ARRL Letter,Vol 25,Nø 24

***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 25, No. 24
June 16, 2006
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* +FCC tells BPL system to resolve hams' interference complaints
* +First named storm of 2006 hurricane season "a false alarm"
* +ISS Field Day pass times announced
* +South Pole to be on the air for Field Day
* ARRL Kids Day is Saturday, June 17
* +Take your handheld to work June 20!
* +DXCC announces rule change
* +New York ARRL member marks 100 years and counting
* Solar Update
* IN BRIEF:
This weekend on the radio: Kids Day is Saturday, June 17!
ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
+Courtesy urged on 6 meter "DX window"
"Zulu stations" stand down in Indonesia
San Diego SM Tuck Miller, NZ6T, stepping down
Amateur Radio CubeSat launch postponed
Ukraine soccer star is radio amateur
QST "Old Radio" editor honored

+Available on ARRL Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/>

===========================================================
==>Delivery problems (ARRL member direct delivery only!):
letter-dlvy@arrl.org
==>Editorial questions or comments: Rick Lindquist, N1RL,
n1rl@arrl.org
===========================================================

==>FCC DIRECTS MANASSAS BPL SYSTEM TO RESOLVE AMATEURS' INTERFERENCE
COMPLAINTS

In two strongly worded letters, the FCC's Enforcement Bureau has
directed
the Manassas, Virginia, BPL system to take appropriate steps to
eliminate
harmful interference to Amateur Radio operators. Several hams in the
Manassas area have complained, some repeatedly, about severe
interference
from the BPL system, operated by COMTek on the city-owned power grid.
The
FCC minced no words in detailing what it wants the city and BPL
operator
COMTek to do to ensure its system complies with Part 15 rules
governing BPL
systems and even hinted that it may shut down all or part of the
system. One
of the FCC letters followed up on a complaint from Dwight Agnew,
AI4II, of
BPL interference to his mobile operations.

FCC Spectrum Enforcement Division Chief Joseph Casey told the city and
COMTek June 16 that within 20 days he wants a "detailed report on the
actions you have taken and the progress you have made in resolving the
interference complaint or reducing the emissions in the area
referenced in
Mr Agnew's complaint to 20 dB below the Part 15 limit," a level the
FCC
maintains generally is sufficient to eliminate BPL interference to
mobile
operations. Additionally, Casey said the Commission wants to know "the
specific steps you will take to inform customers of a cessation of
service
in the event you are directed to cease operations, either in part or
system-wide."

ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, said the League is "especially gratified"
that
the Enforcement Bureau's Spectrum Enforcement Division has ordered the
City
of Manassas to take steps to prepare for a cessation of BPL services.
"Clearly, the FCC has lost patience with COMTek's reliance on
misleading
news releases as a substitute for meaningful solutions to the ongoing
interference," he said.

In an April 7 news release COMTek Vice President Walt Adams called the
Manassas BPL system "a real success story" and said its testing showed
"an
almost identical" level of interference whether or not the system was
in
operation. It made a similar claim to the FCC in Agnew's case.

COMTek has indicated it expects emissions can be reduced to 20 dB
below the
Part 15 limit once second-generation BPL equipment is in place along
the
Virginia Business Route 234 corridor by the end of July. Casey said
that's
not good enough. "We note that a failure to respond until the end of
July to
any complaint alleging harmful interference in an effort to determine
if the
new equipment resolves the matter is not sufficient," he pointed out
in a
footnote.

Casey said Manassas and COMTek must address and "reach a resolution"
with
regard to Agnew's interference complaint "as soon as practicable."

Based on the engineering reports the FCC received from the city and
COMTek
in response to the Agnew complaint, Casey said, "it appears that the
BPL
system is not in compliance with the Commission's emission
requirements at
several frequencies," although none were in the amateur bands.

Manassas and COMTek must detail within 30 days steps taken to clean up
the
system as well as any additional actions necessary for the system to
remain
in compliance with Commission rules.

In a second letter, Casey requested Manassas and COMTek to examine and
address specific longstanding interference complaints from George
Tarnovsky,
K4GVT; Donald Blasdell, W4HJL; Bill South, N3OH; Jack Cochran, WC4J,
and
Arthur Whittum, W1CRO. Manassas and COMTek must "take appropriate
remedial
steps to eliminate any instances of harmful interference" or reduce
emissions in the areas cited in the complaints to 20 dB below the Part
15
limit, he instructed. He also reiterated his call for system
compliance.

Casey said the FCC wants a report within 30 days on steps taken to
address
the five radio amateurs' specific interference complaints and
eliminate
excessive emissions.

Tarnovsky said the complainants are encouraged by the FCC's response
to
COMTek's reports and are looking forward to the results of the
Commission-directed testing.

"I think I can speak for all parties in saying that we're looking
forward to
a BPL interference-free Manassas," he said.

==>ALBERTO PROVIDES TRIAL RUN FOR AMATEUR RADIO WEATHER NETS,
VOLUNTEERS

While Tropical Storm Alberto didn't turn into a hurricane as first
forecast,
the first named storm of the 2006 hurricane season did serve as a
valuable
trial run for weather spotters, weather nets and ham radio emergency
communication volunteers. In the early going, the Hurricane Watch Net
(HWN)
<http://www.hwn.org> anticipated activating June 12 on 14.325 MHz.
When it
became obvious that Alberto was losing strength with no potential to
intensify prior to landfall, HWN Manager Mike Pilgrim, K5MP, told net
members they could relax for the time being.

"Thank you all for your assistance as we attempted to gear up for our
first
test of the year," Pilgrim said. "Thank goodness it was a false
alarm."

The HWN works in cooperation with WX4NHC <http://www.wx4nhc.org> at
the
National Hurricane Center (NHC) to gather real-time, ground-level
weather
data during storms. NHC forecasters use the reports to help fine-tune
their
predictions of a storm's behavior.

Amateur Radio emergency communication volunteers in northern Florida
also
stood by as Alberto approached landfall on the Gulf Coast. The storm
came
ashore the afternoon of June 13 at Keaton Beach. Apparently not taking
any
chances, the NHC maintained a hurricane warning along the Florida Gulf
Coast
until late that same morning.

ARRL's North Florida Section Emergency Coordinator Joe Bushel, W2DWR,
notified District Emergency Coordinators June 12 to put Amateur Radio
Emergency Service (ARES) jump teams on alert and to advise all
Emergency
Coordinators to pay close attention to the storm. No nets activated,
however.

North Florida West Central District Emergency Coordinator Dixie
Steinberg,
K2BEV, reported that shelters for possible storm evacuees were set to
open
in Citrus, Hernando and Sumter counties, and ARES and RACES personnel,
as
well as CERT and SKYWARN teams, were standing by. West Central Florida
SEC
Neil Lauritsen, W4NHL, said Pinellas County had three shelters on
standby.

Rob Macedo, KD1CY, the director of operations for the VoIP Hurricane
Net
<http://www.voipwx.net/> says his organization activated Monday
evening on
predictions that Alberto would attain Category 1 hurricane strength.

"The net was a good dress rehearsal for more significant tropical
systems
later in the 2006 hurricane season," Macedo said.

Alberto's maximum sustained winds peaked out at almost 70 MPH with
higher
gusts--not quite a Category 1 hurricane--but decreased to about 50 MPH
as
the storm hit the coast and dropped even further as it passed over
land.
Nonetheless, it generated coastal storm surge flooding along Florida's
Gulf
Coast and spawned torrential rainfall as it passed up the southeastern
US
coastline.

The storm came just weeks after the State of Florida's annual
Emergency
Management Hurricane and Terrorism Exercise, May 22-26. The exercise
scenario was a hurricane-spawned F4 tornado striking a power plant.

==>NASA RELEASES ISS NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA PASS TIMES FOR FIELD DAY

NASA ISS Ham Radio Project Engineer Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO, has
released a
list of International Space Station Field Day pass times for North and
South
America (see http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2006/06/15/1/ for pass
times
and any updates). The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
(ARISS) Phase 2 ham station will be in crossband repeater mode over
Field
Day weekend, June 24-25. The chances of actually talking to one of the
crew
members appear to be minimal, however.

"Keep in mind that these are not scheduled times for the crew to be
active,"
Ransom points out. He says crew members Jeff Williams, KD5TVQ, and
Pavel
Vinogradov, RV3BS, may work some stations personally, but they're
already
booked pretty heavily during FD weekend.

"They will try to participate as time permits, but the pass times for
North
America are not favorable," Ransom noted. The crew should be on its
normal
sleep schedule of 2130-0600 UTC during Field Day weekend. When they're
awake, however, Williams and Vinogradov will have their hands full
preparing
for the arrival of the Progress 22 supply vehicle on Monday, June 26,
when
the crew will deactivate the crossband repeater.

The crossband repeater uplink is 437.800 MHz. The downlink is 145.800
MHz.
Ransom says the crossband repeater should be up and running sometime
after
1900 UTC on Thursday, June 22. He said this will give stations a
couple of
days to practice working through it and learn how best to deal with
the
Doppler on the uplink, which can be considerable. The crossband
repeater
will be available only to low-power (QRP) stations following AMSAT
criteria,
Ransom said. A QRP station may run no more than 10 W to a vertical or
handheld antenna.

US pass times are not especially ideal for contacts with the crew
members.
The only one on Saturday, June 24 (UTC) - over Mexico and the Eastern
US -
falls during the crew's sleep period. Passes on Sunday, June 24 - from
0046
to 0105 UTC and from 0708 to 0728 UTC over the Central US - may offer
a
better opportunity. Stations in the US Southwest might look for crew
activity on Sunday from 0844 to 0900 UTC, while those in Hawaii should
check
Sunday from 1152 to 1200 UTC and again from 1327 to 1335 UTC.

If Williams or Vinogradov do find time to get on the air, Ransom says,
they
also will use the crossband repeater mode. Williams will give a report
of
"NA1SS, 1 Alpha ISS," while Vinogradov will give a report of "RS0ISS,
1
Alpha ISS."

Contacts made via the ISS crossband repeater count as satellite
contacts for
Field Day bonus points. Contacts with the crew do not count for Field
Day
bonus points.

AMSAT is making its ECHO (AO-51) satellite available for Field Day.
One of
AO-51's FM transponders (145.880 MHz up/435.150 MHz down, no CTCSS
tone
needed) will be QRP only (10 W) for Field Day.

Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, says PCSat2, which is mounted on the outside of
the
ISS, will be in packet mode and operating on 145.825 MHz simplex over
Field
Day weekend.

==>ANTARCTICA'S KC4AAA TO BE ON THE AIR FOR FIELD DAY

KC4AAA at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, Antarctica, has announced
plans
to participate in ARRL Field Day 2006. The station's Satellite
Communications Technician Robert Reynolds, N0QFQ, will head up the
effort.
Operations from KC4AAA will commence at 1800 UTC on June 24 and
continue
through 2100 UTC on June 25.

Experience has shown that the best opportunity for North and South
American
stations to contact KC4AAA appears around 2300 UTC on the Eastern
Seaboard,
moving westward with time until the window closes around 0400 UTC.
Given
South Pole's location right under the auroral oval, propagation can
make
South Pole intercontinental HF radio communications a challenge, so
listen
carefully!

The primary operating frequency will be on or about 14.243 MHz. KC4AAA
operators will monitor and exploit other bands, but 20 meter SSB will
be the
primary operating mode.

South Pole will operate as a "home" station with supplied power (Class
1D).
Reynolds plans to have a team of up to 10 operators staffing the
station,
most of whom are in a ham radio licensing class at the station. KC4AAA
will
be running 1 kW and will mainly use a pair of log-periodic antennas
aimed
toward the US.

KC4AAA plans to upload its Field Day log to Logbook of The World
(LoTW)
<http://www.arrl.org/lotw>. QSL cards will go out later in the year.
For
more information, contact Nick Powell, NH6ON, <nick.powell@usap.gov>.

==>ARRL KIDS DAY IS SATURDAY, JUNE 17

The next opportunity to bring Amateur Radio into the lives of young
people
is Saturday, June 17, when ARRL's second Kids Day of 2006 takes place
<http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/kd-rules.html>.

"It's their special day, so make the most of it," says ARRL Education
and
Technology Program Coordinator Mark Spencer, WA8SME. "Why not join in
the
fun and invite some kids to experience the 'magic of radio' in your
shack
June 17?" Kids day begins at 1800 UTC and continues until 2400 UTC.
There's
no limit on operating time. Suggested exchanges are first name, age,
location and favorite color. Call "CQ Kids Day" to elicit contacts.

Suggested frequencies are 14.270 to 14.300 MHz, 21.380 to 21.400 MHz
and
28.350 to 28.400 MHz, plus local VHF repeaters with the sponsor's
permission. Licensees should observe third-party traffic restrictions
<http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/re...y.html> when
making
DX contacts. These apply when unlicensed individuals communicate via
ham
radio. More information on Kids Day is in June QST, p 53.

The Echo AO-51 satellite will be available for Kids Day with an uplink
of
145.920 MHz FM voice (67 Hz CTCSS) and a downlink of 435.300 MHz. The
digital transponder on 435.150 will be turned off.

==>SECOND ANNUAL "TAKE YOUR HANDHELD TO WORK DAY" SET FOR JUNE 20

The ARRL apparently struck a chord in 2005 when it initiated "Take
Your
Handheld to Work Day." Radio amateurs who participated last year
report they
were able to introduce many new people to Amateur Radio. Whether any
of
those co-workers became hams themselves as a result isn't known, but
this
simple activity offers a great opportunity to demonstrate and describe
Amateur Radio to others and to talk up its benefits. So, the League is
doing
it again this year.

"On Tuesday, June 20, we encourage every ham radio operator across the
country who owns a handheld transceiver to take their little radios to
work
if they can," says ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Allen
Pitts,
W1AGP. "By wearing it on their belt, setting it on a desk or just
making
your radio visible, the goal is to have co-workers ask, 'What's that?'
In
this way, the hams will be able to share about the fun they have with
Amateur Radio."

Pitts encourages hams not only to show the capabilities of their
handheld
radios, but to invite co-workers to actually give them a try -- under
the
licensee's supervision, of course -- as the Amateur Radio rules allow.

ARRL member Ted Homan, WB8WFG, says he tried the idea on his own about
15
years ago. One of his co-workers, Pete Engel, saw his handheld-an Icom
IC2-AT--and "had to have one," Homan said. "Now he is N8OGW, and
several
members of his family are also hams now. In addition, Homan reports,
several
inactive hams at his workplace were inspired to get back on the air.

"This is a very good way to show off Ham Radio," he concludes.

"Take Your Handheld to Work Day" is a chance to have a lot of fun,
recruit
new hams, invite people to Field Day, get publicity and show off
Amateur
Radio," Pitts points out. "Many people would like to have the
capabilities
of ham radio in a crisis, but don't know where to start. The best
recruiter
is another ham. I hope you have fun and make the most of it!"

A heads up: On June 20 between noon and 1 PM in your local time zone,
be on
the lookout for surprise messages from ARRL. By using modern digital
radio
technology, EchoLink and a few other tricks, random participants from
locations around the country might be spotted on the air by W1AW and
win a
prize.

==>DXCC ANNOUNCES RULE CHANGE

The ARRL DXCC Desk has announced new language to replace the wording
of a
previously removed DXCC rule pertaining to political entities. The
change
adds a Paragraph 1(c) under Section II, DX List Criteria, in the DXCC
Rules.

"Upon request of the Programs and Services Committee (PSC), the DX
Advisory
Committee (DXAC) has studied the impact of a change to the DXCC
rules," said
the announcement. The DXAC, the Awards Committee and the PSC have
concurred
in the rule change, which became effective June 15, 2006.

The new text at Section II, Paragraph 1(c) reads: "The Entity contains
a
permanent population, is administered by a local government and is
located
at least 800 km from its parent. To satisfy the 'permanent population'
and
'administered by a local government' criteria of this subsection, an
Entity
must be listed on either (a) the US Department of State's list of
'Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty' as having a local
'Administrative Center,' or (b) the United Nations' list of
'Non-Self-Governing Territories.'"

The DXCC Desk says Rule 1(c) is intended to recognize entities that
are
sufficiently separate from their parent for DXCC purposes but don't
qualify
under Rule 1(a) or Rule 1(b). "The new rule will cause certain
geographic
separation entities to be reclassified as political entities," ARRL
Membership Services Manager Wayne Mills, N7NG, explains. This, in
turn, will
reduce the mileage for a first separation for these entities from 800
km to
350 km.

QSOs with any new entity resulting from this rule change will count
for
credit only for contacts made on or after the start date for that
entity. In
no case will QSOs made prior to the date of this notice be considered
for
credit for any new entity created as a result of this rule.

Applications for DXCC award credits resulting from this change will be
accepted on or after October 1, 2006.

==>WESTERN NEW YORK HAM MARKS 100TH BIRTHDAY

ARRL Member Horace Staley, KA2HDO, of Walton, New York, turned 100
years old
on June 6. ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, took note of the
occasion to
extend best wishes on behalf of the League.

"Congratulations on reaching the one-century mark with your birthday
on June
6," Harrison, said this week in an e-mail greeting to Staley. "Your
enthusiasm for life and your dedication to amateur are a great example
we
can all admire and be proud of. CU on the bands!"

A longtime member of the Walton Radio Association, Staley is an active
ham,
and he continues to run the Walton Radio Association Monday evening CW
net.
His decades of experience make him a wonderful mentor, says his friend
John
Hampel, AB2IC. Staley answers questions that club members e-mail, and
he
checks into the club's 2-meter net every Wednesday evening with
well-thought-out questions or solutions, he said.

A widower, Staley lives independently, is in good health and still
drives a
car. While the ARRL does not keep statistics on the oldest radio
amateur in
the US or even the oldest League member, Staley likely would be at or
near
the top of the list.

The Walton Radio Association staged a surprise birthday party for
Staley on
June 4, complete with a birthday cake bedecked with strawberry slices.
He
took the opportunity to talk about his life, starting with his time in
China
and continuing through the last 75 years he's lived in New York.

"It was fascinating; all were amazed," Hampel said. "It is an honor to
be
his friend."

==>SOLAR UPDATE

Sun watcher Tad "Let the Sunshine In" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington,
reports: Solar activity continues at very low levels, wit sunspot
numbers in
the 70s. We're probably not at the bottom of the cycle yet, however.
During
long periods of zero sunspots at solar minima, we observe solar flux
values
in the mid-60s.

Wednesday, June 21, is "the longest day of the year" in the Northern
Hemisphere, as we transition from spring to summer propagation. A
couple of
things you might notice: 40, 60 and 80 meters will be open for shorter
periods due to fewer hours of darkness. You can also look forward to
long-distance 20-meter openings later into the evening. These effects
become
more noticeable at northern latitudes.

Six meters remains hot. ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, reports he
worked 123 Japanese stations in one recent evening. He says ARRL Vice
President Rick Roderick, K5UR, worked 130 JAs in the same day
recently.

For more information concerning propagation and an explanation of the
numbers used in this bulletin see the ARRL Technical Information
Service
Propagation page <http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html>.

Sunspot numbers for June 8 through 14 were 67, 42, 46, 46, 32, 23 and
35,
with a mean of 41.6. 10.7 cm flux was 80, 77.6, 76.1, 74.4, 74.2,
77.1, and
75.3, with a mean of 76.4. Estimated planetary A indices were 20, 10,
8, 5,
4, 3 and 7, with a mean of 8.1. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were
18, 9,
7, 4, 2, 2 and 6, with a mean of 6.9.
__________________________________

==>IN BRIEF:

* This weekend on the radio: ARRL Kids Day (see above), the Council of
Europe Radio Club 20th Anniversary Challenge, the All Asian DX Contest
(CW),
the SMIRK Contest, the West Virginia and Quebec QSO parties, the AGCW
VHF/UHF Contest and the DIE Contest are the weekend of June 17-18.
JUST
AHEAD: The Run for the Bacon QRP Contest is June 19 (UTC). The RSGB
80-Meter
Club Championship (SSB) is June 22. The Thursday NCCC Sprint Ladder is
June
23. ARRL Field Day, the ARCI Milliwatt Field Day, the His Majesty the
King
of Spain Contest (SSB) and the Ukrainian DX Digi Contest are the
weekend of
June 24-25. The Marconi Memorial HF Contest has been cancelled. The
Thursday
NCCC Sprint Ladder is June 30. See the ARRL Contest Branch page
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/> and the WA7BNM Contest Calendar
<http://www.hornucopia.com/contestca...x.html> for more info.

* ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration:
Registration remains open through Friday, June 23, for these ARRL
Certification and Continuing Education (CCE) program on-line courses:
Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 1 (EC-001), Radio
Frequency
Interference (EC-006), Antenna Design and Construction (EC-009),
Analog
Electronics (EC-012) and Digital Electronics (EC-013) CLASSES BEGIN
FRIDAY,
JULY 7. To learn more, visit the CCE Course Listing page
<http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html> or contact the CCE Department
<cce@arrl.org>.

* Courtesy urged on 6 meter "DX window": Radio amateurs taking
advantage of
recent openings on 6 meters are advised that the ARRL 6-meter band
plan
<http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/re...ons/6m> designates the
segment
50.100 to 50.125 MHz as the "DX window." The idea behind this
unofficial
designation, which reflects a consensus of longtime band users, is to
keep
that area of the band clear for US-to-DX contacts on "The Magic Band."
Veteran 6-meter operators report hearing many US stations working each
other
when the band is open. Such complaints arise each year when the band
first
opens, says ARRL Field and Educational Services Manager Dave Patton,
NN1N.
"Frequently the newcomers learn where to operate quickly enough, and
often
the veterans can be heard gently coaxing them up the band for a nice
chat,
at the same time making them aware of the band plan," he added. US
stations
are asked to keep stateside operation above 50.125 MHz (the "SSB
calling
frequency") as a courtesy to those attempting to work DX during band
openings.

* "Zulu stations" stand down in Indonesia: The Amateur Radio "zulu
stations"
activated to handle emergency communications in the wake of the
magnitude
6.3 earthquake in late May Indonesia's main island of Java, have now
stood
down. Indonesia's International Amateur Radio Union (IARU)
member-society,
the Organization of Amateur Radio for Indonesia (ORARI) coordinated an
emergency communication network comprised of zulu-suffix emergency
communication stations on HF and VHF. Radio amateurs involved with the
emergency effort now say West Java provincial emergency managers have
declared the emergency phase at an end and that a recovery or
"rehabilitation" phase has begun. Wyn Purwinto, AB2QV, an Indonesian
native
who's been keeping tabs on the Amateur Radio response, says all "zulu
stations" that have been supporting the emergency response effort in
the
disaster areas of his home country were deactivated effective June 12.
The
action includes YE1ZAB, a zulu station that had been supporting the
provincial health department's disaster relief unit. Purwinto says all
emergency radio volunteers who came to hard-hit Yogyakarta area
following
the quake will return home, although local club stations and emergency
volunteers will remain on standby.

* San Diego SM Tuck Miller, NZ6T, stepping down: ARRL San Diego
Section
Manager Tuck Miller, NZ6T, of National City, California, has announced
that
he's resigning his post effective July 1. Miller suffered a massive
heart
attack June 11 and now is recovering from surgery. He says he's
stepping
down to take control of his health. Miller previously served as San
Diego SM
from 1998 to 2002 before being elected ARRL Southwestern Division Vice
Director. Earlier this year, he was re-elected as San Diego SM and
took
office April 1. In consultation with ARRL Southwestern Division
Director
Dick Norton, N6AA, ARRL Field and Educational Services Manager Dave
Patton,
NN1N, has named past San Diego SM Pat Bunsold, WA6MHZ, of El Cajon to
complete the remainder of Miller's term, which ends in April 2008.

* Amateur Radio CubeSat launch postponed: The launch and deployment 13
Amateur Radio "CubeSats," originally set for June 28, has been
postponed
until July 26 (UTC), reportedly due to a technical issue during launch
vehicle preparation. The backup date is July 27, one CubeSat group
told
ARRL. A Dnepr-1LV rocket is scheduled to carry the CubeSats into space
from
the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. A fourteenth satellite in the
package
will not carry an Amateur Radio payload. The CubeSat project is a
collaboration between California Polytechnic State University-San Luis
Obispo and Stanford University's Space Systems Development Laboratory.
All
of the CubeSats were designed and built by students at various
universities
in the US and elsewhere in the world. Twelve of the satellites have
downlinks in the Amateur Radio satellite allocation between 435 and
438 MHz,
and one will operate on 145.980 MHz. None of the spacecraft will carry
a
transponder. Transmitter power outputs range from 10 mW to 2 W.

* Ukraine soccer star is radio amateur: If you've been following FIFA
World
Cup football (soccer) matches from Germany, you may know the name
Sergei
Rebrov, a midfielder on the Ukraine team. What you might not know is
that
Serge, 32, is UT5UDX and an active CW contester and DXer when he's not
on
the playing field (he wears number 11). Although Spain beat Ukraine
4-0 in
their June 14 match, Ukraine is still considered a favorite to advance
from
Group H. Rebrov and his teammates next face off against Saudi Arabia
on June
19 at 1800 CEST. Rebrov also has operated as M0SDX, TA2ZF and other
call
signs.--thanks to Osten, SM5DQC; Michael Keane, K1MK

* QST Contributing Editor John Dilks, K2TQN, honored: QST Contributing
Editor John Dilks, K2TQN, has received the Marconi Memorial Award from
the
Veteran Wireless Operators Association (VWOA) <http://www.vwoa.org/>
"for
his persevering efforts over the past 15 years in collecting,
restoring,
displaying and demonstrating the operation of vintage radio
equipment," the
award plaque reads. "His published writings of radio history preserve
the
memories of all radio and wireless pioneers." VWOA President Alan
Ehrlich,
WA2GDQ, presented the award to Dilks on May 20. Dilks has written the
popular monthly "Old Radio" column <http://www.eht.com/oldradio/arrl/>
for
QST since January 2000.--Mike Shaw, K2LRE

===========================================================
The ARRL Letter is published Fridays, 50 times each year, by the
American
Radio Relay League--The National Association For Amateur Radio--225
Main St,
Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259;
<http://www.arrl.org>. Joel Harrison, W5ZN, President.

The ARRL Letter offers a weekly e-mail digest of essential news of
interest
to active amateurs. The ARRL Letter strives to be timely, accurate,
concise,
and readable. Visit ARRLWeb <http://www.arrl.org> for the latest news,
updated as it happens. The ARRL Web site <http://www.arrl.org/> offers
access to news, informative features and columns. ARRL Audio News
<http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> is a weekly "ham radio
newscast"
compiled from The ARRL Letter.

Material from The ARRL Letter may be republished or reproduced in
whole or
in part in any form without additional permission. Credit must be
given to
The ARRL Letter and The American Radio Relay League.

==>Delivery problems (ARRL member direct delivery only!):
letter-dlvy@arrl.org
==>Editorial questions or comments: Rick Lindquist, N1RL,
n1rl@arrl.org
==>ARRL News on the Web: <http://www.arrl.org>
==>ARRL Audio News: <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> or call
860-594-0384

==>How to Get The ARRL Letter

The ARRL Letter is available to ARRL members free of charge directly
from
ARRL HQ. To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your address for e-mail
delivery:
ARRL members first must register on the Members Only Web Site
<http://www.arrl.org/members/>. You'll have an opportunity during
registration to sign up for e-mail delivery of The ARRL Letter, W1AW
bulletins, and other material. To change these selections--including
delivery of The ARRL Letter--registered members should click on the
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Members Only Web Site.)

The ARRL Letter also is available to all, free of charge, from these
sources:

* ARRLWeb <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/>. (NOTE: The ARRL Letter
will be
posted each Friday when it is distributed via e-mail.)

* The QTH.net listserver, thanks to volunteers from the Boston Amateur
Radio
Club: Visit Mailing Lists@QTH.Net
<http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/list...-list>. (NOTE: The ARRL
cannot assist subscribers who receive The ARRL Letter via this
listserver.)