*************** The ARRL Letter Vol. 26, No. 41 October 12, 2007 *************** IN THIS EDITION: * ARRL On-Line Auction Preview Starts Wednesday * Secretary General of ITU Gets Amateur Radio License * "The Doctor Is IN" the ARRL Letter * The November/December National Contest Journal Is On Its Way * FCC Enforcement Actions * ARRL Executive Committee Explains Reasoning for Upholding Ethics and Election Committee's Decision to Disqualify Southwestern Division Director Candidate * Solar Update * IN BRIEF: This Weekend on the Radio ARRL Continuing Education Course Registration No ARRL Audio News Friday, October 12 Newly Elected Section Managers Converge on Newington Special Offer for Diamond Club Members New Contest Manager on the Job AA8EY Wins 2007 Severson Award Military World Games Using in India Using Call Sign AT0MWG Let Us Know What You Think =========================================================== ==>Delivery problems: First see FAQ <http://www.arrl.org/members-only/faq.html#nodelivery>, then e-mail <letter-dlvy@arrl.org> ==>Editorial questions or comments only: S. Khrystyne Keane, <k1sfa@arrl.org> =========================================================== ==> ARRL ON-LINE AUCTION PREVIEW STARTS WEDNESDAY The 2007 ARRL On-Line Auction Preview starts Wednesday, October 17 and officially begins October 24, running through November 2. According to ARRL Business Services Manager Debra Jahnke, K1DAj, the Auction will feature more than 150 items. "This year, browsers and bidders will find a vastly increased amount of QST Product Review gear." Rather than auctioning this equipment off separately as has been done in the past, the On-Line Auction will serve as the focal point for a majority of this year's QST Product Review items. "We won't reveal just yet what items will be up for bid, but chances are very likely that if our readers have had their eye on a piece of equipment, it will be there," Jahnke said. This year's auction will offer an especially diverse variety of items, including transceivers, amplifiers, antennas, amateur accessories and other amateur-related items. Jahnke said that through the ARRL On-Line Auction, "We'll be offering new gear, pre-owned and vintage gear, a fabulous vacation in St Croix, one-of-a-kind treasures and a virtual flea market." When asked to provide amateurs with a partial list of items up for bid, Jahnke said "We're keep specific items under wraps until the Auction Preview that begins on October 17. Anyone interested can check this out at the ARRL On-Line Auction Web site <http://www.arrl.org/development/auction/>. But I can promise you that bidders will not be disappointed." "We'd also like to thank the manufacturers, dealers, ARRL Business Partners and members and non members alike for their donations to the On-Line Auction," Jahnke said. ==> SECRETARY GENERAL OF ITU GETS AMATEUR RADIO LICENSE Dr Hamadoun Toure, Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), received his Amateur Radio license October 8. Toure, who holds the call sign HB9EHT, is from Mali. He has a Master's Degree in electrical engineering from the Technical Institute of Electronics and Telecommunications of Leningrad and a PhD from the University of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics of Moscow. ARRL Chief Executive Officer and IARU Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ, said, "Dr Toure has recognized the value of Amateur Radio throughout his two terms as Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau and now as Secretary General. It is wonderful to be able to welcome him to our fraternity." According to International Amateur Radio Club (IARC) President Attila Matas, OM1AM/HB9IAJ, IARC's station 4U1ITU will be operational as 4U1WRC during WRC-07 in Geneva later this month. They will be using newly installed antennas. ITU is the leading United Nations agency for information and communication technologies. As the global focal point for governments and the private sector, ITU's role in helping the world communicate spans three core sectors: radiocommunication, standardization and development. ITU is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and its membership includes 191 Member States and more than 700 Sector Members and Associates. ==> "THE DOCTOR IS IN" THE ARRL LETTER This week, ARRL Letter readers are in luck! The ARRL's very own Doctor, author of the popular QST column "The Doctor Is IN," answers a question from his mailbag: Question -- Ray Fritts, KA8SYX, of Jacksonville, Florida, asks: If a piece of coaxial cable has a specified loss figure in dB per 100 feet at a given frequency, does that mean that the loss in a different length of the same cable that is a fraction of 100 feet long is the same fraction of loss? For example, I have a type of coax that has a loss of 6 dB per 100 feet at 150 MHz. I have a 15 foot length I want to use as a feed line for my 2 meter mobile SSB transceiver. Does that mean that my feed line would have a loss of about 0.9 dB, not including SWR and connector insertion? I am particularly interested in the loss in received signal. Is my math correct, or is there a different method to determine the amount of signal lost in a coaxial cable when the length is different from that for which the published loss figures are expressed? The Doctor Answers -- Your calculations are right on. That's all there is to it. But do keep in mind just a few potential pitfalls: Published cable loss data is for new cable. If used indoors in a non-hostile environment, it will stay close to new for many years. If the jacket allows moisture or moisture vapor to penetrate, it can degrade from subsequent corrosion. I have been amazed to find that the copper in some old cables that have been used outdoors has turned black from corrosion, and likely is no longer acting like a shield at all. You are correct that the loss increases with an SWR higher than 1:1. For your receive case, keep in mind that the SWR is determined by the input impedance of the receiver -- not the antenna impedance. Sometimes receivers aligned for minimum noise figure do not have an impedance of 50 Ohms. Check your receiver specs. Do you have a question or a problem? Send your questions to <doctor@arrl.org> or to "The Doctor," ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111 (no phone calls, please). ==> THE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER NCJ IS ON ITS WAY Now that "contesting season" is in full swing, you don't want to miss a thing and you can get in-depth contesting articles, techniques and information from the National Contest Journal (NCJ). This bi-monthly magazine from the ARRL features articles on contesting in all modes, including phone, CW and RTTY, product reviews and station profiles, as well as regular columns. The November/December issue has an article by Al Dewey, K0AD, on how to put up a tower in a deed-restricted neighborhood. Doug Zwiebel, KR2Q, reveals his secrets for winning the 2007 ARRL DX CW (QRP) Contest, while Ed Sawyer, N1UR, writes about winning the 2007 ARRL DX and Phone (Low Power) Contest. Not to be outdone by the low power operators, Scott Robbins, W4PA/VY2PA, writes about winning ARRL DX CW in 2007. If you're interested in the new Elecraft K3, you won't want to miss "RTTY Contesting with the Elecraft K3," by Ed Muns, W0YK. Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA, reviews the KD9SV Reversible Beverage System. Regular columns in the upcoming issue include "VHF-UHF Contesting" by Jon K. Jones, N0JK; "Contest Tips, Tricks and Techniques" by Gary Sutcliffe, W9XT; "RTTY Contesting" by Don Hill, AA5AU; "Workshop Chronicles" by Don Daso, K4ZA; "Contesting on a Budget" by Paul Schaffenberger, K5AF, and "Propagation" by Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA. NCJ is published by the ARRL and is a bi-monthly publication; it is edited by Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA. Subscribe at <http://www.arrl.org/ncj/>. ==> FCC ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS On October 5, the FCC's Enforcement Bureau released new Amateur Radio enforcement actions. Raymond W. Czyzewski, Jr, WA2SEI, of Interlachen, Florida, received notification from the FCC of a complaint alleging he "interfere[d] on the Six Meter Amateur band on June 19, 2007. The complaint also enclosed a threatening communication apparently from you to the complainant subsequent to the incident. The information contained in the complaint, if true, raises serious questions regarding your qualifications to retain an Amateur license." Czyzewski was given 20 days to respond and was directed to "support your response with a signed and dated affidavit or declaration under penalty of perjury, verifying the truth and accuracy of the information submitted in your response." He was warned that the FCC will use "all relevant information... including information that you disclose in your reply" to make a decision in his case, and that penalties could include "license revocation, suspension of your operator privileges, or monetary forfeiture (fine). Fines normally range from $7,500 to $10,000." Guy E Weitl, WB6HGJ, of San Diego, California, received notification from the FCC of a complaint alleging "numerous instances of out of band operation on Twenty Meter frequencies 14.003, 14.005, 14.011 and 14.106 MHz, frequencies for which you are not authorized as a General Class licensee. The complaint also alleges that you have been sent several notices about out of band operation. The information contained in the complaint, if true, raises serious questions regarding your qualifications to retain an Amateur license." Weitl was given 20 days to respond and was directed to "support your response with a signed and dated affidavit or declaration under penalty of perjury, verifying the truth and accuracy of the information submitted in your response." He was warned that the FCC will use "all relevant information...including information that you disclose in your reply" to make a decision in his case, and that penalties could include "license revocation, suspension of your operator privileges, or monetary forfeiture (fine). Fines normally range from $7,500 to $10,000." David B. Huston, WD8RFS, of Ely, Minnesota, received notification from the FCC regarding a complaint "concerning the operation of your repeater on 145.370 MHz. The complaint alleges lack of control and defective signals and indicates that you have been contacted about these problems but have declined to address them." Huston was given 20 days to respond and was directed to "describe in detail" and include with his response "the procedures you use to control the repeater and provide the names and addresses of all control operators." Darin W. Colville, KM0Q, of O'Fallon, Missouri, received notification from the FCC that he would face a six month restriction on his Amateur Radio license. The Commission said, "On March 16, 2007, we sent you copies of complaints received by the Commission concerning the operation of your Amateur station. The complaints alleged deliberate interference, broadcasting and failure to identify. Our letter stated that the information contained in the complaints, if true, raised serious questions regarding your qualifications to retain an Amateur license. We requested detailed information from you pursuant to Section 308(b) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. S: 308(b), which gives the Commission the authority to obtain information from applicants and licensees about the operation of their station and their qualifications to remain a licensee." After telephone conversations between Colville and FCC representatives, it was agreed that Colville would accept "a six month restriction on your license that would prohibit operation on any Amateur station on UHF or VHF for a period of six months in order to avoid further enforcement sanctions. That restriction is retroactive to July 9, 2007, and will end at midnight January 6, 2008." James J. Grinton, K7VNI, of Bellingham, Washington, received a "Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture" from the District Director of the FCC's Western Region Enforcement Bureau in Seattle and is apparently liable for a forfeiture in the amount of seven thousand dollars ($7,000)." The FCC said Grinton "apparently willfully and repeatedly violated Section 97.113(b) and Section 97.119(a) of the Commission's Rules ("Rules") by transmitting one-way communications and by failing to transmit his assigned call sign in the Amateur Radio Service." Section 97.113(b) of the Rules states that "[a]n amateur station shall not engage in any form of broadcasting, nor may an amateur station transmit one-way communications..." Section 97.119(a) of the Rules states that "[e]ach amateur station, except a space station or telecommand station, must transmit its assigned call sign on its transmitting channel at the end of each communication, and at least every 10 minutes during a communication, for the purpose of clearly making the source of the transmissions from the station known to those receiving the transmissions." The FCC noted the following timeline: On December 7, 2006, in response to a complaint alleging intentional interference to Amateur Radio communications on the 146.340/146.940 MHz repeater (VE7RPT) repeater, an agent from the FCC's Seattle Office, used mobile direction finding techniques, to locate the source of the signal to the residence of James Grinton, K7VNI, in Bellingham, Washington." During the period of December 9, 2006-January 1, 2007, the Seattle agent monitored 146.340 MHz and observed 59 transmissions of varying lengths from Grinton's residence. On January 19, 2007, the Seattle Field Office issued a "Warning of Interference to Communications" to Grinton. The Warning Letter informed Grinton that his station may be the source of willful or malicious interference to amateur communications and that if the "transmissions continue, you will be investigated during ongoing FCC enforcement efforts. If such an investigation indicates that you have violated the Communications Act or any FCC Rules, you could be subject to severe penalties, including, but not limited to, substantial monetary forfeitures, and criminal sanctions including imprisonment." On January 25, 2007, Grinton received and signed a receipt for the Warning Letter, but did not send a response to the Seattle Office. On February 27, 2007, in response to continued complaints, a Seattle agent using mobile direction finding techniques, again located the source of a signal on 146.340 MHz to Grinton's residence in Bellingham, Washington. The Seattle agent monitored and recorded 17 minutes of a continuous transmission of one-way communications of music by Grinton on 146.340 MHz. On March 5, 2007, the Seattle agent, again used using mobile direction finding techniques to locate the source of a signal on 146.340 MHz to Grinton's residence in Bellingham. The Seattle agent monitored and recorded 15 minutes of a continuous transmission of one-way communications of music by Grinton on 146.340 MHz. During the period of January 19, 2007-June 23, 2007, the Seattle agent monitored 146.340 MHz and observed 163 transmissions by Grinton in which he failed to transmit his assigned call sign (K7VNI) The FCC concluded that "Pursuant to the Commission's Forfeiture Policy Statement and Amendment of Section 1.80 of the Rules to Incorporate the Forfeiture Guidelines, ('Forfeiture Policy Statement'), and Section 1.80 of the Rules, the base forfeiture amount for unauthorized emissions is $4000 and base forfeiture amount for failure to provide station ID is $1000. "In assessing the monetary forfeiture amount, we must also take into account the statutory factors set forth in Section 503(b)(2)(E) of the Act, which include the nature, circumstances, extent, and gravity of the violations, and with respect to the violator, the degree of culpability, and history of prior offenses, ability to pay, and other such matters as justice may require. Based on the criteria in Section 503(b)(2)(E) of the Act, and the upward adjustment criteria in the Forfeiture Policy Statement, we find that an upward adjustment of the base forfeiture amount of $1000 for failure to provide station ID is warranted. Grinton apparently failed to transmit his amateur operator call sign on over 160 transmissions in a five month period. Grinton had previously been warned by the Seattle Office concerning FCC Rule violations. Considering the entire record and applying the factors listed above, we conclude that Grinton is apparently liable for a forfeiture in the amount of $3000 for his failure to provide station ID, and is apparently liable for a $4000 forfeiture for unauthorized emissions." Grinton has until October 25 to either pay the forfeiture or appeal. ==> ARRL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE EXPLAINS REASONING FOR UPHOLDING ETHICS AND ELECTION COMMITTEE'S DECISION TO DISQUALIFY SOUTHWESTERN DIVISION DIRECTOR CANDIDATE The ARRL Executive Committee met the first weekend in October in Little Rock, Arkansas. One item on their agenda was of the appeal of Carl Gardenias, WU6D, concerning his disqualification from the race for Southwestern Division Director. Last month, the League's Ethics and Elections Committee declared Gardenias disqualified to stand for election in that race. What follows is the ARRL's Executive Committee's summary (in its entirety) affirming the decision of the Ethics and Elections Committee: Summary of Events Leading to the Disqualification of Carl Gardenias, WU6D, as Candidate for Director of the ARRL Southwestern Division In accordance with the bylaws of the ARRL, July and August QST carried solicitations for candidates for Director and Vice Director in five of the 15 ARRL divisions. Two candidates for Director of the Southwestern Division, encompassing southern California and Arizona, were nominated and initially found to be eligible by the ARRL Ethics and Elections Committee: incumbent Dick Norton, N6AA, and challenger Carl Gardenias, WU6D, who is currently serving as Section Manager of the ARRL Orange Section. Announcement of their eligibility was made on August 27. The ARRL Ethics and Elections Committee is made up of three volunteer Directors, appointed by the President for one-year terms, from among those who are not subject to election that year. A series of subsequent actions and inactions, by and on behalf of Mr Gardenias, led the Ethics and Elections Committee by unanimous vote to disqualify him as a candidate and to declare the one remaining eligible candidate, Dick Norton, N6AA, re-elected. Mr Gardenias appealed this decision to the ARRL Executive Committee. The voting members of the Executive Committee are the President and five Directors, none of whom happen to be members of the Ethics and Elections Committee. After consideration of the appeal, including additional material submitted by Mr Gardenias, the Executive Committee voted unanimously to uphold the decision of the Ethics and Elections Committee. Full members in the Southwestern Division had expected to have the opportunity to choose between two candidates for Director, and are entitled to an explanation of what led to the disqualification of Mr Gardenias. The series of events began on August 30 when Mr Gardenias' wife Cathy, K6VC, identifying herself as Assistant Section Manager responsible for the Orange Section newsletter, asked ARRL Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ to review an article about the division election for the section newsletter. Mr Sumner responded, pointing out several changes that should be made. On September 3, Mr Sumner received an inquiry from Mr Norton forwarding a copy of an e-mail signed by Cathy Gardenias that had been sent on September 1 from gardenias@verizon.net, an e-mail address that is used by both Carl and Cathy Gardenias, to 22 addressees in the Orange as well as other Southwestern Division Sections. The e-mail contained the article with the requested changes made, but material not reviewed by Mr Sumner had been added along with the unauthorized and inaccurate statement, "Approved by the ARRL k1zz." The additional material, having to do with candidates' Web sites, was incomplete and in any case was not appropriate for inclusion in an official ARRL communication because of restrictions on the distribution of campaign material via official channels. Early on September 4, Mr Norton filed a complaint with the Ethics and Elections Committee on the basis of the September 1 message and sent copies to both Carl and Cathy Gardenias. Mr Norton proposed several remedies, none of which included disqualification. Later that day, Cathy Gardenias sent e-mails to a number of addressees with "Corrections to information sent out on August 28, 2007 regarding up coming elections." The reference to August 28 was erroneous and caused some confusion; while Mr Gardenias later confirmed that the message had been sent to some other addressees on August 30 and 31, it had not been sent as early as August 28. Neither did the September 4 message correct everything that was wrong with the original message. The Ethics and Elections Committee met by teleconference on Tuesday evening, September 4, to discuss several matters including Mr Norton's complaint. Under ARRL election rules, a standard of truth applies to all mailings by candidates. The committee concluded that the appropriate remedy in this case was to require Mr Gardenias to distribute specific text of a correction and apology to everyone who had received the original message, including addressees who were not known to the committee. On September 5 Mr Sumner communicated specific instructions to Mr Gardenias, who acknowledged and said "Thank you, Cathy has already made the corrections to LAX ORANGE, AZ and will finish SDG and SB tomorrow." At that point it appeared that the matter was well on its way to a resolution. Unfortunately, no evidence appeared over the next two days that the correction ordered by the committee actually had been distributed. Therefore, on Friday, September 7 Mr Sumner sent a follow-up message to Mr Gardenias requesting copies of the corrective e-mails, showing the addressees. An unsigned e-mail from gardenias@verizon.net came back almost immediately saying, "Okay on Monday we are at the convention" [the Southwestern Division Convention], to which Mr Sumner replied, "Carl, I hope this means that on Monday you will send me a copy of the message that was sent soon after the Ethics and Elections Committee ordered that it be sent, last Wednesday. You acknowledged that instruction on the same day it was sent. A delay of several days in complying would not be acceptable to the committee." Nothing more was received from Mr Gardenias over the next several days. Having received no evidence that its instructions had been complied with, the Ethics and Elections Committee voted unanimously to disqualify Mr Gardenias and asked Mr Sumner, who by that time was in Brasilia attending the IARU Region 2 Conference, to convey its decision to Mr Gardenias. He did so by e-mail on September 13. The decision was announced on the ARRL Web site the following day, September 14. Also on that day, two messages of protest from Mr Gardenias were received by Mr Sumner. One forwarded what was purported to be a copy of a message containing the text as ordered by the Ethics and Elections Committee to the 22 addressees on the September 1 message, plus Mr Sumner (although Mr Sumner had not received it). This message was identified as "Here is what was sent on Friday Sept. 5, 2007 to all concerned and you were BCC:" Curiously, the message as forwarded carried the date line "Sent: Friday, September 06, 2007 10:30 PM." That Friday was actually September 7. On Monday, September 17, Mr Gardenias filed an appeal with the ARRL Executive Committee. The appeal included a copy of the message forwarded to Mr Sumner on the previous Friday except that the date line reads "Sent: Friday, September 07, 2007 10:30 PM." The Executive Committee requested that Mr Sumner try to determine whether any of the addressees had actually received the message that Mr Gardenias claimed had been sent on or about September 7. Mr Sumner sent separate messages to each of the other 22 addressees, except for two that clearly were bad addresses. Of the remaining 20, 11 responded that they definitely had not received the message. Two others recalled seeing messages related to the election but could not say that they had seen the specific message in question. The other addressees did not respond. Some addressees did provide copies of a different "correction" message from Cathy Gardenias dated September 11. The text of this message is inconsistent with the instructions that were given by the Ethics and Elections Committee on September 5 and that Mr Gardenias claimed on September 14 had been complied with on September 5 or 6 (later changed to September 7). On September 26, ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, and General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, contacted Mr Gardenias by telephone to seek clarification of the apparent discrepancies. Mr Gardenias said that the first time he understood exactly what the Ethics and Elections Committee had instructed him to do was when Arizona Section Manager Tom Fagan, WB7NXH, explained it to him at the convention. Mr Gardenias claimed that he used Mr Fagan's laptop to send the corrective message from the convention. In a separate conversation, Mr Fagan said that he observed Carl and Cathy Gardenias prepare the corrective e-mail using his laptop. The discrepancy in dates and the fact that none of the addressees appears to have received the message have not been explained. While Mr Gardenias has acknowledged the instruction to send the specific corrective message to everyone who received the original message, he has not produced evidence nor has he claimed that the correction was sent to anyone other than the 22 addressees on the September 1 message. On September 27 the Executive Committee met by teleconference and voted unanimously, based on its own independent review, to affirm the decision of the Ethics and Elections Committee to disqualify Mr Gardenias as a candidate for Director of the ARRL Southwestern Division. This decision was communicated to Mr Gardenias on October 1, along with detailed "Findings of Fact and Conclusions" of the committee. In summary, had the instructions of the Ethics and Elections Committee been followed on September 5 or reasonably soon thereafter -- as Mr Gardenias said at the time would be done -- the Southwestern Division Director election would have proceeded normally. The responsibility for failure to do so rests with the candidate. It was not necessary for the Executive Committee to decide whether the failure was intentional or merely the result of negligence in order to affirm the decision of the Ethics and Elections Committee. However, the discrepancies in the Gardenias' various claims and explanations are troubling and might well provide a separate and independent basis for disqualification. (signed) ARRL Executive Committee, October 6, 2007 ==>SOLAR UPDATE Tad "'Cause You Shine Like the Midnight Sun" Cook, K7RA, this week reports: Average sunspot number for the past week is about half what it was the week before, but this doesn't mean much, since only two days of the last seven had any sunspots. In fact, the Sun showed spots on only seven of the last 29 days. Geomagnetic indices (the A and K index) have been very quiet lately. The US Air Force predicts the planetary A index to stay around 5 (which is very quiet) for October 12-16. October 26 is the next time they predict active conditions, with a planetary A index of 25. Since October 6, the planetary A index has been below five. Geophysical Institute Prague predicts quiet to unsettled conditions for today, October 12, quiet conditions on October 13-16 and unsettled conditions October 17-18. I suspect we won't see sunspots any time soon, although this can change. It seems we are still in the bottom of the cycle. Sunspot numbers for October 4-10 were 0, 0, 15, 13, 0, 0 and 0 with a mean of 4. The 10.7 cm flux was 67.3, 67.8, 69, 68.1, 68.1, 68.7 and 68.1 with a mean of 68.2. Estimated planetary A indices were 10, 7, 5, 4, 3, 3 and 3 with a mean of 5. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 8, 5, 3, 1, 0, 0 and 1 with a mean of 2.6. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information Service Propagation page <http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html>. To read this week's Solar Report in its entirety, check out the W1AW Propagation Bulletin page <http://www.arrl.org/w1aw/prop/>. __________________________________ ==>IN BRIEF: * This weekend on the radio: This weekend, the ARRL School Club Roundup is October 15-19. The NCCC Sprint (CW) is October 12. The Microwave Fall Sprint, EU Autumn Sprint (CW) and FISTS Fall Sprint are October 13. The Makrothen RTTY Contest, Oceania DX Contest (CW) and Pennsylvania QSO Party are October 13-14. The North American Sprint (RTTY) and UBA ON Contest (SSB) are October 14. Next week, be sure to mark your calendars for the NCCC Sprint (CW) on October 19. October 20 is the Feld Hell Sprint, while the weekend of October 20-21 hosts the JARTS Worldwide RTTY Contest, the ARCI Fall QSO Party, the Worked All Germany Contest, the Stew Perry Topband Challenge, the W/VE Islands QSO Party, the 070 Club 160 Meter Great Pumpkin Sprint and the 50 MHz Fall Sprint. The Asia-Pacific Fall Sprint (CW) and UBA ON Contest (2 Meter) are October 21. The Illinois QSO Party is October 21-22 and the Run for the Bacon QRP Contest is October 22. See the ARRL Contest Branch page <http://www.arrl.org/contests/>, the ARRL Contester's Rate Sheet <http://www.arrl.org/contests/rate-sheet/> and the WA7BNM Contest Calendar <http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html> for more info. * ARRL Continuing Education Course Registration: Registration remains open through Sunday, October 21 for these online courses beginning on Friday, November 2: Technician License Course (EC-010); 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). To learn more, visit the CCE Course Listing page <http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html> or contact the Continuing Education Program Coordinator <cce@arrl.org>. * No ARRL Audio News Friday, October 12: There will be no ARRL Audio News October 12. The ARRL Audio News will return next week, Friday, October 19. * Newly Elected Section Managers Converge on Newington: This weekend, those Section Managers who are new to their post are in Newington for an orientation. Delaware Section Manager Frank Filipkowski, AD3M; Kentucky Section Manager Jim Brooks, KY4Z; Sacramento Valley Section Manager Ron Murdock, W6KJ; Puerto Rico Section Manager Roberto Jimenez, KP4AC, and San Diego Section Manager Mitch Mitchell, K6BK, are in attendance. According to Supervisor of the ARRL Field Organization Team Steve Ewald, WV1X, "The Section Manager Workshop is an orientation and training event for new Section Managers that have come on board within the last year or so. ARRL has conducted this training once a year at HQ for the past several years, and it has been well received by past participants. The Membership and Volunteer Programs Department Staff, and its Field Organization Team are the lead coordinators of the event." The primary purposes of the Workshop sessions are to share ideas and to provide basic administrative, management, leadership and motivational training. "We also cover the responsibilities and functions of the Section Manager's position, and the SMs are able to visit with ARRL Headquarters staff members and learn more about the many programs that ARRL supports. The Workshop sessions are presented by several ARRL Headquarter staff members who are experts in their respective areas," Ewald said. * Special Offer for Diamond Club Members: ARRL Chief Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH, reminds League members that now is a great time to join the Diamond Club or renew your Diamond Club membership. "For Diamond Club contributions of $100 or more before December 31, you will receive a 2008 ARRL calendar. This offer is good for new and renewing Diamond Club members." If you join at the Brass level ($250) or higher, you can also get a brick (with engraving up to three lines) placed in the ARRL Diamond Terrace. * New Contest Manager on the Job: Sean Kutzko, KX9X, joined the ARRL Headquarters staff on October 8 as the ARRL Contest Manager. First licensed in 1982 as KA9NGH, Kutzko developed a taste for contesting after winning the Illinois section in the 1988 ARRL Novice Roundup. Since then, he has been active in both HF and VHF contesting, as well as HF DXing and VHF weak-signal communications. A long-standing member of the Society of Midwest Contesters (SMC) and a strong advocate of mentoring new contesters, Kutzko has won several contest and DX awards, including several Top Ten finishes in the ARRL Sweepstakes SSB contest as a QRP entrant. He has been on two HF contest DXpeditions, including 6Y7M in the 1994 CQ WPX CW contest, and V26NA in the 1997 ARRL International DX CW Contest. Kutzko also enjoys activating rare grid squares by going on "Grid DXpeditions" in the continental US for the VHF/UHF community. In the late 1990s, Kutzko published a regular column in the National Contest Journal (NCJ) that focused on DX locations available for hams to rent for contests or DXpeditions. "It's a great honor to be the Contest Branch Manager. Everybody at HQ has been very friendly and generous of their time and knowledge for me, the newcomer. There is a lot of work from several folks -- hams and non-hams alike -- that goes on behind the scenes to keep your contest logs properly scored and managed. While I still have a lot to learn, rest assured that as a fellow HF and VHF contester myself, my primary interest is to ensure logs are received and processed correctly, scores are reported quickly and accurately and awards are mailed in a timely fashion. Feel free to contact me with any contest-related questions you may have. You can reach me at 860-594-0232 or via e-mail <kx9x@arrl.org>. I am at your service," Kutzko said. * AA8EY Wins 2007 Severson Award: ARRL Ohio Assistant Section Manager William Carpenter, AA8EY, of Westerville, Ohio, was named as the 14th recipient of the Allan Severson, AB8P (SK) Memorial Award. Ohio Section Manager Joe Phillips made the award presentation at the Ohio Section Conference last month. The Severson award, named for former Great Lakes Division Director Allan Severson who died in 1997, is issued to an Ohio ham radio operator who exemplified Allan's spirit of service to Amateur Radio. Carpenter is the former Emergency Coordinator of Franklin County (Columbus); he received the award for his work as EC. His Severson certificate read, "For his ground breaking role in organizing emergency communications in Central Ohio and establishing a model for a county EC position." Though Allan Severson had an impressive resume during his lifetime of service to the ARRL, Phillips, in making the presentation, said that it is rarely spoken. "Al's true work in the League was his talent to inspire others to do their best; he was just a very special presence." Instead of citing a resume, the award honors the work of Allan with a single sentence written on every award certificate - "Allan's devotion to serve Amateur Radio inspired a whole generation of Ohio Section leadership." * Military World Games in India Using Call Sign AT0MWG: The Military World Games take place in India October 14-21. Games organizers approached the Amateur Radio Society of India (ARSI), India's IARU Member-Society, to support them with Amateur Radio stations at various game locations. As such, a special call sign, AT0MWG, will be in use October 9-21. The venues for the games are Mumbai (for the sailing events), and Hyderabad and Secunderabad for other events. ARSI stations will operate from all locations on CW, SSB, digital and EchoLink. A special QSL card will be made for this call. The QSL Manager for the event is Sarla Sharma, VU2SWS, 7 Gaurav Apts, Behind Ashok Nagar, Nahur, Mulund, West Mumbai - 400 080 India. Non-Indian stations should send one IRC and a self-addressed envelope. Indian stations should send a self-addressed, stamped envelope. -- Thanks to The Daily DX for the information * Let Us Know What You Think: What's your favorite part of The ARRL Letter? What kind of stories would you like to see in the Letter? Would you prefer the Letter in an HTML format? This is your Letter and your chance to let your voice be heard. Please send your suggestions to ARRL News Editor S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA, at k1sfa@arrl.org, with the subject line "ARRL Letter Suggestions." 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