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The ARRL Letter, December 19, 2013
Posted: 19 Dec 2013 12:23 PM PST
http://forums.qrz.com/showthread.php...3&goto=newpost
The ARRL Letter
December 19, 2013
Rick Lindquist, WW1ME, Editor
[Clicking on the links in the story list below will take you to the article
that appears in this edition of The ARRL Letter, as posted on the ARRL
website.]
Regulatory: ARRL's "Symbol Rate" Petition Nears Top of FCC's "Most Active
Proceedings" ListScience: Solar Scientists Say Cycle 24 is the Weakest in
More than a CenturyEvents: Ham Radio Santa is On the Air at OF9XOn the Air:
Get Ready -- The ARRL Centennial QSO Party Kicks Off January 1!On the Air:
Kids Day is January 5!Radiosport: CW Rookie Roundup is Sunday, December
22!Radiosport: WRTC-2014 Announces On-Site RefereesHam Radio in Space: Two
Ham-Astronauts to Repair Faulty Pump During Multiple SpacewalksDX: K9W Wake
Atoll Commemorative DXpedition Tops 100,000 ContactsLicensing: New
Technician Class Question Pool ReleasedPublic Service: Nevada Amateur Radio
Club Pitches in to Help Neighbors in NeedPublic Service: New York District
ARES Members Give Back for SantaDX: T6TM Operation Approved for DXCC
CreditEvents: Experimenter to Honor Early Wireless Pioneers with Longwave
TransmissionsMilestones: Voice of Russia -- Former "Radio Moscow" -- to End
Shortwave BroadcastsGetting It Right!The K7RA Solar UpdateJust Ahead in
RadiosportUpcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events
Note: This will be the final edition of The ARRL Letter for 2013. ARRL
Headquarters will be closed Christmas Day, December 25, and New Year's Day,
January 1, 2014, and there will be no W1AW bulletins or code practice on
those days. The ARRL Letter will return January 9, 2014, and ARRL Audio
News will return January 10, 2014. We wish everyone a happy holiday season
and all the best for the new year 2014!
Regulatory: ARRL's "Symbol Rate" Petition Nears Top of FCC's "Most Active
Proceedings" List
As the Monday, December 23, deadline nears to comment on the ARRL's "Symbol
Rate" Petition for Rule Making (PRM), the petition has moved into second
place on the FCC's "Most Active Proceedings" page (it was in first place
briefly). Since the FCC put the ARRL Petition on public notice for comment
as RM-11708, it has attracted 685 comments (as of December 19) and
counting. The petition asks the FCC to delete the symbol rate limit in
§97.307(f) of its Amateur Service rules and to replace it with a maximum
data emission bandwidth of 2.8 kHz on frequencies below 29.7 MHz. In a
briefing memorandum released this week, the League took steps to clarify
just what it is -- and is not -- asking the FCC to do. ARRL General Counsel
Chris Imlay, W3KD, said that while a significant majority of commenters
support the petition, some appear not to understand the petition's intent.
The League reiterated that its filing would not "initiate any large scale
plan to convert to regulation of emissions by bandwidth," and would not
affect any emissions other than data.
"The Petition proposes no changes that would affect in any way the existing
rules governing Morse telegraphy, phone, and image emissions," the ARRL
stressed in its talking points. "The state of the art in digital
communications now allows transmission protocols in which the symbol rate
exceeds the present limitations of §97.307(f) of the FCC rules, but the
necessary bandwidth of the protocol is within the bandwidth of a typical HF
single sideband channel (3 kHz)." The League contends that eliminating
symbol rate limitations for data emissions and substituting a maximum
authorized bandwidth "would permit the utilization of all HF data
transmission protocols presently legal in the Amateur Radio Service, as
well as state-of-the-art protocols that fall within the authorized
bandwidth."
The briefing memo stresses that the petition would not
affect HF subbands where phone and image emissions are now permitted nor
affect HF CW operation.permit digital voice transmissions in data and RTTY
subbands nor add rules affecting digital voice.change restrictions on
automatically controlled digital stations.permit data emissions to use
occupied bandwidths in excess of what is now allowed.
Further, the petition does not call on the FCC to expand the frequencies on
which "unspecified digital codes" may be used. The original petition, as
filed, included an error that the ARRL corrected in an Erratum deleting the
erroneous reference to unspecified digital codes at HF. "It was never our
intention to permit unspecified digital codes at HF," the League said.
All told, the ARRL talking points state, the proposal represents a balanced
approach. "ARRL attempted, in adopting the 2.8 kHz maximum bandwidth
proposal for data emissions at HF, to balance the two objectives of
facilitating use of new and future data emissions and protecting against
usurpation of the band by a few data stations," the briefing memorandum
said. "Some bandwidth limit is necessary if the outdated symbol rate limit
is eliminated, as it should be."
Reply comments -- ie, comments on filed comments -- on the ARRL's petition
are due by January 7, 2014.
Science: Solar Scientists Say Cycle 24 is the Weakest in More than a Century
Four leading solar scientists on December 11 told journalists attending the
American Geophysical Union (AGU) fall conference in San Francisco that
current solar Cycle 24 has demonstrated extremely low sunspot activity and
appears to be the weakest cycle of the past 10 cycles -- more than 100
years. This already has resulted in milder "space weather" and less-intense
geomagnetic storms and "energetic particle events," such as coronal mass
ejections (CMEs), NASA scientist Nat Gopalswamy said.
"The weak activity of Cycle 24 is thought to be due to the weak polar
magnetic field in Cycle 23," an AGU news release explained. "If this trend
continues for the next couple of cycles, the Sun may be heading for a
global minimum."
The scientists drew no specific conclusions regarding the impact of the
extremely weak Cycle 24 on radio propagation. Stanford University's Leif
Svalgaard said this weak cycle had been predicted based on the behavior of
the Sun's polar magnetic fields, which translate into fewer sunspots.
Svalgaard believes that in a few years it will be possible to use polar
field data to determine the robustness of Cycle 25. The Sun's weak polar
magnetic field could lead to an increase in cosmic ray activity, which
could affect manned spaceflight.
In addition to Svalgaard and Gopalswamy, the other scientists were Martin
Mlynczak of NASA-Langley, and Joe Giacolone of the University of Arizona.
According to Spaceweather.com, since 2004 there have been 821 days without
sunspots, compared to 486 days for the "typical" solar minimum, but none of
these days fell within 2012 or 2013.
Events: Ham Radio Santa is On the Air at OF9X
Operating as OF9X ("Old Father 9 Xmas") from the Finnish Lapland, Santa
Claus is proving to be a popular on-the-air attraction again this year. One
of Santa's elves, Martti Laine, OH2BH, reported a first-night count of some
1000 contacts on December 18.
"The US Santa Path opening from 2000 UTC to 0300 UTC was covering the
entire USA," Laine said from the "Offices of Santa Claus" in Lapland.
Last year Santa established himself as an Amateur Radio figure with
thousands of followers, and more than 800 "Santa Awards" were issued around
the world. There's a new twist this year, though. Santa has become a Morse
code pro and is now active on CW as well as SSB.
The primary ham radio activity will take place this weekend before
Christmas, and, as Santa is busy, his elves will helm Santa Radio, OF9X,
most of the time. Santa should be on CW around 25 kHz up the lower band
edge and on SSB at approximately 14.225 kHz.
Making two contacts with Santa -- at least one from 2013 -- qualifies
stations for the 2013 Santa Cold Winter Award (contacts from 2012 may be
applied). Operators can track their two QSOs and send requests by e-mail.
If you make just one contact this season, operators may compensate by
solving the Christmas Puzzle by N0AX. Send details of your 2013 QSO along
with the two "mystery words" from the puzzle, and you will qualify.
If you need help with the puzzle, you may ask Santa for help. Contact OF9X
and mention the question line number (two lines maximum), and Santa will
whisper the needed word to you. On CW send "QSC NR" (Q-Santa-Claus). Santa
Cold Winter Awards are sent free of charge by e-mail.
"Merry Christmas to all Amateur Radio operators and their children and
grandchildren the world over," greeted Santa Claus, OF9X. "Enjoy your
Christmas and share the joy of being together. Always!" -- Thanks to Martti
Laine, OH2BH
On the Air: Get Ready -- The ARRL Centennial QSO Party Kicks Off January 1!
As part of the mix of events marking the League's 100th anniversary, the
ARRL Centennial QSO Party gets underway at 0001 UTC on January 1. This is a
year-long operating event, in which participants can accumulate points and
win awards, as well as work new stations and make new friends. During 2014
W1AW will be on the air at least twice from every US state and from most US
territories, and it will be easy to work all states solely by contacting
W1AW portable operations. This will be the first ARRL-sponsored operating
event for which every member is worth at least one point. The event is open
to all, although only ARRL members and appointees, elected officials, HQ
staff, and W1AW are worth points. Working the ARRL's president, for
example, earns 300 points!
To qualify for points, all contacts must be two-way (no cross-band or
cross-mode contacts), using CW, phone (FM, SSB, AM, digital voice), digital
(any digital mode, such as PSK31, RTTY) on 160, 80, 40, 30, 17, 15, 12, 10,
6, 2 and 1.25 meters, plus 70 centimeters and satellite. Stations exchange
signal report and ARRL abbreviation. Contacts do not have to be
contest-style, and providing ARRL organizational information is not
required. A centennial database will assign point values to all logs
submitted electronically. Those not submitting electronically, however,
will need to obtain the QSO information during the contact. Since this is
not a contest, participants may make contacts in any fashion they prefer.
The Centennial QSO Party is scored by totaling the values of all eligible
contacts. There are no multipliers or bonus points. Logs submitted via
Logbook of the World (LoTW) will be scored automatically.
For full information, visit the ARRL Centennial QSO Party webpage. Contact
us if you have questions. Read more.
On the Air: Kids Day is January 5!
The next Kids Day, sponsored by the ARRL and The Boring (Oregon) Amateur
Radio Club, will be Sunday, January 5, from 1800 to 2400 UTC. This is an
excellent opportunity to showcase Amateur Radio and Amateur Radio
satellites to youngsters and let them get some firsthand experience.
Share the excitement with your own children or grandkids or youngsters in
the neighborhood! For the youngsters, their positive ham radio experience
may foster an interest in getting licensed one day. For veteran radio
amateurs, it's a chance to share their love of Amateur Radio and their
stations with the next generation.
To attract attention call "CQ Kids Day." The suggested exchange is name,
age, location, and favorite color. There is no limit on operating time, and
stations may work each other more than once, if the operator has changed.
The suggested HF frequencies are 28.350 to 28.400 MHz, 24.960 to 24.980
MHz, 21.360 to 21.400 MHz, 18.140 to 18.145 MHz, 14.270 to 14.300 MHz,
7.270 to 7.290 MHz, and 3.740 to 3.940 MHz. Repeater contacts (with
permission of the repeater's sponsor) are okay too, and satellite contacts
may provide a real thrill. Be sure to observe third-party traffic
restrictions when making DX contacts.
All participants are encouraged to post stories and photos to the Kids Day
Soapbox page and are eligible to receive a colorful certificate. You can
download the free certificate, customized with the youngsters' names, after
filling out the Kids Day Survey found on the same page as the certificate
generator. Alternatively, you can send a 9 × 12 SASE to Kids Day
Certificate Request, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. ARRL Kids Day
is always the first Sunday of January and the third Saturday of June.
Radiosport: CW Rookie Roundup is Sunday, December 22!
Dust off those keys and paddles! The CW Rookie Roundup -- the last Rookie
Roundup event for 2013 -- takes place Sunday, December 22, 1800 through
2359 UTC. This is an excellent opportunity for new operators -- for this
event defined has having been first licensed no longer than 3 years,
regardless of license class -- to get on the air and learn new skills.
The idea behind the Rookie Roundup events is to encourage newly-licensed
operators ("Rookies") in North America (including those living in
territories and possessions) to experience competitive Amateur Radio
operating on HF. Experienced operators are encouraged to participate and
help the newcomers on the air or in person.
Old Timers, look for newer ops and inspire and instill your love for
the "original digital mode" and consider hosting a ham radio newcomer or
two at your station. The more operators on the air, the more fun.
Review the rules before the event, and get familiar with logging and log
submission. We hope to hear you on the air!
The Rookie Roundup returns to SSB on April 20 and to RTTY next August 17.
-- Mike DeChristopher, N1TA, ARRL Contest Branch Manager
Radiosport: WRTC-2014 Announces On-Site Referees
The organizers of World Radiosport Team Championship 2014 (WRTC-2014) have
announced the names of on-site referees for the July 12-13, 2014,
international Amateur Radio competition in New England. Referees will be
deployed to each of the 59 stations to monitor and verify compliance with
the WRTC rules and to make decisions regarding any rules questions the
teams may have. All top-level contesters in their own right, referees will
listen to the audio from both operators for the entire 24 hours of
WRTC-2014. Dan Street, K1TO, managed the referee application and
verification process. Selecting from among the 143 applications received
involved several factors, including geographical area, language skills, and
single-operator, two-radio (SO2R) ability.
"With so many well-qualified volunteers willing to serve as referees, it
was simply impossible to choose everyone we would have liked," said
WRTC-2014 Chief Referee David Sumner, K1ZZ. "It is a great tribute to the
past and present WRTC organizers that the event is so strongly supported by
active contesters from around the globe. We know that everyone who
volunteered will help in any way they can to make WRTC-2014 another
success."
World Radiosport Team Championship events are held every four years. The
competition consists of approximately 50 two-person teams of Amateur Radio
operators from around the world, going head to head in a test of operating
skill. Read more.
Ham Radio in Space: Two Ham-Astronauts to Repair Faulty Pump During
Multiple Spacewalks
Expedition 38 Astronauts Mike Hopkins, KF5LJG, and Rick Mastracchio,
KC5ZTE, will leave the confines of the International Space Station (ISS)
December 21, 23, and 25 to repair a faulty cooling system pump. The
malfunction has already caused the postponement of one Amateur Radio on the
International Space Station (ARISS) school contact. NASA managers also are
postponing until January an upcoming cargo resupply mission to the ISS.
NASA said that during the multiple spacewalks -- or extra-vehicular
activities (EVAs) as NASA calls them -- Hopkins and Mastracchio will remove
a pump module that has a failed valve and replace it with a spare that's
stowed on an external platform.
Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, who is involved with scheduling ARISS school
contacts, said ARISS postponed one contact with a school in Italy that had
been scheduled for December 16. It's being rescheduled for January. It's
unclear if the ISS problem will affect additional ARISS school
contacts. "We are working towards getting everyone scheduled, but it is
pretty crazy," Sufana told ARRL. "The two contacts for next week have not
been scheduled yet, and it will probably be a near last-minute decision. We
may just luck out and get something between EVA days."
DX: K9W Wake Atoll Commemorative DXpedition Tops 100,000 Contacts
The K9W Wake Atoll DXpedition team reports that it logged slightly more
than 100,000 contacts during its November DXpedition in the South Pacific.
"The Wake Atoll DXpedition team wants to thank the DX community for the
outstanding response to 'The Forgotten 98' Commemorative DXpedition," Team
Leader Lou Dietrich, N2TU, said on the DXpedition's behalf. "Also, we need
to express our gratitude to our hosts on Wake, the United States Air
Force." Because of issues stemming from the partial federal government
shutdown the DXpedition had to postpone its startup from October until
November.
North American hams worked the lion's share of the contacts -- just over 35
percent, with Asia and Europe not far behind at 32 percent and 27 percent,
respectively. The rest of the world had a more difficult time putting K9W
into the log. Contacts with Oceania accounted for slightly more than 3
percent of the total, with South America contacts comprising slightly less
than 2 percent, and with Africa less than 1 percent. K9W logged 53,765 CW,
38,700 SSB, and 7,562 digital contacts. The K9W DXpedition was the
recipient of a Colvin Award grant. Contacts will be uploaded to Logbook of
The World (LoTW). Read more.
Licensing: New Technician Class Question Pool Released
The NCVEC Question Pool Committee has released the new 2014-2018 Technician
Class, Element 2, question pool to the public. This pool will take effect
on July 1, 2014, and will remain valid until June 30, 2018. The current
Technician question pool, released in 2010, is valid until June 30, 2014.
-- Maria Somma, AB1FM, ARRL/VEC Manager
Public Service: Nevada Amateur Radio Club Pitches in to Help Neighbors in
Need
Members of the Sierra Nevada Amateur Radio Society (SNARS) -- an ARRL
Special Service Club -- recently teamed up with a Reno TV station to help
raise some $240,000 in donations and 180,000 pound of food items and toys
to aid Nevada families hard hit by the economic downturn. Reno not only
suffered a recent cold snap, but Nevada has seen the most home loan
foreclosures and the nation's highest unemployment rate over most of the
past decade.
On December 13, with most of Washoe County hunkered down from the cold,
SNARS members, organized and led by Jim Rosima, KD7DPW, took part in the
21st annual "Share Your Christmas Drive-By Food Drive," sponsored by local
CBS affiliate KTNV. The event took place in three locations -- the
Governor's Mansion in Carson City, the Carson Valley Inn in Minden, and the
Grand Sierra Resort in Reno. KTNV broadcast live throughout the day.
The event is set up to let people remain in their cars and simply drive
through designated lanes to make their donations. SNARS members accepted
contributions, sorted and boxed food and toys, and provided traffic control.
Founded in 1968, SNARS serves the Amateur Radio communities of Northern
Nevada and Eastern California. Its members are active in public service,
and the club maintains an extensive network of voice and digital repeaters.
-- Thanks to the Nevada Amateur Radio Newswire
Public Service: New York District ARES Members Give Back for Santa
Seventeen members of the New York District Amateur Radio Emergency Service®
(ARES) provided communication support for Operation Santa Claus, sponsored
by Community Mayors Inc. The event takes place each holiday season at JFK
Airport, Port Authority Hanger #19, which is transformed into an improvised
North Pole. During the invitation-only event, more than 5000 special
youngsters and caregivers from the Greater New York City area enjoy snacks
and receive toys. Then, pandemonium ensues as Santa Claus and Mrs Claus
finally arrive on a 727 towed into the hangar. Community Mayors, a
501(C)(3) nonprofit, delivers "recreational therapy" for more than 50,000
children with disabilities in the New York City area through the
sponsorship of events and activities.
"Op Santa" attracts one of the largest turnouts of Amateur Radio operators
at a public service event. For ARES members, the annual celebration is a
true test of operator skill. Many volunteers at Operation Santa Claus are
from uniformed services, such as the New York City Fire Department, the
Port Authority Police of New York and New Jersey, the NYPD, the Secret
Service, FBI, TSA, and branches of Homeland Security. Each service has its
own radio frequencies and modes, so ARES acts as the communication glue
between volunteers and the Mayors. Before guests arrive, ARES operators are
assigned to shadow someone throughout the event as they go about their
duties. Net control operators coordinate ARES members' locations and
traffic. Transmissions must be crisp and seamless. Tactical call signs are
employed. OpSanta requires operators to think fast and on their feet, and
the action is relentless.
"In the midst of live stage presentations, marching bands, and excited
children calling out for Santa, radio headsets are essential," said ARES
volunteer David Korchin, KC2WNW. And occasionally, the unexpected arises.
"This year two children became separated from their classes -- not fun in a
room with 4000 people. It was brought to the attention of the event
organizers via our net," Korchin said, adding that one or two youngster get
separated from their groups every year.
For the ARES members it's an exciting operational challenge, and the
gratification of volunteer work is immediate. "When you see the wondrous
looks on the faces of children as Santa Claus arrives and takes a few turns
around the hangar in his special toy train, all the hard work and
preparation becomes worthwhile," Korchin said. "Operation Santa Claus is
one of the many ways Amateur Radio really gets to give back for the
privilege of our licenses and access to frequencies -- and it's a great way
to meet Santa." -- Thanks to David Korchin, KC2WNW
DX: T6TM Operation Approved for DXCC Credit
The ARRL DXCC Desk has approved the current operation of T6TM --
Afghanistan for DX Century Club credit. If a request for DXCC credit for
this operation has been rejected in a prior application, contact ARRL
Awards Branch Manager Bill Moore, NC1L, to be placed on the list for an
update to your record. Please note the submission date and/or reference
number of your application in order to expedite the search for any rejected
contacts.
DXCC is Amateur Radio's premier award that hams can earn by confirming
on-the-air contacts with 100 DXCC "entities," most of which are countries
in the traditional sense. You can begin with the basic DXCC award and work
your way up to the DXCC Honor Roll. Learn more. -- ARRL Awards Branch
Manager Bill Moore, NC1L
Events: Experimenter to Honor Early Wireless Pioneers with Longwave
Transmissions
As he has over the past several years, Brian Justin, WA1ZMS/4 -- as
experimental station WG2XFQ -- will transmit voice and music on 486 kHz on
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and again on New Year's Eve and New Year's
Day. Transmissions will begin at 0001 UTC and end at 2359 UTC. Justin, who
may be better known for his microwave exploits on ham radio, will use an AM
audio loop modulating his vintage-style, homebrew transmitter to honor
Reginald Fessenden's Christmas Eve 1906 AM voice transmission.
"While his original transmissions used a set of carbon microphones in the
antenna lead to modulate the signal," Justin explained, "WG2XFQ will be
utilizing true Heising modulation in honor of Raymond Heising, who
developed this early form of amplitude modulation during World War I.
Justin constructed his 5 W master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA)
transmitter using 1920s-vintage components. He said a modern 500 W FET
linear amplifier allows him to meet his WG2XFQ ERP limit of 20 W. An RF
engineer, Justin collects pre-1920 wireless gear and has a World War I
Heising-modulated aircraft transmitter he's planning to restore. Justin was
an active participant in the ARRL's WD2XSH 600 meter experimental project.
Milestones: Voice of Russia -- Former "Radio Moscow" -- to End Shortwave
Broadcasts
Voice of Russia (VOR), the former Radio Moscow during the USSR era, will
cease shortwave broadcasts as of January 1, 2014. From the 1950s through
the 1980s, the station, as Radio Moscow, was a virtual beacon for
short-wave listeners (SWLs), many of whom gravitated into Amateur Radio.
Voice of Russia currently broadcasts to 160 countries in 38 languages for
an aggregate 151 hours per day on short and medium waves, on FM, via
satellite, and via the Internet. Earlier this year shortwave transmissions
were cut to 26 hours a day in all languages, down from more than 50 hours a
day in 2012.
VOR, which claims to be the first radio station to broadcast
internationally, will continue to broadcast online and via three
medium-wave transmitters. In 2003 VOR was among the first major
international radio broadcasters to launch daily broadcasts to Europe in
Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM).
As a result of a decree signed earlier this month by Russian President
Vladimir Putin, the Voice of Russia radio company officially ceased to
exist on December 9 and merged with several other state-run news agencies
as part of Rossia Segodnya, a Russia-based international news service.
Putin's decree also abolished the State Fund of Television and Radio
Programs, placing it under control of All-Russia State Television and Radio
Broadcasting Company.
Getting It Right!
The ARRL Letter for December 12, 2013, reported an incorrect deadline to
file comments on the ARRL's "Symbol Rate" Petition for Rule Making (PRM),
put on public notice for comment as RM-11708. Comments are due by Monday,
December 23.
The K7RA Solar Update
Tad Cook, K7RA, in Seattle, Washington, reports: Geomagnetic conditions
were more stable than expected last weekend. That was good news for
participants in the ARRL 10 Meter Contest. The planetary A index on Friday
through Sunday was 3, 16 and 7, respectively, and the mid-latitude A index
was just 3, 10 and 5 on those days.
For the reporting week, Thursday through Wednesday, average daily sunspot
numbers rose from 122.1 to 134.4, while average solar flux dropped slightly
-- from 162.4 to 159.7 -- compared to the previous reporting period,
December 5-11.
The latest prediction from the USAF and NOAA has solar flux at 160 on
December 19-20; 155 on December 21; 150 on December 22-23; 155, 150, and
155 on December 24-26; 160 on December 27-28; 165 on December 29-31; 170 on
January 1-2; 175 on January 3-6; 170 on January 7, and 165 on January 8-10.
Solar flux is expected to decline to a low of 135 on January 18-19, then
rise to 175 at the end of January.
Predicted planetary A index is 5 on December 19-25; 12, 10, and 8 on
December 26-28; 5 on December 29 through January 2; 10 and 20 on January
3-4; 5 on January 5-9; 15 and 7 on January 10-11, then 5 after that, until
a more active period toward the end of January.
This Friday's bulletin will have an updated forecast and reports from
readers.
Just Ahead in Radiosport
Dec 20-Jan 1 -- Lighthouse Christmas Lights QSO Party
Dec 20 -- QRP Fox Hunt (80 meters)
Dec 20 -- NCCC Sprint
Dec 20 -- Russian 160 Meter Contest
Dec 21 -- Feld-Hell Rudolph Hell Sprint
Dec 21-22 -- OK DX RTTY Contest
Dec 21-22 -- Croatian CW Contest
Dec 22 -- ARRL Rookie Roundup, CW
Dec 26 -- SKCC Straight Key Sprint
Dec 26 -- DARC XMAS Contest (SSB+CW)
Dec 28 -- RAC Winter Contest (SSB+CW)
Dec 28-29 -- Iron Ham Contest (all modes)
Dec 28-29 -- Stew Perry Top Band Distance Challenge, CW
Dec 29 -- RAEM Contest, CW
Jan 1 -- ARRL Straight Key Night
Jan 4-5 -- ARRL RTTY Roundup
Jan 5 -- Kids Day
Jan 18-20 -- ARRL January VHF Contest
Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events
January 5 -- NYC/LI Section Convention, Bethpage, New York
January 17-18 -- North Texas Section Convention, Fort Worth, Texas
January 19-26 - Quartzfest Convention, Quartzsite, Arizona
January 24-25 -- Mississippi State Convention, Jackson, Mississippi
January 25 -- Georgia ARES Convention, Forsyth, Georgia
January 25-26 -- Puerto Rico State Convention, Hatillo, Puerto Rico
January 31-February 1 -- Southern Florida Section Convention, Miami, Florida
February 1 -- Virginia State Convention (Frostfest), Richmond, Virginia
February 7-9 -- Northern Florida Section Convention (Orlando HamCation® --
Regional ARRL Centennial Event), Orlando, Florida
February 14-15 -- Arizona Section Convention, Yuma, Arizona
February 22 -- Vermont State Convention, South Burlington, Vermont
March 1-2 Alabama Section Convention (BirmingHAMfest 2014), Birmingham,
Alabama
March 7-8 North Carolina Section Convention (Charlotte Hamfest), Concord,
North Carolina
March 7-8 West Gulf Division Convention, Claremore, Oklahoma
March 14-15 -- Delta Division Convention, Rayne, Louisiana
March 15 -- Nebraska State Convention, Lincoln, Nebraska
March 15 -- West Texas Section Convention, Midland, Texas
March 22 -- South Texas Section Convention (Greater Houston Hamfest),
Rosenberg, Texas
March 22-23 Communications Academy, Seattle, Washington
Find conventions and hamfests in your area.
The ARRL Letter appreciates the support of these advertisers:
Icom
Rigol
Radio City
Radio Lights
DX Engineering
RF Concepts
Low Loss PWRgate
RemoteHamRadio.com
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