*************** The ARRL Letter Vol. 24, No. 25 June 24, 2005 *************** IN THIS EDITION: * President greets Field Day 2005 participants * World conference tackles Amateur Radio emergency communication issues * ARRL personnel departures spawn staff changes * Youngsters at Swiss, Canadian schools talk via ham radio with ISS * US ham-astronaut first to testify before Congress from space * Inaugural "Take Your Handheld to Work Day" a Success! * IC inventor Jack Kilby, ex-W9GTY, SK * Radio industry pioneer Al Kahn, K4FW, SK * "Hamfest Calendar" corrections announced * Solar Update * IN BRIEF: This weekend on the radio: It's ARRL Field Day 2005! ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration HF saves the day after motor home breakdown ARRL Northern New Jersey SM donates ARRL books to new library Pete Halpin, PH1PH/G7ECN, SK Swedish VLF transmitter on the air July 2-3 =========================================================== NOTE: Because of vacation and holiday schedules, there will be no edition of ARRL Audio News on Friday, June 24, and no editions of The ARRL Letter and ARRL Audio News on Friday, July 1. Both will return Friday, July 8. We wish all safe and enjoyable Field Day 2005 and Independence Day holiday weekends! =========================================================== ==>Delivery problems (ARRL member direct delivery only!): letter-dlvy@arrl.org ==>Editorial questions or comments: Rick Lindquist, N1RL, n1rl@arrl.org =========================================================== ==>PRESIDENT BUSH SENDS GREETINGS TO FIELD DAY 2005 PARTICIPANTS President George W. Bush has sent greetings from the White House to everyone participating in ARRL Field Day 2005. "I send greetings to those celebrating the annual Field Day for Amateur Radio, hosted by the American Radio Relay League. Across our country, radio plays a vital role in relaying important information to the public and emergency service personnel in times of need," the president said. "By providing emergency communications at the federal, state, and local level, licensed Amateur Radio operators help first responders and law enforcement officials save lives and make our country safer. Your efforts help ensure the right assistance gets to the right people at the right time. I appreciate all ham operators who give their time and energy to help make our citizens more secure. Your good work reflects the spirit of America and contributes to a culture of responsibility and citizenship that strengthens our nation. Laura and I send our best wishes." An annual exercise aimed at developing skills to meet the challenges of emergency preparedness as well as to acquaint the general public with the capabilities of Amateur Radio, ARRL Field Day takes place this year on Saturday and Sunday, June 25-26. Stations throughout the Americas may participate. ==>AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION FOCUS OF WORLD CONFERENCE Tampere, Finland, played host June 13-14 to the first Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Conference (GAREC 2005). Participants from 17 countries and representatives of all three International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) regions gathered to discuss and exchange information on the role of Amateur Radio in emergency communication. A conference statement summarized the value of Amateur Radio to emergency communication worldwide. "The Amateur Radio Service has the proven capabilities and capacities to serve the international community through its global network of infrastructure-independent stations," the statement concluded. "Such stations are not only most likely to withstand the physical impact of disasters, but their flexibility furthermore avoids the overload all public networks inevitably experience in the aftermath of disasters." The statement also pointed to the Amateur Service as "an invaluable resource of skilled operators, trained and experienced in maintaining communications under the most adverse conditions." It further concluded that it's essential "to ensure that this resource can be fully utilized in the service of emergency and disaster response providers." Conferees agreed as well that the Amateur Service needs access to "appropriate portions of the shared and limited resource of the radio frequency spectrum." The IARU has submitted the summary as an input document to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), set to take place in Tunisia this November. Representing the IARU and chairing GAREC 2005 was Hans Zimmermann, HB9AQS, the IARU's International Coordinator for Emergency Communications. Past ARRL President Rod Stafford, W6ROD, represented IARU in his capacity as Region 2 President and the League in his capacity as International Affairs Vice President. Major topics included cooperation between radio amateurs and institutional emergency response providers on the national level, and an exchange of experiences from recent events. Presentations showed how hams support emergency responders as skilled volunteer telecommunication operators as well as via their own global networks. Conferees also talked over ways to improve and facilitate the work of emergency communication networks. Participants agreed on the desirability of establishing a "Center of Activity Frequency" for emergency traffic on 80, 40, 20, 17 and 15 meters. SRAL, the IARU member-society for Finland and the host of GAREC 2005 will forward a proposal to that effect to the IARU for its consideration. This could happen during the IARU Region 1 Conference this September. GAREC-2005 did not put forth specific center-of-activity frequencies, but the proposal did recommend calling them "The Tampere Frequencies." Because of Tampere's association with the history of emergency and disaster communication, the city's name has become nearly synonymous with emergency telecommunication. Among signal events, an experts' conference there in 1991 adopted the Tampere Declaration on Disaster Communications. In 1998, the Intergovernmental Conference on Emergency Telecommunications (ICET-98) adopted the Tampere Convention on the Provision of Telecommunication Resources for Disaster Mitigation and Relief Operations. Effective as of January 8, 2005, the convention largely eliminates roadblocks to moving telecommunications personnel and equipment across international borders into and within disaster-stricken areas. Tampere has hosted several related conferences on emergency telecommunication as well. To maintain the momentum, plans already are being discussed for a second global conference in 2006. A GAREC 2005 summary is available on the IARU Web site <http://www.iaru.org/emergency/summary.html>.--IARU ==>DEPARTURES FROM ARRL HEADQUARTERS PROMPT STAFF CHANGES Recent departures or pending departures from ARRL Headquarters have prompted some new staff assignments to fill openings in the ARRL VEC and in the Sales and Marketing departments. ARRL COO Harold Kramer, WJ1B, announced the changes earlier this month. ARRL VEC Department Volunteer Examiner Services Supervisor Maria Somma, KB1KJC, has stepped into the position of interim Department Manager, effective June 7. A long-time VEC and ARRL staff member, Somma succeeds Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, who returned to his native Wisconsin in May to pursue a business opportunity. A nearly 20-year ARRL Headquarters staff veteran, Jahnke and his wife Debra--who will depart as ARRL Sales Manager this month--had planned one day to retire in Wisconsin. The Jahnkes purchased a farm property in Wisconsin two years ago. Somma has been at ARRL since 1985, and she became VE Services Supervisor in 1988. Since her arrival, ARRL VEC has conducted more than 90,000 examination sessions and served some 809,000 customers. "I'm proud to have had a hand in what the VEC has accomplished over the years," she said. "The allure and excitement I felt back when I first started here is still with me, and I look forward to future VEC endeavors." Also in the VEC Department, Perry Green, WY1O, has been promoted to Assistant VEC Manager. He previously served as Assistant to the VEC Manager. Green came aboard at ARRL VEC in 2002 becoming a primary point of contact for the club call sign administrator program, International Amateur Radio permits, the special event 1x1 call sign program, accommodative testing, exam software, vanity call signs and what he calls "the never-ending battle to resolve the FRN/CORES password calamity," referring to the FCC's registration system. Sales Manager Debra Jahnke has been with ARRL for more than 25 years and served as Circulation Manager prior to taking on her current duties nearly four years ago. "We will all miss her high energy and many skills," Kramer said. In view of her imminent departure from the ARRL staff to be with her family in Wisconsin, the Sales and Marketing Department has announced a reshuffling of responsibilities among current staffers. ARRL Marketing Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, will assume responsibility for fulfillment and warehouse functions. In his current role, Inderbitzen has been handling planning and implementation of direct marketing for ARRL membership, publication sales and advertising. An ARRL Life Member and a ham since 1981, Inderbitzen joined the ARRL staff in 1991. He's worked previously in the ARRL VEC Department and in the former ARRL Educational Activities Department. Inderbitzen undertook the lion's share of planning and implementation for the successful ARRL National Convention/ARRL EXPO 2005 at Dayton Hamvention. Sales and Marketing Coordinator Janet Rocco will become the department's Business Services Manager, a new position in which she will oversee advertising and dealer customer sales and relations and manage the ARRL sales staff. Rocco has been with the ARRL nearly four years, starting out in the Outgoing QSL Service. ARRL Sales and Marketing Manager Dennis Motschenbacher, K7BV, plans to establish a new position--Membership Manager--an experienced professional to manage and focus only on membership recruitment and retention. Establishing the new position represents an effort to "look beyond many of the current organizational paradigms regarding membership," he said. ==>INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS, QUEBEC PRIMARY SCHOOLERS QUIZ ASTRONAUT VIA HAM RADIO Members of the Amateur Radio Club (HB9ZIS) at Zurich International School (ZIS) in Switzerland, spoke directly June 10 with US Astronaut John Phillips, KE5DRY, on the International Space Station. Youngsters at École de la Source (The Source Primary School) in Mascouche, Quebec, had a similar opportunity a week later. The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program arranged both school group contacts with NA1SS. Phillips told a ZIS student that the change in gravity has not affected his appetite but does seem to make him less thirsty. "It did not affect my eating habits at all, but it did affect my thirst," Phillips responded. "Your body doesn't need as much fluid up here because it doesn't have to work as hard to push the blood to your head. So I probably will drink less water, and my body has less fluid in it." As for which planet he'd like to visit, Phillips told ZIS students that Mars would be his first choice. "The only planet other than Earth that it's practical to visit during this century, I believe, would be Mars, so I guess I'd like to go there," Phillips said. "But right now I'd really like to visit Earth now and then," he added, eliciting laughter from the students. ARISS Mentor Peter Kofler, IN3GHZ, reports that Paul Schreier, HB9DST/AA1MI served as the technical director and contact coordinator. Bruno Zimmerman, HB9WAH, and radio club members set up a satellite station and antennas, and Zimmerman served as the control operator. They also established an ATV link to the assembly hall where the entire student body could follow along on a big screen. At the school ham shack itself--at the ZIS middle school campus in Horgen--the audience consisted of some 50 onlookers, including students, teachers, parents and school board members. All told, the students at ZIS had all 20 of their questions asked and answered. Several media outlets, including the DRS national TV and radio and Die Neue Züricher Zeitung newspaper, covered the event. The following Friday, June 17, youngsters at Quebec's École de la Source enjoyed the fruits of a three-year wait on the ARISS school group application list. In 2002, fifth and sixth grade students took on the space contact project, which current students continued. One youngster wanted to know how long it takes for the ISS crew members to put on their spacesuits for a spacewalk. Phillips responded that while it takes about an hour to suit up and make required safety checks, it's a few hours more before the crew exits the spacecraft. Two hours are expended exhausting the airlock, he explained. "But we take a lot longer than this because we have to protect against a problem called 'the bends,' which is what divers get when the nitrogen in their blood turns into bubbles," Phillips continued. "So we sit inside the suit for three hours or so breathing oxygen to get the nitrogen out--so in reality it takes maybe four or five hours from the time we start putting on the suits until we actually go outside." Replying to another question, Phillips said it's not really known if space travel would be dangerous for a pregnant woman because one never has traveled into space. He said female members of NASA's astronaut corps do not even engage in training while pregnant. Members of the Club Radioamateur Laval-Laurentide, VE2CRL, worked with ARISS Mentor Steve McFarlane, VE3TBD, on the technical aspects of the event. Students asked 15 questions during the approximately six-minute contact. Students released a roaring "Merci!" (Thanks!) at signoff. ARISS-Canada's Daniel Lamoureux, VE2KA, said a direct video link from the contact site tied into the gymnasium so an audience of some 400 pupils, parents and guests could look on. A representative from the Canadian Space Agency talked to the students before the QSO and translated Phillips' answers into French. Teacher Robert Ménard coordinated the project. Two national TV networks and one newspaper sent reporters to cover the event. Local dignitaries and school board members also were present. ARISS <http://www.rac.ca/ariss/> is an international educational outreach with US participation by NASA, ARRL and AMSAT. ==>HAM-ASTRONAUT TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS FROM SPACE NASA International Space Station Science Officer John Phillips, KE5DRY, made history June 14 by becoming the first person to testify before Congress while in orbit. The Expedition 11 flight engineer appeared via satellite before the House Science Committee's Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, chaired by Rep Ken Calvert (R-CA). Phillips answered questions from subcommittee members about what it's like to live and work in space, focusing on the space station's role in preparing humans for longer-duration missions outlined in NASA's Vision for Space Exploration. "We constantly learn new lessons up here," Phillips said, while traveling through space at five miles per second. "The experiences we gather will enable us to establish a long-term station on the moon and to go on to Mars." Two other astronauts, Peggy Whitson, KC5ZTD--who served on the ISS Expedition 5 crew in 2002, and Expedition 9 crew member Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, testified in person before the subcommittee. For most of the lawmakers, their interview of Phillips marked their first opportunity to speak directly with a space traveler on orbit. In response to members' questions, Phillips talked about the tremendous view from 220 miles up, floated around the ISS and talked about the hard work he's doing. "The most important thing up here is that we *are* the experiment; we are learning how to fly in space," Phillips told the subcommittee. For more information about the ISS, visit the NASA Space Station Web site <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html>.--NASA ==>INAUGURAL “TAKE YOUR HANDHELD TO WORK DAY” A SUCCESS! The Southeastern area of the country was the most active on June 21 as the very first “Take Your HT to Work Day” encouraged hams to share their enthusiasm with others during lunch hour. While it was impossible to cover all the repeaters, Echolink nodes and frequencies that might have been used, it’s clear from a sampling taken from across the country that more than a few hams were “caught” doing something nice for Amateur Radio. Thanks to all who participated for your efforts to promote Amateur Radio! ==>IC INVENTOR JACK KILBY, EX-W9GTY, SK Jack St Clair Kilby, who held the call sign W9GTY in the 1930s and 1940s, died in Dallas June 20 at age 81. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2000 for his part in the invention of the first monolithic integrated circuit. A native of Great Bend, Kansas, Kilby has been credited with making the Information Age possible. He became interested in Amateur Radio after a severe ice storm crippled Western Kansas in 1937. Following college and a stint in the Army, Kilby went to work on the transistor for Centralab in Milwaukee. In 1958, he moved to Dallas to work for Texas Instruments, where he came upon the idea of creating the integrated circuit. By 1960 the first chips were made available to industry, and the age of microelectonics was upon us. A public memorial service for Jack Kilby will be held Monday, June 27, at 10 AM on the Southern Methodist University campus at the Caruth Auditorium in the Meadow School of the Arts, 6101 Bishop Boulevard, Dallas, Texas. For those wishing to make a memorial contribution, the family has identified the following: The Jack Kilby Fund in Electrical and Computer Engineering, the University of Illinois Foundation, Harker Hall, 1305 West Green, Urbana, Illinois 61801; and The Great Bend Foundation (Jack Kilby Statue Fund), PO Drawer E, Great Bend, KS 67530. ==>TEN-TEC CO-FOUNDER AL KAHN, K4FW, SK Albert R. "Al" Kahn, K4FW, of Cassopolis, Michigan, died June 15. He was 98. An ARRL member, Kahn--with Jack Burchfield, K4JU, co-founded Ten-Tec following his retirement from Electro-Voice (E-V), which he'd also founded and served as president. Kahn continued his regular CW schedules until just a few days before he died. "It's a sad day, but few of us will leave the sort of footprints that Al did during his long and productive life," remarked ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ. Ten-Tec, on its Web site, acknowledged Kahn's passing "with the deepest regret." Kahn had remained a member of Ten-Tec's Board of Directors. Kahn's daughter Carol Bieneman says that radio and sound communication fascinated her father from childhood. "At age 12 he joined a Boy Scout troop and was sent home with a radio to repair," she recounts. "This was the start of his lifelong passion for radio." Born in LaSalle, Illinois, Kahn moved as a child to South Bend, Indiana. He became licensed there in 1921 as 9BBI and later held W8DUS in Michigan. As Burchfield tells it, Kahn (with Lou Burroughs, a local machinist) in 1927 started a radio service shop in South Bend. Legendary Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne needed a public address system to amplify his voice during practice sessions, and he came to Kahn for help. Most microphones of the day were carbon-button types, but Kahn constructed a superior velocity--or ribbon--microphone and put together a PA system that Rockne called his "electric voice." In 1930, Kahn and Burroughs adopted the name Electro-Voice for the business and began making velocity microphones, which they also supplied to the military during World War II. During the war, Kahn invented and patented a noise-canceling microphone and marketed it successfully to the military. The design is still in use. E-V added "high-fidelity" equipment and speakers to its product line, and, in 1960, the company built two plants in Tennessee and shifted operations there from the Midwest. Kahn was president of E-V until 1969 when it merged with Gulton Industries. After departing E-V, Kahn and Burchfield founded equipment manufacturer Ten-Tec, now in its 37th year of manufacturing HF radio equipment for Amateur Radio, commercial, and military applications. Kahn accumulated many honors over his more than eight decades as a radio amateur and industry figure. He was inducted into the CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame and was a member of the First-Class CW Operators Club (FOC), the Old Old Timer's Club, the Quarter Century Wireless Association (QCWA), and the A-1 Operator Club. In 2002, the QCWA honored Kahn on his 80th anniversary as an amateur licensee. He also received an Army/Navy "E" Award in 1945 for supplying the War Department with thousands of microphones during World War II. The Boy Scouts of America presented Kahn with its Silver Beaver Award for staffing Amateur Radio stations at international scout jamborees. A memorial service for Al Kahn is set for Saturday, July 16, at the Diamond Cove Missionary Church, 22541 Diamond Cove Road, Cassopolis, Michigan. Visitation will be from 2 PM until 4 PM at the church, followed immediately by the memorial service at 4 PM. Memorial contributions are invited to Cass County Hospice, 310 East Sherwood St, Decatur, MI 49045 or to the Michiana Amateur Radio Club, c/o Noel Kindt, W9EFL, 90888 Bluff Dr, Marcellus, MI 49067.--Some information from the N9VV Ten-Tec History Web page ==>JULY QST "HAMFEST CALENDAR" CORRECTIONS NOTED Some events listed in the July QST "Hamfest Calendar" (pp 93-95) include incorrect information. The "Hamfest and Convention Database" on the ARRL Web site <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests.html> has current and correct information on July 2005 hamfests and conventions, however. A summary of the significant corrections is below. For items marked with am asterisk (*), see "Hamfest Calendar" in June QST (pp 90-93) for details. June 17-19 *Northwestern Division, Seaside, OR June 23-26 *YLISSB, Bismarck, ND July 8-10 *Arizona State, Williams August 5-6 Texas State, Austin August 6 Wyoming Section, Jackson August 11-14 YLRL, Denver, CO August 19-20 New Mexico State, Albuquerque August 20 Missouri State, Columbia August 20-21 Southeastern Division, Huntsville, AL August 21 Kansas State, Salina August 27-28 West Virginia State, Weston September 9-11 Southwestern Division, Riverside, CA Dakota Division, Fargo, ND September 10 Kentucky State, Shepherdsville Additional corrections, July QST, pages 93-94: Montana--Montana State Convention Contact person is Tim Hodges, KD7JZ, 1005 Boulevard Ave, Havre, MT 59501. 406-265-7352 e-mail 7twh@mtintouch.net; www.gwhamfest.org Oklahoma--Oklahoma Section Convention Set up times are Friday, July 15, 10 AM-3 PM, and Saturday, July 16, 7 AM-8 AM. Event is open to public Friday, July 15, 4 PM-8 PM, and Saturday, July 16, 8 AM-3 PM. Maryland (West Friendship)--Jul 24; set up Saturday 2 PM; public Sunday 8 AM to 4 PM (grounds open for tailgating at 6 AM). Spr: Baltimore RA Television Society. Howard County Fairgrounds, Rte 144; from the Baltimore Beltway (I-695) take I-70 W to the Rte 32 exit ramp, at Rte 32 turn left (heading S) to Rte 144 (Old Frederick Rd), turn right onto Rte 144 heading W to Howard County Fairgrounds entrance. Hamfest/Computerfest, giant flea market, vendors, electronics, ham radio and computer equipment, tailgating ($10 per space; first-come, first-served basis; no advanced reservations), VE sessions (check in 8:30, free exams 9 AM; pre-registration required; John Creel, WB3GXW, 301-572-5124, 6-9 PM; mailto:creewb3gxw@aol.com), DXCC card checking, handicapped accessible, refreshments. TI: 147.03, 224.96, 448.325. Adm: $6, under 12 free. Tables: tables on sale in advance only. Mayer Zimmerman, W3GXK, c/o BRATS, Box 5915, Baltimore, MD 21282-5915; 410-461-0086 (phone/fax); mailto:w3gxk@verizon.netor mailto:brats@bratsatv.org; www.bratsatv.org. August QST's "Hamfest Calendar" will include corrected information for events taking place during the second half of July. We apologize for any inconvenience these erroneous listings may have caused. ==>SOLAR UPDATE Solar flash Tad "That Lucky Ol' Sun" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports: Propagation guru Tad “That Lucky Ol’ Sun” Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports: A projection shows active geomagnetic conditions on Friday, June 24, followed by unsettled to active on Field Day weekend, June 25-26. A planetary geomagnetic A index of 20 is predicted for June 24-26. These aren’t great conditions for HF, but are not at the level of a geomagnetic storm like we had on Thursday June 23 when the planetary K index went all the way to seven, and the planetary A index was 48. Sunspot numbers and solar flux are expected to remain low, with solar flux around 85. Given the low sunspot numbers, 20 and 40 meters are going to be the best bands for working cross country, with 80 meters open after dark. 40 and 80 should be the best bands for working stations less than 1000 miles away, day or night. To review the past week, sunspots and solar flux numbers were lower. Average daily sunspot numbers dropped nearly 28 points from the previous week to 51.1. Average daily solar flux was off over 15 points to 87.7. The big geomagnetic activity of note was one day following our Thursday through Wednesday reporting period, on Thursday, June 23, when mid-latitude A index was 30 and planetary A index was 48. Sunspot numbers for June 16 through 22 were 67, 59, 50, 43, 47, 53 and 39 with a mean of 51.1. 10.7 cm flux was 98.1, 90.8, 90, 86.9, 86.1, 82.8 and 79.5, with a mean of 87.7. Estimated planetary A indices were 26, 14, 7, 7, 5, 4 and 7 with a mean of 10. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 19, 9, 5, 3, 2, 1 and 6, with a mean of 6.4. __________________________________ ==>IN BRIEF: * This weekend on the radio: ARRL Field Day, the ARCI Milliwatt Field Day, the Marconi Memorial HF Contest and His Majesty the King of Spain Contest (SSB) are the weekend of June 25-26. JUST AHEAD: The RAC Canada Day Contest and the NCCC Thursday Sprint are July 1 (UTC). The Venezuelan Independence Day Contest, the WLOTA Contest, the Original QRP Contest and the DARC 10-Meter Digital Contest are the weekend of July 2-3. The RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship (CW) is July 4, and the Michigan QRP July 4th CW Sprint is July 4-5. The NCCC Thursday Sprint is July 8 (UTC). The IARU HF World Championship, The VK/Trans-Tasman 160-Meter Contest (Phone), the FISTS Summer Sprint, the ARCI Summer Homebrew Sprint are the weekend of July 9-10. The RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship (SSB) is July 13. The NCCC Thursday Sprint is July 15 (UTC). See the ARRL Contest Branch page <http://www.arrl.org/contests/> and the WA7BNM Contest Calendar <http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html> for more info. * ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration: Registration for the ARRL HF Digital Communication (EC-005) and ARRL VHF/UHF--Beyond the Repeater (EC-008) courses remains open through Sunday, June 26. Classes begin Friday, July 8. Students participating in VHF/UHF--Beyond the Repeater (EC-008) will enjoy exploring some of the lesser-used and more intriguing aspects of VHF/UHF operation. HF Digital Communication students will learn to use a variety of HF digital modes. To learn more, visit the ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Web page <http://www.arrl.org/cce/> or contact the ARRL C-CE Department cce@arrl.org. * HF saves the day after motor home breakdown: Well outside cell phone and ham repeater range, ARRL member Bob Johnson, W7LRD, his wife and their two dogs found themselves May 6 in their motor home broken down "in the middle of nowhere" 70 miles north of Las Vegas, Nevada. To the rescue came Johnson's trusty Icom IC-730 and some friendly fellow radio amateurs. "I found Bruce, VA7BEB, on 20 meters, and he started getting my information to my insurance company for road service," Johnson recounts. But the propagation gods were not smiling. Enter Phil, W7PDZ, and Larry, KA0MZL. "Phil continued where Bruce left off, while Larry notified the Nevada Highway Patrol," Johnson continues. "The highway patrol showed up and took note of our situation. A tow truck out of Pahrump, Nevada, came and took us to an RV park across the street from an auto parts store!" The next day Johnson was able to pin down the problem--a failed ignition coil. He picked up and installed a new one, and he and his family were good to go. "Without the assistance and perseverance of these gentlemen, it would have been a very long day and possibly night," he says. * ARRL Northern New Jersey SM donates ARRL books to new library: What do you do when your town gets a new library? ARRL Northern New Jersey Section Manager Bill Hudzik, W2UDT, donated a selection of ARRL books to the new Long Hill Township Library. At a fund-raising event, W2UDT learned from Library Director Arline Most that the library had no current books on Amateur Radio. So, when the new library was dedicated, Hudzik made sure that Amateur Radio was represented! The new Long Hill Township Library now has a selection including the ARRL Handbook, Morse code CD, licensing guides and a young reader's radio adventure book, among others. Hudzik says he can't think of a better way to promote the Amateur Radio service than to donate reading material to the local library. "I got started in Amateur Radio at my library, and I hope other young readers in Long Hill will follow," he said. * Pete Halpin, PH1PH/G7ECN, SK: Pete Halpin, PH1PH/G7ECN, of Hengelo, the Netherlands, died June 8. The co-developer with Simon Brown, HB9DRV, of the freeware Ham Radio Deluxe transceiver-control package, Halpin was considered its support and services guru. Licensed in 1982, Halpin was a retired aircraft technician who, in Brown's words, "devoted copious free time to this project. He will be missed by everyone involved with Ham Radio Deluxe." The Radio Society of Great Britain recognized Brown and Halpin last year for their significant contribution to the development of Amateur Radio technology. Halpin also has received awards from the QRP Amateur Radio Club International, one for his low-power successes on 6 meters. He was a past director of No Code International. * Swedish VLF transmitter on the air July 2-3: The SAQ Alexanderson alternator transmitter <http://www.alexander.n.se/> operating on 17.2 kHz from Sweden will be on the air Saturday and Sunday, July 2 and 3. The July 2 transmission at 1230 UTC will mark the inauguration of a new visitor's center at the Grimeton site, and July 3 is "Alexanderson Day," when the station will be open to the general public (between 10 AM and 4 PM local time). Transmissions on July 3 will take place at 0815, 0915, 1215 and 1315 UTC. In addition, Amateur Radio station SK6SAQ will operate a special event from the site. Approximate frequencies are 14.035 MHz CW and 3.755 and 14.215 MHz SSB.--RSGB =========================================================== 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/>. Jim Haynie, W5JBP, 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. 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