSAT, submitted the RadFxSat-2
CSLI proposal in November 2015. Out of 21 proposals, NASA has recommended 20
for participation in the CSLI opportunity. RadFxSat-2 is prioritized as number
1 out of the 20 selected and has been offered an opportunity for a launch
date. AMSAT and Vanderbilt University are evaluating the opportunity to see if
it meets their mission and orbital parameters.

RadFxSat-2 (Fox-1E) will carry a radiation effects experiment similar to the
one aboard RadFxSat (Fox-1B), which is set to launch in January.

The downlink will feature a 1200 bps BPSK telemetry channel to carry the
Vanderbilt science data, in addition to a 30 kHz-wide transponder for Amateur
Radio use. Additional mission and timeline details are forthcoming. -- Thanks
to AMSAT News Service


Amateur Radio Accompanying "Great Northern Way" Arctic Russia Expedition

Amateur Radio is traveling with the "Great Northern Way" Arctic expedition in
Russia. Listen for R3CA/8/9/0 along the route. The historical-geographical
expedition commemorates the 400th anniversary of the Northern Sea Route and
will be part of a research program, "Mysteries of the Russian Arctic."

Two all-terrain vehicles will carry participants along a 10,000 kilometer
(approximately 6200 miles) route on frozen Siberian rivers, the open spaces of
the Arctic tundra, and the land-fast and drifting ice of Russia's Arctic seas.
The expedition plans to make stops of about 1 day each on some Arctic islands,
which would be of interest to Islands on the Air (IOTA) enthusiasts.

Heading the expedition is the president of the Russian Geographical Society's
Arktika Center and polar explorer Vladimir Chukov, R3CA. Call sign designators
will indicate the location -- R3CA/8 (Yamal), R3CA/9 (Taimyr), and R3CA/0
(Yakutia, Chukotka). Operation has been on SSB in the vicinity of 14.120 and
14.130 MHz.

The radio operator is Valery Nesterov, RA9J. In Tiksi, Yuri Zaruba, UA9OBA,
the president of the Russian Robinson Club, plans to join the expedition,
which is carrying an Icom IC-7000 transceiver. An Icom AH2B mobile antenna
will be used while under way, but when the expedition is parked, inverted Vs
will be deployed.

The expedition plans to visit sites associated with research and development
of the Russian Arctic, historical monuments, and places of interest related to
natural history and cultural heritage. Expedition members will conduct
environmental monitoring along the Arctic coast. A series of documentaries
about the history and current state of the Russian Arctic and its people is
planned. Read more. -- Thanks to The Daily DX, Great Northern Way expedition
website


Heil Sound Celebrating 50th Anniversary

Heil Sound, a name that's probably synonymous within the Amateur Radio
community for its microphones and "boom set" microphone/headset combinations,
is marking its 50th anniversary this year. Heil Sound came into being in 1966
as Ye Olde Music Shoppe -- a music store in Marissa, Illinois, the hometown of
its founder, Bob Heil, K9EID. The celebration -- called "50 Years of Maximum
Rock N' Roll" -- kicked off at the winter NAMM show. A commemorative series of
interviews, packaged as podcasts, also debuted with the new year. The series
highlights the history of Heil Sound.

Bob Heil initially made a name for himself working with music performers to
provide sound reinforcement for their live gigs, initially supplying full
sound system packages for venues and festivals throughout the Midwest and
later working with world-class acts, such as Humble Pie, The Who, The Grateful
Dead, and Joe Walsh, WB6ACU. Heil said it was the Dead's Jerry Garcia who
suggested changing the name of his enterprise to Heil Sound. Among other
innovations, Heil created the quadraphonic sound system for The Who's
"Quadrophenia" tour as well as the Heil Talk Box made famous by Joe Walsh and
Peter Frampton.

By 1982, Heil Sound had curtailed the touring side of the business and began
concentrating on developing products for the Amateur Radio market. Heil also
launched a home theater division. Amateur Radio and professional audio came
together in 2006, when Walsh suggested that Heil Sound develop microphones for
concert use. Heil Sound designed and manufactured high-quality microphones,
and has gained a reputation among music performers for its professional
microphone products, such as the PR30 and PR40.

Bob Heil and his wife and business partner Sarah -- who is the president of
Heil Sound -- are frequent visitors at major Amateur Radio conventions and
gatherings.


Vessel with Rich Ham History -- the Bowdoin -- Being Refurbished for Further
Exploring

The schooner Bowdoin, which has a prominent place in early Amateur Radio
history, will be relaunched this spring. The vessel relied on Amateur Radio
operators for communication during explorer Donald B. MacMillan's Arctic
Expedition of 1923, and on the MacMillan-McDonald-Byrd Expedition of 1925. Now
it's undergoing extensive renovation and refitting in Maine. Named after
MacMillan's alma mater, Bowdoin College, the Bowdoin today is the official
vessel of the State of Maine and the flagship of Maine Maritime Academy's
Vessel Operations and Technology Program, which readied the vessel for
refitting last year.

According to an article in the February 25 edition of The Ellsworth American
newspaper, work is under way at a Camden, Maine, shipyard on the deck and hull
of the 95-year-old schooner, built in East Boothbay, Maine, in 1921. The
vessel's diesel engine -- a later amenity -- is being rebuilt by Maine
Maritime Academy students. The Bowdoin is set to relaunch around June 1.

In 1923, MacMillan had turned to the ARRL for help in outfitting his
expedition with better wireless gear, and, as Michael Marinaro, WN1M,
explained in his June 2014 QST article, "Polar Exploration," that help "was
enthusiastically provided. Hiram Percy Maxim and the Board agreed to furnish
support as well as recruit an expert operator to accompany the expedition.
Donald H. Mix, 1TS, of Bristol, Connecticut was chosen for the task."

League Board member M.B. West custom-designed the equipment, which was built
by radio amateurs at his firm, Zenith Electronics. The transmitter operated on
medium-wave frequencies with a power of 100 W and used the call sign WNP --
for "Wireless North Pole." As Marinaro explained in his article, with Mix as
the ship's radio operator, "WNP transmitted weekly 500-word press releases and
listings of stations worked and heard. Once received by amateur stations,
these reports were delivered to local affiliated newspapers of the North
American Newspaper Alliance; from there, they were distributed syndicate-wide
by telegraph."

In 1925, the Bowdoin headed to Greenland. "The outstanding accomplishment of
the expedition was in the sphere of radio," Marinaro wrote. "Utilizing short
waves, the expedition was in consistent contact with the outside world
throughout the journey, to the delight of the amateurs who were able to work
them. The phenomenal success proved to the Navy that short waves were
definitely superior to the long and ultra long waves on which the fleets had
been relying."


World-Famous Moonbounce Enthusiast Doug McArthur VK3UM, SK

Renowned Earth-Moon-Earth (EME, moonbounce) enthusiast Doug McArthur, VK3UM,
of Glenburn, Victoria, Australia, died on February 21, following a stroke. He
was 74. Within the EME community, McArthur -- a radio amateur for nearly 60
years -- enjoyed a worldwide reputation for his expertise, exploits, and
accomplishments.

He was well known for his 8.6 meter dish, which he used on 1296 MHz in 2006 to
set a moonbounce DX record by working CT3/DL1YMK in Portugal, a distance of
18,342.3 kilometers (11,372.2 miles).

His early interest in Amateur Radio guided his choice of career in radio
communication and broadcasting. VK3UM became a stalwart of the VHF bands,
pursuing contacts via various scatter modes, aircraft reflection, and --
inevitably -- moonbounce on 2 meters and 70 centimeters.

It was after he retired to rural Glenburn, northeast of Melbourne, that he
purchased his 8.6 meter Kennedy dish, although a stroke in late 1999
interrupted work on that project. Eventually he rigged the dish with a dual
feed, to work on 70 and 23 centimeters. Along the way, he developed some key
software applications now used by moonbounce operators around the world,
including his EME Calc package, for assessing and simulating every aspect of
an EME station's operation. His EMR Calc software, for assessing any amateur
station's compliance with electromagnetic radiation safety standards, is known
and used around the globe. -- Thanks to the Wireless Institute of Australia


In Brief...

Northern California DX Foundation Announces Scholarship Grant to Falklands
Schools: The Northern California DX Foundation (NCDXF) has announced a
scholarship grant to the Falkland Island Elementary and Middle schools for the
acquisition of Amateur Radio equipment, antennas, electronics kits, and
science curriculum materials. NCDXF said David Collingham, K3LP, has been
instrumental in getting the project off the ground during the recent
Intrepid-DX Group DXpedition travels through the Falklands for the recent
South Sandwich and South Georgia operations. Collingham met with government
and school officials and teachers. In addition to providing grants to rare and
expensive DXpeditions, the NCDXF charter provides for certain scholarship
opportunities from a separate and established scholarship fund. For example,
NCDXF currently provides tuition to Contest University for hams 25 years of
age or under. Contributions to the NCDXF general and scholarship funds are
welcome. -- Thanks to NCDXF Vice President Glenn Johnson, W0GJ


MFJ Founder, President Martin Jue, K5FLU, Will Keynote Dayton DX Dinner "The
Early Days of MFJ" will be the topic as MFJ Founder and President Martin Jue,
K5FLU, keynotes the 31st annual Dayton DX
Dinner, sponsored by the SouthWest Ohio DX Association (SWODXA). Held in
conjunction with the 2016 Dayton Hamvention(R), the dinner will be on Friday,
May 20, at the Marriott Hotel, 1414 S Patterson Boulevard, Dayton. MFJ's first
product was an audio filter, which Jue began manufacturing in a small hotel
room in downtown Starkville, Mississippi. Today, MFJ manufactures more Amateur
Radio products than any other company in the world under the Ameritron,
Hy-Gain, Cushcraft, Mirage, and Vectronics brands. For more information, visit
the SWODXA events page.


Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society Seeks New Leadership: The Amateur Radio
Lighthouse Society (ARLHS), sponsor of Intercontinental Lightship-Lighthouse
Week, is looking for a new leader. Jim Weidner, K2JXW, who founded the ARLHS
in 2000, has resigned as owner and president, due to serious illness. The
organization's stated purpose is to promote public awareness of both ham radio
and lighthouses, "preserving lights that are in danger of extinction, and
paying tribute to the role that hams and lighthouse keepers have played in
contributing to maritime safety." Headquartered in New Jersey, the ARLHS has
about 2000 dues-paying members. "Anyone wishing to take over the membership
list and trusteeship of club station W7QF is welcome to do so and is
guaranteed our full cooperation in the transition," said a solicitation
distributed by Weidner on February 29. "We intend to keep the ARLHS active
until June 30, 2016, after which time we will terminate the web page,
BeaconBot, and all club activities, if no one is willing to assume ownership
and leadership." For more information, contact Weidner via e-mail or
telephone, (856) 486-1755.

____________________________________________________________________________


The K7RA Solar Update

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Average daily sunspot numbers and solar flux
both increased over the past week. The average daily solar flux went from 92.9
to 96.8, and the average daily sunspot number jumped from 41.4 to 64.4.
Geomagnetic indicators increased as well, with activity peaking on March 6 and
7.

Predicted solar flux is 100 on March 10-12, 95 on March 13-16; 90 on March 17;
95 on March 18-20; 90 on March 21-23, and 95 on March 24-30. The solar flux
will continue to meander between 90 and 95 for the foreseeable future.

The predicted planetary A index is 5, 10, 8, 10, and 8 on March 10-14; 5 on
March 15-16; 25 on March 17-19; 12 on March 20; 5 on March 21 through April 2,
and 22 on April 3.

Sunspot numbers for March 3 through 9 were 50, 95, 68, 68, 61, 48, and 61,
with a mean of 64.4. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 98.7, 100.5, 96.2, 95.5,
94.1, 95.5, and 97.4, with a mean of 96.8. Estimated planetary A indices were
8, 4, 4, 35, 24, 8, and 7, with a mean of 12.9. Estimated mid-latitude A
indices were 7, 2, 3, 19, 17, 6, and 6, with a mean of 8.6.

This week's bulletin will include an updated forecast and reports on 10 meter
conditions from N0JK and WB5AGZ.

Send me your reports and observations.

____________________________________________________________________________


Just Ahead in Radiosport

 *  March 12 -- Nauryz DX Contest (CW, phone)
 *  March 12 -- AGCW QRP Contest (CW)
 *  March 12-13 -- RSGB Commonwealth Contest (CW)
 *  March 12-13 -- South America 10 Meter Contest (CW, phone)
 *  March 12-13 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon (CW)
 *  March 12-13 -- Oklahoma QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
 *  March 12-13 -- Stew Perry Topband Challenge (CW)
 *  March 12-13 -- EA PSK63 Contest
 *  March 12-13 --Tesla Memorial HF CW Contest
 *  March 12-13 -- QCWA QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
 *  March 12-13 -- Idaho QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
 *  March 13 -- North American Sprint (RTTY)
 *  March 13 -- North American SSB Sprint Contest
 *  March 13 -- UBA Spring Contest -- 2 Meters (CW, phone)
 *  March 13 -- NSARA Contest (CW, phone, digital)
 *  March 13 -- WAB 3.5 MHz Phone
 *  March 13-14 -- Wisconsin QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
 *  March 14 -- Bucharest Contest (CW, phone, digital)
 *  March 15-20 -- CLARA Chatter Party (CW, phone)
 *  March 16 -- RSGB 80 Meter Club Championship (CW)
 *  March 17 -- NAQCC CW Sprint

See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. For in-depth reporting on
Amateur Radio contesting, subscribe to The ARRL Contest Update via your ARRL
member profile e-mail preferences.


Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events

 *  March 11-12 -- Louisiana State Convention, Rayne, Louisiana
 *  March 18-19 -- South Texas Section Convention, Rosenburg, Texas
 *  March 19 -- West Texas Section Convention, Midland, Texas
 *  March 19 -- MicroHAMS Digital Conference, Redmond, Washington
 *  March 25-26 -- Maine State Convention, Lewiston, Maine
 *  April 2 -- Delta Division Convention, Fort Smith, Arkansas
 *  April 2 -- North Carolina Section Convention, Raleigh, North Carolina
 *  April 8-9 -- Oklahoma State Convention, Claremore, Oklahoma
 *  April 9-10 -- Communications Academy, Seattle, Washington
 *  April 15-17 -- International DX Convention, Visalia, California
 *  April 15-17 -- VHF Super Conference, Sterling, Virginia
 *  April 16 -- Delaware State Convention, Georgetown, Delaware
 *  April 22-24 -- Idaho State Convention, Boise, Idaho
 *  April 23 -- Aurora '16 Conference, White Bear Lake, Minnesota
 *  April 23 -- Nebraska State Convention, Lincoln, Nebraska
 *  April 29-May 1 -- Nevada State Convention, Las Vegas, Nevada
 *  May 13-15 -- Rocky Mountain Division Convention, Keystone, Colorado
 *  May 14 -- Iowa State Convention, Boone, Iowa
 *  May 20-22 -- Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, Ohio

Find conventions and hamfests in your area.

____________________________________________________________________________


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... Cats polished while you wait.  Hot wax costs extra.
---
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