If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at:
http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2016-03-24

The ARRL Letter

March 24, 2016
Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME

 *  ARRL HF Band Planning Committee Seeks Suggestions on IARU Region 2 HF
    Band Plan
 *  SBE Urges FCC to Improve Medium-Wave Noise Environment
 *  Puerto Rico ARES Volunteers Take Part in Caribe Wave 2016 Exercise
 *  ARRL Introduces Three New E-Books
 *  National Parks on the Air Update
 *  Hamvention Announces 2016 Award Winners
 *  UC Berkeley Trains, Tests Hundreds of New Hams
 *  Fox-1C and Fox-1D Satellites Ready for Payload Integration
 *  "Amateur Radio Roundtable" Connects Live with Heard Island DXpedition
 *  Kosovo Activity in CQ WPX SSB Will Help to Train Young Hams
 *  In Brief...
 *  The K7RA Solar Update
 *  Just Ahead in Radiosport
 *  Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events

____________________________________________________________________________


ARRL Headquarters to be Closed on Friday, March 25: ARRL Headquarters will be
closed on Good Friday, March 25. There will be no W1AW bulletin or code
practice transmissions and no ARRL Audio News on that day. ARRL Headquarters
will reopen Monday, March 28, at 8 AM Eastern Daylight Time. We wish everyone
a safe and enjoyable holiday!

____________________________________________________________________________


ARRL HF Band Planning Committee Seeks Suggestions on IARU Region 2 HF Band Plan

The ARRL Board of Directors' HF Band Planning Committee is inviting input from
the US Amateur Radio community regarding possible changes to the International
Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 2 Band Plan. That band plan and other
significant Amateur Radio spectrum issues will be high on the agenda at this
fall's IARU Region 2 General Assembly in Chile. Leading up to that gathering,
the ARRL and other IARU member societies in the Americas will be seeking
comments and suggestions regarding the Region 2 HF Band Plan. The HF Band
Planning Committee will review the current plan, consider comments from the US
Amateur Radio community, and recommend any changes to the ARRL Board for
submission to IARU Region 2.

"The ARRL HF Band Planning Committee wants to stress that the IARU Region 2
Band Plan is a voluntary guideline and does not supersede FCC regulations
related to spectrum usage," Committee Chairman and ARRL Second Vice President
Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT, noted. He also pointed out two other issues for radio
amateurs to consider.

Most Region 2 countries outside the US do not have the sort of detailed
subband regulations contained in the FCC's Part 97. For radio amateurs in
these countries, the Region 2 Band Plan may serve as the only source of
guidance on spectrum usage.

The designation of a calling frequency or band segment for a particular
purpose or mode in any IARU band plan does not convey any special rights or
exclusivity of use. On the other hand, the absence of a calling frequency or
band segment associated with a particular purpose or mode should not suggest
that these have been overlooked or are viewed negatively.

The Committee is urging US radio amateurs who are considering suggesting
revisions to the IARU Region 2 Band Plan first to study the existing IARU
Region 2 Band Plan. They then should formulate a clear statement of any
proposed changes, including a brief explanation of why each particular change
would benefit all IARU Region 2 spectrum users. Participants should include
name and call sign. Submit input via e-mail by June 1, 2016. Messages will be
automatically acknowledged.

The 19th IARU Region 2 General Assembly will take place in mid-October in Vi¤a
del Mar, Chile. Held every 3 years, the Region 2 Conference is attended by
delegations from IARU member societies in throughout the Americas.


SBE Urges FCC to Improve Medium-Wave Noise Environment

The Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) has told the FCC that the regulatory
agency needs to take another tack in its efforts to tackle AM broadcast band
revitalization. If the FCC takes the SBE's advice, the result could be less
noise in the MF and HF Amateur Radio bands. In comments the SBE filed in
response to an FCC Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Notice of Inquiry
(MB 13-249) proposing ways to [SBE%20logo.jpg] enhance the viability of the AM
broadcast service, the SBE said the Commission must "commit to a regulatory
plan which, over time, will reduce the levels of man-made noise in the MF
bands, and more broadly in the bands below 30 MHz." In comments it filed
earlier in the proceeding, the SBE pointed out that "AM radio in particular is
susceptible to interference from electronic devices of all types," and that
ambient noise on the AM band is only bound to get worse with further
proliferation of noise-generating electronic devices, including certain
lighting devices regulated under FCC Part 15 and Part 18 rules.

"[T]he only source of regulatory reform that has a meaningful chance to
positively affect the noise floor over time are regulations that create
obligations on manufacturers and importers and dealers, prior to the point
that the consumer or user of the device or system comes into possession of it,
and before it is deployed," the SBE said. The SBE said that while the FCC has
strongly supported unlicensed low-power RF devices over the years, it
"apparently does not have a clear understanding of the aggregate effects" of
these devices on the MF noise environment. In addition, the power grid has
expanded, imposing its own family of electrical noises on the radio spectrum.

"Much unintentional interference is local in nature, but the cumulative impact
can be extensive," the SBE told the FCC. "The Commission does not now have,
and has never had, a complete understanding of ambient RF noise levels and
trends over time."

The SBE urged the FCC to better enforce some existing regulations and develop
new ones to address ambient noise in the existing AM band. "It is obvious that
any interference management plan...has to be based on rules which limit RF
noise before it becomes an issue, not post hoc, and those rules have to be
enforced," the SBE said.


Puerto Rico ARES Volunteers Take Part in Caribe Wave 2016 Exercise

For the second year, Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers in
Puerto Rico took part in the annual Caribe Wave exercise (formerly known as
the Large Atlantic Tsunami Exercise -- LANTEX), a tsunami communication drill
undertaken on different dates on the US East Coast, in Canada, on the Gulf of
Mexico, and in the Caribbean Basin. The object of Caribe Wave is to test the
reliability of communication systems and protocols among tsunami alert centers
and to help emergency management agencies to improve their preparedness to
execute a tsunami alert. In Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, Caribe Wave
takes place in conjunction with the Puerto Rico Seismic Network (Red S¡smica
de Puerto Rico), FEMA, NOAA, and the Puerto Rico Emergency Management Agency
(PREMA/AEMEAD).

The scenario for the March 17 drill was a tsunami generated by a magnitude 8.4
seismic event, 15 kilometers deep, off the coast of Venezuela.

Amateur Radio has played an important part on this exercise at an island-wide
level in the past, and ARES Puerto Rico, with Section Emergency Coordinator
Carlos A. Rosado, KP4CAR, at the helm, is now the major player in these drills.

At 10:05 AM on March 17, the Emergency Alert System (EAS) activated on
broadcast and cable outlets around Puerto Rico, announcing the "emergency" and
emphasizing that it was a drill. Many government, public, school, and senior
institutions conducted evacuation drills to test their preparedness to reach
their nearest local refugee site. PREMA practiced evacuation procedures in the
city of Cata¤o, which could end up partially underwater in the event of a
tsunami.

Amateur Radio's role during Caribe Wave 2016 was to gather reports from other
radio amateurs in the island regarding how they learned of the tsunami alert.
The reports gathered are delivered to PREMA Headquarters for a later
evaluation meeting that includes all agencies and organizations involved.

The main communication took place via the KP4CAR 147.210 MHz repeater in
Jayuya, Cerro Puntas -- the highest point on the island. The repeater's
emergency power system will permit it to remain on the air for a few days. --
Thanks to Angel Santana, WP3GW, ARRL Puerto Rico Section Public Information
Coordinator


ARRL Introduces Three New E-Books

ARRL has introduced three new e-books to its growing digital library. The
newest titles available in the popular Amazon Kindle format include Work the
World with JT65 and JT9 by ARRL author Steve Ford, WB8IMY, ARRL's Small
Antennas for Small Spaces, second edition, and Antenna Physics: An
Introduction, by Robert J. Zavrel, Jr, W7SX.

Work the World with JT65 and JT9 shows you how to assemble an effective
digital communication station and configure the software for best performance.
Some operators use these popular digital modes with as little as 5 W RF output
and an indoor antenna. The book is filled with tricks and tips to help you get
on the air and making contacts.

The fully updated second edition of ARRL's Small Antennas for Small Spaces is
a must-have for radio amateurs who live in apartments, condominiums, or houses
on small lots. The book is filled with practical advice, and will guide you to
finding the right antenna design to fit whatever space you have available.

Antenna Physics: An Introduction has been written to bridge the gap between
basic theory and graduate-level engineering texts. Delve deeper into antenna
theory, and explore the underlying principles and mathematics of antennas and
antenna physics.

All of these publications are also available in print format, directly from
ARRL and ARRL publication dealers.

ARRL reminds Amazon shoppers to consider visiting smile.amazon.com when
ordering. Amazon will donate 0.5 percent of the price of your eligible
AmazonSmile purchases to ARRL whenever you shop on AmazonSmile.

____________________________________________________________________________


National Parks on the Air Update

National Parks Week is April 16-24, a happy alignment for National Parks on
the Air operators, as World Amateur Radio Day is April 18. This would be a
prime day to get out and operate from an NPOTA unit, promoting both the
National Parks and Amateur Radio simultaneously. If you plan to be on the air
from an NPS site for World Amateur Radio Day, e-mail the details to
npota@arrl.org.

There are 28 NPOTA activations scheduled for March 24-30, including Big Bend
National Park (NP04) in Texas, and the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site
(NS71) in Alabama.

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 on Twitter
(@ARRL_NPOTA).


Hamvention Announces 2016 Award Winners

Nobel Laureate Joe Taylor, K1JT, of Princeton, New Jersey, has been named as
the 2016 Dayton Hamvention(R) Amateur of the Year. Hamvention announced the
recipients of the Amateur of the Year, Technical Achievement, Special
Achievement, and Club of the Year awards on March 18.

Taylor was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1993 for the discovery of the
first orbiting pulsar, leading to observations that established the existence
of gravitational waves. Licensed in 1954 as KN2ITP, Taylor served as a
professor of astronomy at the University of Massachusetts from 1969 to 1981,
and later as a professor of physics at Princeton University. Since his
retirement, Taylor has been developing and enhancing digital protocols for
weak-signal communication by Amateur Radio, including JT65 and WSPR.

John S. Burningham, W2XAB, of Morrow, Georgia, is the recipient of the
Hamvention Technical Achievement Award. A radio amateur since 1970, Burningham
has been involved with amateur repeaters for more than 40 years. Following
positions in the aerospace industry and for Motorola, he has been in higher
education for more than 20 years, and now serves as a senior lecturer in the
Department of Computer Science and Information Technology at Clayton State
University. A Life Member of ARRL and QCWA and a member of AMSAT and TAPR, he
currently is active in the digital mobile radio community
and is the author of the Amateur Radio Guide to Digital Mobile Radio. He also
wrote "Introduction to Digital Mobile Radio," which appeared in the October
2015 issue of QST, and is a contributing author in the 2016 ARRL Handbook.

The 2016 Hamvention Special Achievement Award will go to Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU,
of Wolcott, Connecticut, for advocating cutting-edge technologies now commonly
used in Amateur Radio. Horzepa has authored five books and written more than
1200 pieces for ARRL and TAPR, evangelizing the use of home computers, packet
radio, APRS, digital signal processing and software defined radio in Amateur
Radio. Licensed in 1969, Horzepa has sampled almost every entr‚e on the ham
radio menu and has served in a slew of roles, including ARRL Connecticut
Section Manager. Presently, Horzepa is a director and secretary for TAPR and
serves as editor of TAPR's newsletter, PSR.

Rocky Mountain Ham Radio has been named as Hamvention Club of the Year. The
organization, based in the Denver, Colorado suburbs, offers its services to
other ham radio clubs and ARES groups to help them be successful. Technical
assistance, classroom training on a myriad of subjects, mentoring,
equipment/system design, and public service are among the services it
provides. The group owns and maintains fixed analog and digital/DMR repeater
assets, including one of the premier private DMR networks in the nation, which
is linked with an amateur microwave network that spans the Front Range of the
Rocky Mountains from Cheyenne, Wyoming, to Ca¤on City, Colorado. The group
also owns and operates a deployable communications command post in a 26-foot
trailer.


UC Berkeley Trains, Tests Hundreds of New Hams

Ham radio-related courses taught at the University of California Berkeley
Campus and a follow-on "Annual VE Mega-Session" may be one reason that
California continues to lead the nation in the number of Amateur Radio
licensees. A March 16 exam session yielded 50 new Technician licensees, as
well as three new General class, and five new Amateur Extra class licensees.
For the third year in a row, scores of mostly electrical engineering and
computer science students capped their participation in one of two ham
radio-related classes taught by UC Berkeley EE/CS Professor Michael "Miki"
Lustig, KK6MRI. His lower-division "Hands-On Ham" course is for sophomores,
while and his upper-division "Digital Signal Processing" course is aimed at
juniors and seniors.

"These popular courses are filled quickly on registration day," Lustig said.
"Class members also include some majoring in mechanical, biological, and
nuclear engineering."

The entry-level course exposes newcomers to ham radio and introduces them to
"hacking" and "making," Lustig explained, while the advanced class "delves
into the theoretical applications of digital signal processing, filter design,
modulation/demodulation, decoding subcarriers, APRS audio interface
techniques, and antenna design." Both classes feature hands-on, practical
projects that require them to transmit on radio frequencies, so students are
motivated, as part of their courses, to become licensed Amateur Radio
operators.

The lower-division students are given inexpensive handheld transceivers to
keep, and are coached in radio protocols. The upper division students are
issued higher-end handhelds that they may keep if they pass the General or
Amateur Extra class examination.

"They make satellite contacts, participate in on-campus Field Day-like
activities, practice with small software designed radio dongles, and, if
already licensed, stay in touch with each other throughout the semester on a 2
meter simplex frequency," Lustig told ARRL.

Lustig is quick to point out that the two courses would not be possible
without the active support of the UC Berkeley W6BB club members, including
Trustee Fritz Sommer, K6EE/DL4TT; President Jack Burris K6JEB, and others, as
well as support from the EECS Department staff.

In the latest VE session, 63 candidates took a total of 78 exam elements in a
little more than 2 hours. Only one candidate left without a license.


Fox-1C and Fox-1D Satellites Ready for Payload Integration

AMSAT reports that its Fox-1C (Fox-1Cliff -- named in honor of the late AMSAT
pioneer and benefactor Cliff Buttschardt, K7RR) and Fox-1D satellites are
ready for delivery to Spaceflight Industries for integration into the SHERPA
payload dispenser, which will be making its maiden flight. Fox-1Cliff and
Fox-1D successfully finished environmental testing on February 8.

Launch is set for later this year on a SpaceX Falcon 9. Until delivery, the
CubeSats will be sealed in anti-static bags, opened occasionally to charge the
batteries so they will be fully topped off for delivery. Launched into Sun
synchronous orbits, Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D will carry the same FM repeater as
Fox-1A (AO-85), in addition to a Virginia Tech camera experiment that will
take images of Earth for high-speed downlink.

Fox-1Cliff will also contain a radiation experiment from Vanderbilt University
ISDE, like the one in AO-85, and Fox-1D will host the University of Iowa
High-Energy Radiation CubeSat Instrument experiment to map the Van Allen
radiation belts.

The Fox Engineering Team now has shifted its focus to RadFxSat/Fox-1B,
currently set to launch in January 2017. -- Thanks to AMSAT News Service


"Amateur Radio Roundtable" Connects Live with Heard Island DXpedition

W5KUB's "Amateur Radio Roundtable" webcast scored a live, audio-only interview
on March 22 with the leader of the Heard Island VK0EK DXpedition, Bob
Schmieder, KK6EK -- believed to be a first in ham radio news media history.
The VK0EK DXpedition team got under way on March 23.

When "Amateur Radio Roundtable" host Tim Medlin, W5KUB, spoke with Schmieder,
he and the other 13 DXpedition operators had just arrived on Heard Island on
the R/V Braveheart and were preparing to start moving equipment and personnel
ashore. Schmieder talked with Medlin for about 15 minutes over an Iridium
phone, explaining that he could not do a video interview this time, because he
was still on board the Braveheart, and the necessary Inmarsat phone's antenna
must be pointed at the satellite.

"Amateur Radio Roundtable" is hoping for a video interview on Tuesday, March
29, with the VK0EK DXpedition. "I want to see a volcano in the background and
penguins all around him," Medlin quipped, looking ahead to the planned video
interview.

More information is on the DXpedition's website, and the VK0EK log appears on
the DXA3.org website. The interview, available on the "Amateur Radio
Roundtable" YouTube archive, was also broadcast on international shortwave
station WBCQ on 5130 kHz.


Kosovo Activity in CQ WPX SSB Will Help to Train Young Hams

Z60A in Kosovo, the headquarters station of SHRAK, the newest International
Amateur Radio Union (IARU) member society, will be on the air leading up to
and during the CQ World Wide WPX SSB Contest the weekend of March 26-27. SHRAK
President Vjollca Caka, Z61VB, has announced that other Kosovo prefixes, such
as Z61DX, Z62FB, Z63ESC, Z64EEF, and Z68BH, will be active in addition to
Z60A. The on-the-air activity will serve as part of a training process for new
Kosovar hams as they prepare for the forthcoming IARU Youngsters On The Air
(YOTA) gathering in Austria with other young people
from throughout Europe.

SHRAK has a new Yaesu/Acom station sporting Force 12 beams high up in the
hills at the Technical University of Pristina, where Z60A is located. SHRAK
has expressed its gratitude to the ARRL Fund for International Relations and
Goodwill, the International DX Association (INDEXA), Force 12, the
OH-DX-Foundation (OHDXF) and to Chiltern DX Club (CDXC) -- the UK DX
Foundation, for their valuable support.

Helping to mentor the operation and handle on-the-air duties will be Martti
Laine, OH2BH. Nigel Cawthorne, G3TXF, will be in Kosovo in late May to assist
SHRAK and to activate Z60A in the WPX CW event. -- Thanks to thanks to Vjollca
Caka, Z61VB, and Martti Laine, OH2BH


In Brief...

Well-Known Contester Gary R. Senesac, AL9A, SK: Contesting luminary Gary
Senesac, AL9A (ex-KC9UM), of Wasilla, Alaska, died suddenly on March 15 while
vacationing in Florida. An ARRL Life Member,
he was 72. Senesac, an Illinois native, moved to Alaska in 2003 after he
retired, and his was a familiar call sign in many operating events. During the
ARRL Centennial in 2014, he took part in the W1AW/KL7 operation. "Gary was an
avid contester," said fellow Alaskan Corliss Kimmel, AL1G, "and he was an
excellent contester. He was also very technically knowledgeable and helpful to
anyone who needed advice." Senesac enjoyed operating all modes but may be best
known as a CW and RTTY contester. Senesac was a member of the Matanuska
Amateur Radio Association, the Fox River Radio League, the Society of Midwest
Contesters, and the ARRL A1 Operators Club. In addition to his participation
in the W1AW ARRL Centennial year operation, AL9A also recently took part in
the KL7RST special event, and he served as a mentor to many operators. "He
will be dearly missed by us all," Kimmel said. "I will miss his posts, seeing
his amazing scores, and laughing at his jokes."


Centenarian, Alaska Women's Hall of Fame Member Arlene "Buddy" Clay, KL7OT,
SK: Arlene "Buddy" Clay, KL7OT, of Wasilla, Alaska, died on February 11. She
was 103. An ARRL member, Clay was inducted into the Alaska Women's Hall of
Fame in 2015 for her work in rural justice administration among the Yup'ik
people. She became a ham in 1948 and began calling the Thursday night Snipers
Net for the Matanuska Amateur Radio Association, a duty she continued from her
retirement community home until she died of a stroke. In 1960, after having
worked for years with her husband Earl, KL7EM (SK), as an air traffic
controller, she began a new career as a magistrate for the Alaska Court
System, becoming responsible for 12 villages along the Kuskokwim, Yukon, and
Iditarod rivers. She traveled from village to village by boat in the summer
and by dog sled in the winter. In all, "Buddy" Clay spent nearly 70 years
living in Alaska's wilderness. She was profiled in the August 2013 issue of
QST in the article "A Radio Voice in the Wilderness," by Brenda Plessinger,
AL7LX.


W1YL, W1CW (SK), and K4OJ (SK) are First Florida Contest Group Hall of Fame
Inductees: Former ARRL Headquarters staffers Ellen White, W1YL, and Bob White,
W1CW (SK), and their son Jim, K4OJ (SK), were the first inductees into the
Florida Contest Group (FCG) Hall of Fame, in honor of their lifetime of
service to Amateur Radio and "for their role as the First Family of the
Florida Contest Group (FCG)," the group said. An honorary plaque was presented
to Ellen White by FCG President Dan Street, K1TO, at the 2016 Florida Contest
Group Banquet on February 12, attended by more than 160
visitors. The Florida Contest Group, an ARRL affiliated club, supports and
encourages all types of Amateur Radio contesting. -- Thanks to George Wagner,
K5KG

____________________________________________________________________________


The K7RA Solar Update

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: All of the indicators we track were lower
over the past week (March 17-23), compared to the previous 7 days. Average
daily sunspot numbers declined from 51.7 to 28.4, and average daily solar flux
dipped from 98.6 to 88.8 over the reporting period. The planetary A index was
lower by 3.8 points at 11.9, and the average mid-latitude A index (measured in
Wallops Island, Virginia) dropped from 12 to 8.6. Lower geomagnetic indices
are generally considered a good thing for HF propagation. The record indicates
no new sunspot regions since March 17.

Even though our sun is quiet, there is a seasonal variation that produces
aurora around the vernal and autumnal equinox. Spaceweather.com explained this
recently.

Sunspot numbers for March 17 through 23 were 66, 29, 26, 26, 25, 13, and 14,
with a mean of 28.4. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 91.6, 90.3, 89.4, 87.6,
88.9, 87.3, and 86.8, with a mean of 88.8. Estimated planetary A indices were
21, 8, 18, 10, 8, 8, and 10, with a mean of 11.9. Estimated mid-latitude A
indices were 16, 6, 12, 6, 7, 6, and 7, with a mean of 8.6.

Send me your reports and observations.

____________________________________________________________________________


Just Ahead in Radiosport

 *  March 26 -- FOC QSO Party (CW)
 *  March 26-27 -- CQ WW WPX Contest (SSB)
 *  March 30 -- UKEICC 80 Meter Contest (CW)

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 25-26 -- Maine State Convention, Lewiston, Maine
 *  April 1-2 -- OzarkCon QRP Conference, Branson, Missouri
 *  April 2 -- Delta Division Convention, Fort Smith, Arkansas
 *  April 2 -- North Carolina Section Convention, Raleigh, North Carolina
 *  April 2 -- Wisconsin Section Convention, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
 *  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 7 -- South Carolina Section Convention, Spartanburg, South Carolina
 *  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.

____________________________________________________________________________


ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for Amateur Radio News and Information.

 *  Join or Renew Today! ARRL membership includes QST, Amateur Radio's most
    popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox each month.

 *  Listen to ARRL Audio News, available every Friday.

Subscribe to...

 *  NCJ -- National Contest Journal. Published bi-monthly, features articles
    by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO
    Parties.
 *  QEX -- A Forum for Communications Experimenters. Published bi-monthly,
    features technical articles, construction projects, columns, and other
    items of interest to radio amateurs and communications professionals.

Free of charge to ARRL members...

 *  Subscribe to the ARES E-Letter (monthly public service and emergency
    communications news), the ARRL Contest Update(bi-weekly contest
    newsletter), Division and Section news alerts -- and much more!

Find ARRL on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram!

____________________________________________________________________________


The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 48 times each year. ARRL members may
subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing their Member Data Page as
described at http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/.

Copyright (C) 2016 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved

www.arrl.org

)\/(ark

Always Mount a Scratch Monkey

... Go on, you seem to like babbling to yourself.
---
 * Origin:  (1:3634/12.73)