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The ARRL Letter

March 31, 2016
Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME

 *  ARRL Asks FCC to Restore Balance of Modes on 80 and 75 Meters
 *  "ARRL The Doctor is In" -- the Podcast -- Debuts on April 7
 *  ARRL to Review, Evaluate, and Explore Possible Improvements for OO
    Program
 *  National Parks on the Air Update
 *  Major DXpeditions Cooperating to Minimize Conflicts
 *  ARRL Okays P5/3Z9DX North Korea Operation for DXCC
 *  Kingman Reef (KH5) Deleted from DXCC List
 *  "Discover the HF Experience" Aims to Dazzle Technicians, Newcomers
 *  ISS Expedition 47/48 Crew Increment Includes Two Radio Amateurs
 *  "Elmer" Inspiration, Elmer "Bud" Frohardt Jr, W9DY, SK
 *  Comedian, Actor, TV Writer and Personality Garry Shandling, ex-KD6OY, SK
 *  In Brief...
 *  The K7RA Solar Update
 *  This Week in Radiosport
 *  Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events


ARRL Asks FCC to Restore Balance of Modes on 80 and 75 Meters

In comments filed on March 23 on its Petition for Rule Making (RM 11759)
seeking changes to 80 and 75 meters, the ARRL has told the FCC that its
primary objective is to "rebalance" the bands by correcting a 10-year-old FCC
error.

"ARRL's proposal is not fairly viewed as a proposal to take anything away from
anyone," the League's comments assured. "It is more properly viewed as the
effectuation of a fair, equitable, and efficient 'band plan' looking forward
for the foreseeable future that balances everyone's needs, and which remedies
a plainly unfair plan, imprudently created in the 2006 Report and Order in WT
Docket 04-140."

Prompting the League's assurances were comments filed on the ARRL's Petition
by a number of Amateur Extra class licensees, who felt that refarming 3600 to
3650 kHz for data modes could prove to be a disincentive to General licensees
to upgrade. Others commenters saw it as an unfair spectrum grab. The ARRL
noted that prior to 2006, the band was evenly divided between RTTY/data and
phone/image subbands, with the RTTY/data subband extending from 3500 to 3750
kHz, and the phone/image subband extending from 3750 to 4000 kHz. The 2006 FCC
Report and Order "substantially altered" what the League called "this even
division of emission types."

In outlining the history of the proceeding, the ARRL pointed out that the
FCC's Notice of Proposed Rule Making in Docket 01-140 would have shifted the
line between the 80 meter RTTY/data subband and the 75 meter phone/image
subband from 3750 kHz to 3725 kHz, pursuant to a 2002 ARRL Petition for Rule
Making, RM-10413. This would change the ratio of spectrum between phone/image
and RTTY/data segments on 75/80 meters from 50/50 to 55/45, and it is what the
FCC proposed in its NPRM.

In its Report and Order in Docket 04-140, however, the FCC made "a very
substantial and unjustifiable departure" from what it had proposed in its
NPRM, the ARRL recounted. The Commission expanded the phone/image subband at
75 meters to 3600-4000 kHz, and it reduced the 80 meter RTTY/data subband to
3500-3600 kHz, eliminating RTTY operation above 3600 kHz and changing "the
entire dynamic of this band," the League said.

The FCC had said in its proposal that no licensees would lose operating
privileges. Nonetheless, the FCC's phone band expansion reduced by 100 kHz the
spectrum between 3500 and 4000 kHz that was previously available to General
class licensees, while Advanced licensees lost 75 kHz. In an apparent FCC
oversight, the Report and Order completely eliminated access by automatically
controlled digital stations (ACDS) to 3620 to 3635 kHz. A subsequent FCC
Report and order and Order on Reconsideration only made the situation worse by
replacing the deleted ACDS segment with 3585-3600 kHz.
That resulted in "a shortfall in available RTTY/data spectrum on 80 meters,"
the ARRL said, adding that its current Petition "simply restores that which
was disruputed in 2006 in error."


"ARRL The Doctor is In" -- the Podcast -- Debuts on April 7

The popular QST "The Doctor is In" column soon will also be available as a
podcast! "ARRL The Doctor is In" will debut on Thursday, April 7, and
subsequent new episodes will be posted every other Thursday. The podcast will
feature QST columnist and technical whiz Joel Hallas, W1ZR, with QST Editor in
Chief Steve Ford, WB8IMY, serving as the host. Each 20-minute program will be
available from Apple iTunes and Stitcher -- the two largest podcast
distribution platforms (search for "ARRL The Doctor is In") -- and episodes
will be archived on the ARRL website. DX Engineering is the sponsor of the
"ARRL The Doctor is In" podcast.

"When the ARRL presented us with this unique opportunity, it was an easy
decision to make," said DX Engineering CEO Tim Duffy, K3LR. "DX Engineering is
one of the most prominent businesses supporting the ham radio community, so it
just makes sense to be part of the 'ARRL The Doctor is In' podcast."

The new, twice-monthly podcast will cover a broad range of technical topics of
interest to all amateurs -- everything from antennas to zener diodes and
beyond. We invite listeners to send us their own questions for the show. Your
question could be answered in a future podcast.

"ARRL The Doctor is In" arrives on Thursday, April 7!


ARRL to Review, Evaluate, and Explore Possible Improvements for OO Program

The ARRL Executive Committee has directed the Headquarters staff to "review
and evaluate the Official Observer (OO) program, solicit input from the field
organization, and explore areas of possible improvement including in the area
of training for OOs." ARRL Second Vice President Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT, will
oversee the study. The action stemmed from a discussion during the EC's March
12 meeting in Westlake, Texas. At the meeting, ARRL General Counsel Chris
Imlay, W3KD, observed that there have been "several positive developments"
with respect to FCC enforcement, since the EC last met in October 2015. But
with the closure of some FCC field offices and the retirement of several
experienced engineers who have been helpful with enforcement matters in the
past, the EC discussed how the OO program might be better positioned to help
the FCC. A preliminary report is due at the EC's October meeting.

In other matters, the EC directed the development of a Petition for Rule
Making to implement the 15 kHz band allocation at 5 MHz that came out of World
Radiocommunication Conference 2015, while retaining the existing five discrete
channels at 5 MHz.

WRC-15 laid the foundation for a global, secondary Amateur Radio allocation of
5351.5 kHz to 5366.5 kHz at up to 15 W effective isotropic radiated power in
the US (some Region 2 countries will be permitted up to 25 W EIRP). The new
worldwide band won't be available for use in the US until the FCC institutes a
rule making proceeding and establishes operating parameters for the band.

The ARRL has served notice on the National Frequency Coordinators' Council
(NFCC) to terminate the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that spells out how
the two organizations will cooperate in achieving common goals. At the EC's
direction, ARRL CEO and EC Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ, wrote to Mark
Stennett, NA6M, as the most-recent known NFCC president, after Sumner reported
"clear evidence" that the NFCC is no longer functioning.

The letter gave the NFCC 90 days' notice of the ARRL's intention to terminate
the MoU, signed in 2013. Sumner stressed the sentiment of the Executive
Committee, however, that the League would greatly prefer that the NFCC
membership elect and install a new Board of Directors, and that the NFCC
resumes its functions.

Imlay told the EC that he has asked FCC staff why there has been no action on
the ARRL's Petition for Rule Making RM-11708, since the FCC solicited comments
on the petition more than 2 years ago. The petition, in part, asked the FCC to
remove the symbol rate limitation for data emissions in band segments below 29
MHz where RTTY and data emissions are now permitted. It also asked the
Commission to establish a 2.8 kHz maximum bandwidth for data emissions on MF
and HF bands.

Chairing his first EC meeting, ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, thanked all
participants for their hard work and attention and observed that this was
David Sumner's last meeting as CEO and Secretary. He will retire on April 18.


National Parks on the Air Update

Satellite aficionado Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, activated the National Mall (DZ06)
in Washington, DC, on March 27, during two FO-29 satellite passes. Stoetzer
said he plans to operate from other NPOTA sites in the DC area and will set up
to operate HF between satellite passes. See W5PFG's blog about N8HM's activity.

A team of of five Hawaiian operators from Oahu will travel to the north side
of Molokai Island to activate Kalaupapa National Historical Park (HP18), April
1-5, as KH6BWG. Once a leper colony, the site is isolated from the rest of the
island by 1600-foot cliffs. It's located in Kalawao County, one of the rarer
US counties. One QSO with KH6BWG is worth a credit in several awards programs.
Activity will be on 40-10 meters on SSB, CW, and digital modes.

Yosemite National Park has published a guide for NPOTA activators who visit
this venerable National Park. The Yosemite Office of Special Park Uses worked
with ARRL to establish equitable rules for visiting Activators that will help
promote NPOTA activity while minimizing impact on other park visitors, during
what is certain to be a season of record attendance at Yosemite. The document
is also available on the NPOTA website.

In all, 44 Activations are slated for March 31-April 6, including Organ Pipe
Cactus National Monument in Arizona (MN58), and the San Juan National Historic
Site in Puerto Rico (NS63).

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).


Major DXpeditions Cooperating to Minimize Conflicts

Two major DXpeditions are now attracting hordes of DX chasers and raising
activity levels on HF. While both the Heard Island VK0EK and Juan de Nova
FT4JA DXpeditions coordinated their operating plans in advance to avoid
conflicts and confusion, the fact that both DXCC entities are quite rare will
keep things hopping on bands where both DXpeditions are active at the same
time. Heard Island is number 5, and Juan de Nova is number 4 on ClubLog's DXCC
Most Wanted List.

"Because we will be on the air at the same time as the FT4JA DXpedition -- and
because we will both be operating from a very similar time zone -- it is very
important that we coordinate with the French Team, and we have," says the
VK0EK website. The VK0EK and FT4JA websites include the same graphical
presentation of their joint operating plan.

The Juan de Nova DXpedition kicked off on March 30 and will operate until
April 11. The VK0EK DXpedition began on March 23 and will continue until April
10.

As part of that plan to head off potential conflicts, the VK0EK operators are
listening down from their transmit frequencies, while the FT4JA operators are
listening up from their transmit frequencies (both will always operate split).

This should minimize "pileup overlap," although if both major DXpeditions end
up on the same band and mode, operators not interested in working either
station could find it harder to locate a clear frequency. At one point on
March 30, VK0EK and FT4JA were transmitting 3 kHz apart on 80 meters.

Heard Island is in the Indian Ocean about 1000 miles north of Antarctica, and
Juan de Nova is in the Indian Ocean in the Mozambique Channel between
Mozambique and Madagascar, off the southeastern coast of Africa.

"We built the radio camp and antennas under extreme conditions," a March 31
report from the FT4JA team recounted. "No wind at all during those first days.
At night, the temperature doesn't really decrease, and we have thousands of
mosquitoes showing up, looking for fresh meat. The sea is close but very warm,
with sharks coming very close to the seashore."

The VK0EK team has offered suggestions to increase a DXer's chances of getting
into the log, but they apply to working any DXpedition. In short, the
DXpedition operators will always work split, never simplex. Listen to the
operator's instructions, and watch for the operator's calling "pattern" before
you start calling. Also, get familiar with the band plan posted on the
DXpeditions' websites.


ARRL Okays P5/3Z9DX North Korea Operation for DXCC

The ARRL DXCC Department has approved for DXCC credit the unexpected P5/3Z9DX
"demonstration" operation from North Korea last December. Well-traveled Polish
DXer Dom Grzyb, 3Z9DX, has said he expects to be back in North Korea --
officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) -- for his
"official" activation by late summer.

P5/3Z9DX showed up on the air from the most-wanted DXCC entity last December
20 and 21 to demonstrate Amateur Radio for North Korean officials. During that
activation -- the first in more than a decade -- P5/3Z9DX made nearly 785 SSB
contacts, most of them on 15 meters.

Some unsubstantiated claims were floated following the pre-Christmas P5/3Z9DX
operation that Grzyb was not really operating from North Korea.


Kingman Reef (KH5) Deleted from DXCC List

The ARRL Awards Committee has voted to delete Kingman Reef (KH5) from the DXCC
List, effective March 29, 2016. Kingman Reef will be added to the Deleted
Entities List on March 29, 2016. The total number of entities on the List will
drop from 340 to 339. The deletion process is described in DXCC Rules Section
II DXCC List Criteria, Part 5(a) Deletion Criteria.

"An entity may be deleted from the List if it no longer satisfies the criteria
under which it was added. However, if the entity continues to meet one or more
currently existing rules, it will remain on the List."

Kingman Reef's original addition by virtue of separate administration has
changed (separate administration by the US Navy has been removed), and the
reef does not meet any current criteria to remain on the List. The US Fish and
Wildlife Service (F&WS) administers Kingman Reef and Palmyra Island. The reef
is too close to Palmyra Island to count as a separate entity and now will be
considered a part of the Palmyra/Jarvis DXCC entity.

Prior to its deletion, Kingman Reef was the seventh most-wanted DXCC entity,
according to ClubLog. It was last activated as K5K in 2000.


"Discover the HF Experience" Aims to Dazzle Technicians, Newcomers

Contesting clubs in Canada and New England have joined forces to invite
non-hams, new hams, and even old timers to discover HF radio in the 21st
century firsthand, by getting on the air and operating remote stations. Beta
test "Discover the HF Experience" events will take place in April, with the
debut on April 2 in Manitoba. A subsequent special event in Massachusetts will
take place on April 10, using the call sign K1K. A major rollout is expected
at Dayton Hamvention(R) in May, with four operating positions at ARRL EXPO.
The "Discover the HF Experience" concept stresses that "shortwave" Amateur
Radio is just as compelling now as it was 100 years ago.

"Amateur Radio is complementary to new technology, not in competition with
it," said Gerry Hull, W1VE, who came up with the idea and has been working
with Cary Rubenfeld, VE4EA, in Manitoba to flesh it out into a program. "Ham
radio is so experiential," Hull told ARRL, "so a key part of this process is
getting hams to experience HF, if they're unfamiliar with it. As part of these
events, we are going to have remote HF stations on the air. We will have
Elmers to help participants through a contact, so they can see how HF really
works," he added.

"Our amateur population is at an all-time high, but most new hams are getting
a Technician ticket, getting on VHF and UHF, and hanging out with like-minded
friends," Hull said. The limitations on what Technician licensees can do often
leads to boredom, Hull said, "and they drop out of the hobby. They never get
the exposure to HF ham radio, and as any veteran radio amateur can tell you,
that's a lifelong exploration."

Radiosport Manitoba and the Winnipeg Amateur Radio Club will sponsor the April
2 debut at the Canad Inn, Garden City, in Winnipeg (9:30 AM until 4:30 PM
CDT). The April 10 beta test will take place at Keefe Technical High School in
Framingham, Massachusetts (12:30 until 4 PM EDT), in place of the normal
Yankee Clipper Contest Club (YCCC) open house.

"Today there are not as many HF Elmers," Hull said. "Who better to be the
ambassadors of HF than contesters? We're passionate about HF!"

Contact Discover the HF Experience for more information.


ISS Expedition 47/48 Crew Increment Includes Two Radio Amateurs

After launching on March 18 in a Soyuz TMA-20M vehicle from the Baikonur
Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the Expedition 47/48 crew increment of Astronaut
Jeff Williams, KD5TVQ, and Cosmonauts Oleg Skripochka, RN3FU, and Alexey
Ovchinin is settling in on board the International Space Station (ISS).

"During their 6-month mission, the expedition crew members will facilitate
approximately 250 research investigations and technology demonstrations not
possible on Earth," NASA said. "Science conducted also will enable future
long-duration human and robotic exploration into deep space and on the
agency's journey to Mars."

Williams, Skripochka, and Ovchinin joined Expedition 47 Commander Tim Kopra,
KE5UDN, European Space Agency astronaut Tim Peake, KG5BVI/GB1SS, and cosmonaut
Yuri Malenchenko, RK3DUP, on the ISS. Williams will take command of the
station on June 4 for Expedition 48.

This mission marks the fourth spaceflight for the 58-year-old Williams, and it
will be his third long-duration stay on the orbiting laboratory -- a first for
an American. It's also his first time back to the ISS since its completion in
2011. When his duty tour is over, Williams will become the new American record
holder for cumulative days in space -- 534 -- surpassing Expedition 46
Commander Scott Kelly, who wrapped up his 1-year mission on March 1.

Skripochka has the distinction of having flown on both the maiden and final
voyages of the "old" Soyuz spacecraft. Russia's Energia is set to debut a new
Soyuz model, the MS.


"Elmer" Inspiration, Elmer "Bud" Frohardt Jr, W9DY, SK

The ham radio mentor who inspired the term "Elmer" -- Elmer P. "Bud" Frohardt
Jr, W9DY (ex-W9GFF), of Madison, Wisconsin -- died on March 22. He was 93. A
friend and co-worker of the late Rod Newkirk, W9BRD (later VA3ZBB), who edited
QST's "How's DX?" column, Frohardt was the "Elmer" that Newkirk had in mind
when he used the name in his March 1971 column, referring to someone who
helped to mentor new Amateur Radio licensees.

"Too frequently one hears a sad story in this little nutshell: 'Oh, I almost
got a ticket, too, but Elmer, W9XYZ, moved away and I kind of lost interest,'"
Newkirk had written. "We need those Elmers. All the Elmers, including the ham
who took the most time and trouble to give you a push toward your license, are
the birds who keep this great game young and fresh."

On AC6V's "Origin of Ham Speak" web page, John Becker, K9MM, is quoted as
saying, "Bud was very well known locally for his involvement with the RAMS
(Radio Amateur Megacycle Society) radio club, and he was always helping
newcomers to the hobby."

Frohardt was an ARRL Life Member. -- Thanks to The Daily DX


Comedian, Actor, TV Writer and Personality Garry Shandling, ex-KD6OY, SK

Comedian, actor, and TV personality Garry Shandling, ex-KD6OY, died March 24
after suffering an apparent heart attack in Los Angeles. He was 66. Shandling
became a ham as a teenager in the 1960s, long before he entered show business.

"When I was 13 I had a ham radio set (true!), so I could sit in my room and
talk to people the world-over. Geeky? Or just ahead of my time!!?" Shandling
tweeted in May 2011.

Shandling grew up in Arizona and majored in electrical engineering at the
University of Arizona, but he went on to earn a degree in marketing and
complete some post-graduate work in creative writing. He worked in marketing
for a time, until a script he wrote for "Sanford and Son" turned into his
first big break into entertainment.

His most-recent Amateur Radio license -- issued to him under a pseudonym, Dave
Waddell -- expired in August 2009. The call sign was KQ6KA. Shandling obtained
the call sign under an assumed name, apparently so that he could get on the
air without being recognized as a celebrity. Prior to KQ6KA, he held KD6OY
under his real name, as well as WA7BKG in his early years as a ham.

He had an alter ego on television as well. On "It's Garry Shandling's Show,"
he played a comedian much like himself. "The Larry Sanders Show" followed, and
in that popular HBO series, he played a late-night talk show host.

____________________________________________________________________________


In Brief...

ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference Issues 2016 Call for Papers:
Technical Papers are being solicited for presentation at the 35th Annual
ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference (DCC), to be held September 16-18
in St Petersburg, Florida. Papers will also be published in the Conference
Proceedings. Authors do not need to attend the conference to have their papers
included in the Proceedings. The submission deadline is July 31, 2016. The
ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference is an international forum for
technically minded radio amateurs to meet and present new ideas and
techniques. Submit papers via e-mail or mail to Maty Weinberg, KB1EIB, ARRL,
225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. Papers will be published exactly as
submitted, and authors will retain all rights.


Isolated North Carolina Ham Uses Ham Radio to Get Help in House Fire Incident:
A ham living on remote Cedar Island off the coast of North Carolina recently
used Amateur Radio to summon help after a fire broke out in his house. "A
station came on the [Pamlico Amateur Radio Society] repeater asking if anyone
could contact the local fire department," said Bill Michne, WM3X, who lives in
Oriental, North Carolina. "The signal was broken up but readable after
repeats. What I learned was that the station was in Stacy, the operator's
house was filling with smoke, and that he had no telephone to use to call for
help." Michne said he got the other ham's address and contacted 911, which
called out the Stacy Fire Department. "The fire apparatus arrived within a
very short time," he added. The fire was said to have been contained to the
attic, and damage was not severe. The grateful ham was Mike Clutter, KM4COD,
an occasional check-in to a local ARES net, who lives part-time on Cedar
Island. -- Thanks to Bill Michne, WM3X, and to Jamie King, KJ4JK


ARRL Scrambles to Replace QSTs Lost En Route to Members: When a recent train
collision and derailment in Wyoming destroyed precisely 1086 copies of the
April edition of QST on its way to some members living in the ARRL
Southwestern Division, it was all hands on deck to quickly replace the issues,
which are being sent via First Class mail. ARRL contacted the affected members
by e-mail to let them know. Local reports indicated that there were no
fatalities or serious injuries from the train collision. If your QST ever
should be lost or late -- whether due to a train wreck or other postal mishap
-- contact Circulation/Member Services Manager Yvette Vinci, KC1AIM, telephone
(860) 594-0257. -- Thanks to Sean Kutzko, KX9X


CQ World Wide DX Contest Rate Records Posted: The CQ World Wide SSB and CW
Contest rate records have been updated with details from the 2015 CW logs.
It's possible to query the database by year, continent, call sign, and
country. "It is interesting to see how many high-rate records were set in
2015," said Randy Thompson, K5ZD, past CQ WW Contests Manager. That includes
the current CW and SSB records in the high-power category. The top CW rate was
371 contacts per hour, set by N6MJ, operating as ZF2MJ. The top SSB rate was
407, set by W2SC at 8P5A. Rates listed are the best 60-minute tallies. Tables
also have been posted for Low Power and QRP, as well as for multioperator
categories. The rates listed were calculated from publicly available logs
before log checking and may include duplicate contacts. The Cabrillo logs and
the top-rate segments are available.

____________________________________________________________________________


The K7RA Solar Update

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: This week solar indices again crept lower.
Average daily sunspot numbers declined by 8 points to 20.4, and average daily
solar flux went down by 2.4 points to 86.4. Geomagnetic indices softened, with
planetary A index down by 3 points to 8.9, and the mid-latitude A index down
by 1.2 points to 7.4.

Just one new sunspot appeared since March 17, and that was on March 24.

Predicted solar flux values from USAF and NOAA saw a major downward shift on
March 28. Overnight, the predicted average daily solar flux for the 38 days
from April 4 through May 11 dropped from 91.6 to 82.2. You can see this by
downloading the spreadsheet.

Predicted solar flux is 85 on March 31 through April 5; 80 on April 6-9; 85 on
April 10-11; 80 on April 12-17; 85 on April 18-24; 80 on April 25-28, and 85
on April 29 through May 2.

Predicted planetary A index is 8, 10, 26, and 16 on March 31 through April 3;
8, 12, 10, 5, and 10 on April 4-8; 5, 15, 24, 22, and 20 on April 9-13; 8 on
April 14-15; 5 on April 16-22; 12 on April 23-24; 8 on April 25; 5 on April
26-28, and 25 on April 29-30.

Sunspot numbers for March 24 through 30 were 25, 24, 23, 23, 23, 13, and 12,
with a mean of 28.4. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 86.5, 85.5, 85.5, 88.2,
87.7, 87.8, and 83.8, with a mean of 88.8. Estimated planetary A indices were
7, 6, 3, 13, 10, 11, and 12, with a mean of 11.9. Estimated mid-latitude A
indices were 7, 6, 2, 10, 9, 8, and 10, with a mean of 8.6.

In this week's bulletin look for an updated 3-month moving average of sunspot
numbers.

Send me your reports and observations.

____________________________________________________________________________


This Week in Radiosport

 *  April 2 -- LZ Open 40 Meter Sprint Contest (CW)
 *  April 2-3 -- 15 Meter SSTV Dash Contest
 *  April 2-3 -- Mississippi QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
 *  April 2-3 -- Missouri QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
 *  April 2-3 -- SP DX Contest (CW, SSB)
 *  April 2-3 -- EA RTTY Contest
 *  April 3 -- North American SSB Sprint
 *  April 3 -- UBA Spring Contest, 6 Meters (CW, phone)
 *  April 3 -- RSGB RoLo (SSB)
 *  April 4 -- RSGB 80 Meter CW Club Championship
 *  April 5 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW)
 *  April 6 -- UKEICC 80 Meter Contest (SSB)
 *  April 7 -- SARL 80 Meter QSO Party (SSB)
 *  April 7 -- NRAU 10 Meter Activity Contest (CW, phone, digital)

____________________________________________________________________________


Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events

 *  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
 *  June 3-5 -- Northwestern Division Convention, Seaside, Oregon
 *  June 4 -- Georgia Section Convention, Marietta, Georgia
 *  June 5 -- Western Pennsylvania Section Convention, Prospect,
    Pennsylvania
 *  June 10-11 -- West Gulf Division Convention, Irving, Texas
 *  June 18 -- Tennessee State Convention, Knoxville, Tennessee

Find conventions and hamfests in your area.

____________________________________________________________________________


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)\/(ark

Always Mount a Scratch Monkey

... I'll try anything twice.  Once if it kills me.
---
 * Origin:  (1:3634/12.73)