Re: The ARRL Letter for November 19, 2009

[Ed Morganberg]

On Nov 19, 4:49 pm, "ARRL Web site" <memberl...@www.arrl.org> wrote:
> ********************************************
>             The  ARRL Letter
>
> Published by the American Radio Relay League
> ********************************************
>
> November 19, 2009
>
> Editor: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA <k1...@arrl.org>
>
> ARRL Home Page <http://www.arrl.org/>ARRL Letter Archive
> <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/>Audio News
> <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> IN THIS ISSUE
>
> - + Advocacy: End in Sight for "Third Battle of Bull Run"?
> - + Operating: NCVEC to Release New Technician Question Pool in January
> - + Operating: SKYWARN Recognition Day Set for December 5
> -  Hints & Kinks : PL-259 Connector Tool for Coax Cables
> - + Public Service: GAREC Returns to Region 2 for 2010
> - The 2009 ARRL Spectrum Defense Campaign Needs Your Support
> - Now You Know!: It's All Greek to Me
> - Solar Update
> - This Week on the Radio
>
> + Available on ARRL Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/>
>
> ==> + ADVOCACY: END IN SIGHT FOR "THIRD BATTLE OF BULL RUN"?
>
> ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, once termed the battle
> of Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) in Manassas, Virginia as the "Third
> Battle of Bull Run." While the war against harmful interference to
> Amateur Radio via BPL is not yet over, the battle in Manassas might
> soon be coming to an end.
>
> In a Special Meeting on Monday, November 16 of the Manassas City
> Council, the Council voted "To allow the [City of Manassas] Utility
> Commission to make a recommendation to the [Manassas] City Manager as
> part of the FY 2011 Budget regarding the decision to continue offering
> Internet service; additionally, staff was instructed to discontinue all
> marketing and advertising of Internet service." This motion passed 4-2.
>
> At the meeting, Manassas Director of Utilities Michael Moon told the
> Council that "it is not cost-effective to continue the internet service
> on the Main.net BPL communication system as a stand-alone cost center"
> and that the City "need[s] to make the decision for internet service in
> the context of what communication system will be used for the City's
> AMI [Advanced Metering Infrastructure]." Read more here
> <http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2009/11/19/11206/?nc=1>.
>
> ==> + OPERATING: NCVEC TO RELEASE NEW TECHNICIAN QUESTION POOL IN
> JANUARY
>
> The Question Pool Committee (QPC) of the National Conference of
> Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC) is due to release the new
> Technician class (Element 2) question pool to the 14 VECs on December
> 1, 2009; it will be released to the public in January 2010. Each
> question pool for the three Amateur Radio license classes --
> Technician, General and Amateur Extra -- is reviewed on a four-year
> rotation. This new Technician class pool will become effective on July
> 1, 2010. Read more here
> <http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2009/11/19/11203/?nc=1>.
>
> ==> + OPERATING: SKYWARN RECOGNITION DAY SET FOR DECEMBER 5
>
> The 11th Annual SKYWARN Recognition Day (SRD) Special Event will take
> place Saturday, December 5, 2009. SRD is co-sponsored by the ARRL and
> the National Weather Service (NWS) as a way to recognize the commitment
> made by Amateur Radio operators in helping to keep their communities
> safe. According to SRD Coordinator David Floyd, N5DBZ, Amateur Radio
> operators can visit their local participating NWS office to contact
> other hams across the world throughout the 24 hour event. Read more
> here <http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2009/11/17/11199/?nc=1>.
>
> ==>  HINTS & KINKS : PL-259 CONNECTOR TOOL FOR COAX CABLES
>
>    Tired of using pliers to screw on the PL-259 connectors when you are
> preparing cables? Pliers always seem to do some damage by the amount of
> force this task requires. I use an inexpensive 1/2 inch PVC female to
> male coupler. Simply use a step drill and ream out the female end (see
> the arrow in the photo). This works for most half inch coaxial cables.
> PL-259s do vary in diameter. Be sure to measure yours before you ream
> out the PVC adapter. It will not take a lot of reaming for the
> connector to fit snugly. The outer part of the PL-259 that fits into
> the connector is 0.55 inch diameter. This makes a secure fit. If you
> wear out the adapter, purchase another, as they are inexpensive. This
> works for me. -- 73, Paul Marsha, K4AVU, 200 Garden Trail Ln,
> Lexington, SC 29072-7341
>
> ==> + ARRL RECOGNIZES: DEADLINE LOOMING FOR NOMINATIONS FOR THE BILL
> LEONARD PROFESSIONAL MEDIA AWARD AND ARRL INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN
> AWARD
>
>    Did you see an article or news segment on Amateur Radio this past
> year in the papers, on TV, radio or a professional Web site? ARRL Media
> and Public Relations Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP, reminds you that you
> can recognize the professional reporter's work by nominating them for
> the Bill Leonard Professional Media Award
> <http://www.arrl.org/pio/pro_media_award.html>. "Time is running out,"
> he warns. "Nominations for this prestigious award -- which conveys an
> engraved plaque and a donation of $250 to be made in their names to the
> charity of their choice -- must be sent in to the League no later than
> December 11." Find out more about the Bill Leonard Professional Media
> Award here <http://www.arrl.org/pio/pro_media_award.html>.
>
>    Nominations are also open for the 2009 ARRL International
> Humanitarian Award
> <http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/awards/humanitarian.html>. The award
> is conferred upon an amateur or amateurs who demonstrate devotion to
> human welfare, peace and international understanding through Amateur
> Radio. The League established the annual prize to recognize Amateur
> Radio operators who have used ham radio to provide extraordinary
> service to others in times of crisis or disaster. All nominations and
> supporting materials for the 2009 ARRL International Humanitarian Award
> must be submitted in writing no later than December 31, 2009. Read more
> about the ARRL International Humanitarian Award here
> <http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2009/09/28/11098/?nc=1>.
>
> ==> + PUBLIC SERVICE: GAREC RETURNS TO REGION 2 FOR 2010
>
> The 2010 Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Conference (
> GAREC <http://www.rientola.fi/oh3ag/garec/>) will take place October
> 11-12 on the Dutch island of Curacao in the Caribbean. The theme of the
> conference will be Learning through Practicing.
>
> According to GAREC 2010 Organizing Committee Chairman Seppo Sisatto,
> PhD, OH1VR, GAREC's mission is two-fold: To help Amateur Radio
> operators be better prepared for emergency communications and to create
> emergency communications exercises at both the national and
> international levels. Exchanging information and experiences among all
> Amateur Radio operators and groups that are interested in emergency
> communications helps to promote GAREC's vision of having regular
> worldwide cooperation and understanding between governments and the
> Amateur Radio Service in the field of emergency communications.
>
> GAREC 2010 is organized in cooperation with the Dutch Amateur Radio
> Emergency Service (DARES <http://www.dares.nl/>) and Club for
> Experimental Radio Examination Netherland Antilles (VERONA
> <http://www.muurkrant.nl/verona/uk/index.html>). Sisatto said that
> details on the upcoming conference will be announced as they become
> available.
>
> ==> THE 2009 ARRL SPECTRUM DEFENSE CAMPAIGN NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT
>
>  <https://www.arrl.org/forms/fdefense/>   ARRL Chief Development
> Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH, reports that the ARRL has raised $126,828
> toward the goal $310,000 for the 2009 Spectrum Defense Fund
> <http://www.arrl.org/defense>. "The messages I receive from the ARRL
> members and hams who contribute to this much needed fund are
> heartening," she said, "expressing appreciation for all the work ARRL
> does for the Amateur Radio community to protect our frequencies. And we
> can all be proud of the successes that have come from the work of ARRL
> leadership -- the Board and staff here at HQ. But there is always more
> to do." Hobart said that year after year, ARRL members tell her that
> the League's representation of radio operators -- both in Washington
> and on the international stage -- is one of, if not the most important
> activities that the ARRL does. "The cost of that representation at
> meetings in Washington, at IARU gatherings and working party meetings
> to prepare for world telecommunications conferences is the key to the
> continued success of our defense efforts," she said. "Spectrum Defense
> is one of those areas that is not covered completely by member dues. So
> we ask ARRL members to do what they can to help cover those expenses."
> Amateurs wishing to make a contribution may do so easily online
> <http://www.arrl.org/defense>, via postal mail or by calling the ARRL
> Development Office at (860) 594-0397.
>
> ==> NOW YOU KNOW!: IT'S ALL GREEK TO ME
>
> Ask any high school physics student and they'll tell you that electrons
> govern pretty much everything we do. We call electrons in motion an
> electrical current, and those radio waves that we hams are so fond of
> are the result of high frequency electrons traveling in our antenna
> conductors. Think of a 40 meter wave as an accidental tourist who wants
> to go somewhere (somewhere nice and warm, maybe a rare DX station). But
> how to get there? It needs some mode of transport -- think of electrons
> as the transport providers.
>
> We use our transmitters to move the electrons in our antennas
> to-and-fro to produce radio waves, hopefully to that rare DX
> destination. When the radio waves get there, they set electrons in
> another antenna in motion. That current -- electrons in motion -- is
> amplified and detected at the receiving location and a QSO is made.
>
> But why do we call them electrons? The ancient Greeks noticed that
> amber attracted small objects when rubbed with fur; apart from
> lightning, this phenomenon is thought to be man's earliest known
> experience of electricity. Back in the year 1600, the English physician
> William Gilbert -- in his treatise  De Magnete
> <http://rack1.ul.cs.cmu.edu/is/gilbert/> -- coined the New Latin
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Latin> term  electricus to refer to
> this property of attracting small objects after being rubbed. Both
> electric and electricity are derived from the Latin Ä“lectrum, which
> came from the Greek word Î®Î»ÎµÎºÏ„Ï Î¿Î½ (Ä“lektron) for
> amber. Now
> you know!
>
> ==> SOLAR UPDATE
>
>    Tad "Flutters in sun-beams
> <http://englishhistory.net/keats/poetry/shell.html>" Cook, K7RA,
> reports: Sunspot activity seems to be growing steadily of late: Daily
> sunspot numbers for November 5-18 were 15, 16, 11, 0, 14, 13, 11, 11,
> 0, 0, 11, 12, 0 and 29. Sunspot 1029 made its trip around the Sun and
> has re-emerged as sunspot 1032. A new sunspot -- number 1033 -- has
> come over the eastern limb of the Sun. This steady appearance of
> sunspots has raised the MUF over many paths, and 15 meters is beginning
> to open regularly. In the southern hemisphere -- which gets more solar
> radiation this time of year -- you can see a pronounced effect on the
> f0F2 reading around mid-day
> <http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpdir/lists/iono_day/Cocos_Is_iono.txt>.
> This is a measurement taken with an ionospheric sounder on
> Cocos-Keeling Islands in the Indian Ocean, 12.5 degrees South latitude
> and 96.8 degrees East longitude. The instrument sweeps a radio signal
> across the spectrum, beams straight up to the ionosphere overhead and
> measures the strength of the signal bouncing back to determine optimum
> frequency. You can see during mid-day f0F2 is going above 10 MHz.
> Another interesting tool to see varying MUF around the world updated
> every five minutes is here <http://www.spacew.com/www/realtime.php>.
> The contour lines show the MUF over that particular area. During the
> day recently, some areas over Africa were going above 30 MHz. Of
> course, this weekend is the ARRL SSB Sweepstakes Contest
> <http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2009/11/12/11194/?nc=1>, and
> conditions are expected to be good for this domestic contest. There is
> a possibility of some disturbance from unsettled geomagnetic
> conditions, possibly peaking on Saturday. Predicted planetary A index
> for November 19-23 is 7, 10, 15, 9 and 6. Look for more information in
> the Solar Update, available on the ARRL Web site on Friday, November
> 19. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL
> Technical Information Service Propagation page
> <http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html>. This week's "Tad
> Cookism" brought to you by John Keats' On Receiving a Curious Shell,
> and a Copy of Verses, by the Same Ladies
> <http://englishhistory.net/keats/poetry/shell.html>.
>
> ==> SILENT KEYS
>
> +  Prolific Amateur Radio and SWL Author Harry Helms, W5HLH (ex-AA6FW)
> (SK)
>
>    After a long bout with cancer, Harry Helms, W5HLH (ex-AA6FW), passed
> away Sunday, November 15. He was 57. Notorious for his witticisms and
> geniality, Helms was known for his many books -- such as Shortwave
> Listening Guidebook: The Complete Guide to Hearing the World, All About
> Ham Radio, How to Tune the Secret Short Wave Spectrum and Handbook of
> Radio Communications Servicing and Maintenance -- and his monthly
> column "You Should Know: Interesting Thoughts and Ideas for Enjoying
> the Hobby" in Popular Communications. Read more here
> <http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2009/11/18/11201/?nc=1>.
>
> QST Author George Badger, W6TC (SK)
>
>    George Badger, W6TC, of Portola Valley, California, passed away on
> Sunday, November 15. He was 84. Originally licensed in 1939 as W6RXW
> when he was 14, Badger was a member of the ARRL for 67 of his 69 year
> amateur career. After World War II service with the 89th Infantry
> Signal Company in Europe, he graduated from the University of
> California with a degree in electrical engineering. Badger held seven
> patents on microwave tube and circuit design and was Marketing Director
> for EIMAC <http://www.cpii.com/division.cfm/9>, was President of
> Svetlana <http://www.svetlana-tubes.com/svetlana_main.swf> and
> consulted for CPII Econco <http://www.cpii.com/division.cfm/9>. Badger
> published many technical articles professionally and in the amateur
> press. First published in QST in 1981, Badger's most recent article,
> "The Pileup Buster," was published in October 2008; his next article,
> "Easy to Make Four-to-One Coreless Baluns," is scheduled to be
> published in a spring 2010 issue. Badger was a Fellow
> <http://radioclubofamerica.org/doc/Fellow%20Nomination%20form.pdf> in
> the Radio Club of America <http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/>. His
> Amateur Radio interests included building equipment, antennas and
> working DX. Badger held DXCC Top of Honor Roll (Mixed), DXCC Honor Roll
> (both Phone and CW), 5BDXCC (with endorsements on 160, 30, 17 and 12
> meters), DXCC on all bands (160-10) and 5BWAZ. He also exceeded 2500
> points on the DXCC Challenge. Contributions in memory of Badger can be
> made to the Stanford University Medical Center, Department of
> Immunology, 2700 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park, CA 94025. Funeral
> arrangements are pending.
>
> ==> THIS WEEK ON THE RADIO
>
>  <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGvRnqII0j8>       This week, the ARRL
> Sweepstakes Contest (SSB)
> <http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2009/novss.html> is November 21-23.
> The Feld Hell Sprint is November 21. The LZ DX Contest is November
> 21-22 and the NA Collegiate ARC Championship (SSB) is November 21-23.
> The EU PSK63 QSO Party is November 22. Next week, look for an NCCC
> Sprint on November 27. The CQ Worldwide DX Contest (CW) is November
> 28-29. All dates, unless otherwise stated, are UTC. See the ARRL
> Contest Branch page <http://www.arrl.org/contests/>, the ARRL Contest
> Update <http://www.arrl.org/contests/update/> and the WA7BNM Contest
> Calendar <http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html> for more
> info. Looking for a Special Event station? Be sure to check out the
> ARRL Special Event Station Web page
> <http://www.arrl.org/contests/spev.html>.
>
> ==> ARRL CONTINUING EDUCATION COURSE REGISTRATION
>
> Registration remains open through Sunday, December 27, 2009, for these
> online course sessions <http://www.arrl.org/cep/student/> beginning on
> Friday, January 8, 2010: Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level
> 1; Antenna Modeling; Radio Frequency Interference; Antenna Design and
> Construction; Ham Radio (Technician) License Course; Propagation;
> Analog Electronics, and Digital Electronics. To learn more, visit the
> CEP Course Listing page <http://www.arrl.org/cep/student> or contact
> the Continuing Education Program Coordinator <c...@arrl.org>.
>
> The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 50 times each year. ARRL
> members may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing their Member
> Data Page as described athttp://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/.
>
>  Copyright (c) 2009 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All
> Rights Reserved
>
>  <http://www.arrl.org/>

Thank you ARRL for another fine business post.

[kb9rqz]

On Nov 19, 6:01 pm, Ed Morganberg <up.army...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
spamon witht he sock