Marshall ARC

From The Marshall News Messenger:  http://www.marshallnewsmessenger.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/063008_web_ham.html

Ham radio enthusiasts gather for 24-hour broadcasting event

Providing, in many cases, the lone link in communications during some of this nation’s most horrific catastrophes such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the massive California wildfires, amateur radio — or ham radio — operators continue to stand ready at a moment’s notice to provide what may be the only working lifeline between disaster victims and care providers.

Harrison County residents can rest assured the members of the Marshall Amateur Radio Club (MARC) stand ready and are fully trained in their role as providers of critical communication — no matter what.

Courtney Case/News Messenger (ENLARGE)

John Wheeler of Marshall checks his radio before logging the station he found during the Marshall Amateur Radio Club’s Ham Radio Field Day Saturday at the Marshall Center for Applied Technology.

MARC held their annual Ham Radio Field Day for 24 hours starting at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Marshall Center for Applied Technology to better prepare themselves and to educate the public.

“Our Field Day serves as a dual purpose,” MARC president Kelly Spencer said. “It is a great opportunity for the ham operators to test their capabilities and locations where they may not normally operate as well as for the public to be able to come out and see what is going on with ham radio.”

With each amateur radio being fully independent and not requiring electricity or telephone lines to transmit a signal, ham radio is almost always viable despite adverse conditions.

“One of the mottoes of ham radio is ‘When all else fails, there’s ham radio,’” Spencer said. “Ham radio serves as a great back-up utility for communication in case other forms of communication fail. Often in a natural disaster you have no cell phone service or repeater capabilities for government agencies. Ham operators can move into areas of devastation quickly and set up operations to get information flowing to the authorities as well as families of those affected across the globe.”

Local resident Don Wade, a disaster specialist with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), dropped in Saturday afternoon to participate in the activities, having recently arrived home after working tornado recovery missions in Georgia. He outlined the vital role ham operators play in disasters and how they interact with his agency.

“Ham operators and FEMA usually partner in the first part of the disaster,” Wade said. “The ham operators talk to the local folks who are affected and relay information to the appropriate authorities, usually the Red Cross initially and then, following a presidential declaration, FEMA.”

The Ham Radio Field Day capped the weeklong Amateur Radio Week sponsored across the United States by the National Association for Amateur Radio.

More than 30,000 amateur radio operators across the country took part in the association’s radio events last year.

More than 650,000 amateur radio enthusiasts hold licenses throughout the country, and more than 2.5 million are licensed worldwide.

Other more routine functions that amateur radio operators provide are transmitting ground-level weather reports of events that are missed by Doppler radar to the National Weather Service.

“We always enjoy the opportunity to serve the public agencies and this (event) also allows us the opportunity to show the capability of amateur radio in the Marshall community,” Spencer said.

Stations active during ARRL Field Day — June 28-29 — are eligible to receive 100 bonus points for copying the special Field Day bulletin transmitted by W1AW (or K6KPH on the West Coast) according to the schedule below. You must include an accurate copy of the message in your Field Day submission. The Field Day bulletin must be copied via Amateur Radio; it will not be included in Internet bulletins sent out from Headquarters and will not be posted to Internet BBS sites.

W1AW Field Day Bulletin Schedule

W1AW will operate on the regularly published frequencies. The special PSK31 bulletin will be transmitted on the regular W1AW teleprinter frequencies.

CW frequencies: 1.8175, 3.5815, 7.0475, 14.0475, 18.0975, 21.0675, 28.0675 and 147.555 MHz.

Teleprinter frequencies (includes PSK31): 3597.5, 7.095, 14.095, 18.1025, 21.095, 28.095 and 147.555 MHz.

Phone frequencies: 1.855, 3.990, 7.290, 14.290, 18.160, 21.390, 28.590 and 147.555 MHz.

K6KPH Field Day Bulletin Schedule

The Maritime Radio Historical Society’s K6KPH will transmit the 2008 W1AW Field Day message for the benefit of West Coast stations on 3.5815, 7.0475, 14.0475, 18.0975 and 21.0675 MHz, CW only. The frequencies for K6KPH Teleprinter (RTTY and FEC AMTOR) will be 7.095 and 14.095 MHz. The K6KPH schedule is accurate as of June 17, 2008.

June is here, and according to ARRL Contest Branch Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X, that means the VHF bands are starting to get some steam. “If you’ve never experienced the fun of VHF+ operating, the ARRL June VHF QSO Party is a great place to start. With many HF radios now offering at least 6 meter SSB/CW capabilities — and some offering 2 meters and 70 cm as well — any amateur with a Technician class license or higher can experience long-haul communication on the VHF bands,” he said.

Known as the “Magic Band,” 6 meters can be quiet for days at a time, and then suddenly explode with signals when the E layer of the ionosphere cooperates. There’s no guaranteed way to predict when 6 meters opens, which is why the propagation mode is called “Sporadic-E.” When 6 meters opens, contacts several hundred miles away can be made with relatively modest equipment; 50 W and a simple dipole antenna can do wonders during a good opening.

When operating on VHF, Kutzko said that your Maidenhead grid square is the common geographical information exchanged. For complete information on grid squares and how to tell what grid square you are in, visit the ARRL Grid Locator Web page.

Kutzko advises that there are a few things to know about operating on 6 meters: In the US and Canada, there is a “calling frequency” on 50.125 MHz USB. Many stations monitor this frequency to listen for band openings. Stations can call CQ on the calling frequency, and if somebody answers, the stations will find a new frequency on which to conduct their QSO. It is considered poor etiquette to monopolize the calling frequency for QSOs.

Most SSB activity will take place between 50.125 MHz and 50.250 MHz. If conditions are exceptional, Kutzko said you may hear signals above 50.250: “CW signals can be found from 50.100 MHz to 50.080 or so. The frequencies between 50.100 and 50.125 MHz are a ‘DX Window,’ meaning it is reserved for QSOs between W/VE and DX stations. Please do not make stateside-to-stateside contacts in the DX Window.”

Kutzko said that getting on 6 meters is easy: “A dipole for 6 meters is only 9 feet, 4 inches long and is an easy construction project. Try to get the dipole in the air as high as possible, but even 15 feet off the ground will make some contacts. If you have an antenna tuner that can handle 6 meters, you can try loading up another of your antennas on 6 meters with reasonable success.”

Because VHF+ antennas are relatively small, Kutzko said that many amateurs operate from portable locations, such as a hilltop or a campground. Others operate the contest as a “rover,” operating from their car or truck while transmitting from multiple grid squares over the contest period. “Tracking rovers during the contest is almost as much fun as the contest itself,” he said.

The ARRL June VHF QSO Party runs from 1800 UTC Saturday, June 14-0300 UTC Monday, June 16. Be sure to use those extra bands on your transceiver and get in on the fun you’ve been missing on 6 meters and up! For more information on this contest, please be sure to check out the Contest Rules.

In two separate decisions released today, the Federal Communications Commission denied two Petitions for Rulemaking (PRM) having to do with Amateur Radio. These two PRMs, one filed by Mark Miller, N5RFX, of Arlington, Texas, concerning digital spectrum issues, and the other filed jointly by Ken Chafin, W6CPA, of La Crescenta, California, and Leon Brown, KC6JAR, of Los Angeles, California, concerning additional spectrum for more repeaters, including digital systems. Miller’s PRM was assigned RM-11392, while the Chafin and Brown petition was not afforded an RM number by the FCC. According to ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, the ARRL filed no comments on either petition in accordance with the League’s standard policy on bare petitions for rule making that do not deal with spectrum allocations.

Mark Miller, N5RFX

Miller filed his PRM (RM-11392) in March 2007, requesting that portions of Part 97 be amended to revise various definitions and frequency privileges. He requested that the Commission amend various rules that relate to use of Amateur Service spectrum by stations transmitting data and other narrow bandwidth emissions. Specifically, the petition requested that the FCC amend the definition of data in Section 97.3(c)(2) to delete language added in the Commission’s 2006 Omnibus Report and Order; amend Section 97.221 to limit the subbands on which unattended operation of automatically controlled digital stations is permitted, and amend Sections 97.305 and 97.307 to establish maximum necessary bandwidths for radioteletype (RTTY) and data emissions in the amateur high frequency bands.

Miller noted in his PRM that adoption of these changes would result in “a small number of wider bandwidth modes,” including Pactor III, not being authorized. Miller supported his request, saying, “[e]missions have crept into the narrowband RTTY/Data subbands in the 80-10 meter bands that are not appropriate for the RTTY/Data subbands,” and that “[s]tations under automatic control have taken advantage of loopholes created by terminology in the commission’s rules.” The FCC noted that it had received more than 650 comments and reply comments to this PRM, “most of which oppose the petition.”

Definition of Data

In its 2006 Omnibus R&O, the FCC revised the definition of data to include certain image emission types in order to permit amateur stations to transmit both image and data emission types in the same frequency segments. The PRM noted that the Commission proposed this change in response to a rulemaking petition filed by Miller in 2003: “The Commission agreed with commenters, including Miller, who argued that permitting images to be transmitted on data emission frequency segments would allow Amateur Radio to make the most of new software programs, thereby advancing Amateur Radio technology, which would be consistent with one of the purposes of Amateur Service, namely to contribute to the advancement of the radio art.”

Miller asserts in his 2007 PRM that Section 97.3(c)(2) should be amended to return to the pre-2006 definition of data because “the necessary tests have not been performed to ensure that this mixing [of data and image emissions] will not cause interference because of an increase in traffic” on certain bands by upgraded licensees after the FCC eliminated Morse code testing as an license examination requirement.

Miller’s assertion conflicts with the FCC’s Omnibus R&O, as well as Miller’s own assertion in his 2003 PRM that permitting amateur stations to transmit both image and data emission types in the same frequency segments would not result in interference. The FCC contends that “nothing in the present record indicates that increased activity by upgraded licensees, or any other changed circumstance, provides a basis for revisiting the Commission’s 2006 conclusion.” The FCC disagreed with Miller’s “unsupported assertion” that elimination of Morse code proficiency testing would cause “these bands to transmit both image and data emission types in the same frequency segments requires corresponding action to restrict permissible emission types. Rather, we believe that some upgraded licensees will choose to engage in these types of communications, but others will select different operating activities,” the FCC stated in their decision. “Moreover,” the FCC continued, “rescinding the 2006 amendment would conflict with the Commission’s conclusion that permitting amateur stations to transmit both image and data emission types in the same frequency segments would contribute to the advancement of the radio art.”

The FCC concluded that Miller, in his 2007 PRM, had not set forth “sufficient reasons” for the Commission to consider deleting the 2006 addition to the definition of data: “Should future experience substantiate Miller’s concerns, he may file a new, factually supported petition for rulemaking.”

Automatically Controlled Digital Stations

Miller, in his 2007 PRM, also asked that Section 97.221 be amended “to permit automatically controlled digital stations to transmit only on VHF and higher amateur bands and the nine specific HF subbands.” Section 97.221 permits automatic control15 of amateur stations transmitting a RTTY or data on any other amateur frequency authorized for RTTY or data emissions. Miller contended that automatically controlled digital stations utilize bandwidth modes that are incompatible with the Amateur Service because “such stations do not analyze the propagation conditions and amount of traffic in the spectrum.” He argued that such modulation modes “should not be permitted because other modes offer greater spectral efficiency while occupying less bandwidth” and contended that “interference from automatically controlled digital stations will increase in the wake of the elimination of Morse code testing, as upgraded licensees receive new HF privileges.”

The FCC, upon review of Miller’s PRM, was not persuaded that Miller “set forth sufficient reasons for the Commission to propose to amend the rules to prohibit automatically controlled stations from transmitting on frequency segments other than those specified in Section 97.221(b)” and again rejected “as speculative” Miller’s contention that upgraded licensee’s HF operations will result in “increased interference from automatically controlled digital stations.”

Bandwidth Limitation

The FCC stated that their rules “do not specifically limit the permissible bandwidth for RTTY and data emissions in the amateur HF bands.” Instead, the Commission continued, Section 97.307(f) limits specified RTTY or data emissions “to a symbol rate not to exceed 300 bauds (in the 80 to 12 meter bands) or 1200 bauds (in the 10 meter band); or for frequency-shift keying (FSK), to a maximum frequency shift of 1 kilohertz between mark and space.” Miller proposed that these limits be replaced with a maximum necessary bandwidth of 1.5 kHz or 2.4 kHz, respectively, noting that “the current limitations were developed before phase-shift keying (PSK) emissions generated by digital signal processors, such as personal computer sound cards, became available to amateur radio operators” and that that the current rules “no longer provide the separation of certain inharmonious emission types to different segments of the frequency band.”

Again, the FCC was not persuaded by Miller’s arguments: “We believe that these rules provide amateur service licensees the flexibility to develop new technologies within the spectrum authorized for the various classes of licensees, while protecting other users of the spectrum from harmful interference. We also believe that imposing a maximum bandwidth limitation on data emissions would result in a loss of flexibility to develop and improve technologies as licensees’ operating interests change, new technologies are incorporated, and frequency bands are reallocated. Additionally, we believe that amending the amateur service rules to limit the ability of amateur stations to experiment with various communications technologies or otherwise impeding their ability to advance the radio art would be inconsistent with the definition and purpose of the amateur service. Moreover, we do not believe that changing the rules to prohibit a communications technology currently in use is in the public interest.”

As such, the FCC concluded that Miller did not set forth “sufficient reasons for the Commission to propose to delete the 2006 addition to the definition of data, amend the rules to prohibit automatically controlled stations from transmitting on frequency segments other than those specified in Section 97.221(b), or replace the symbol rate limits in Section 97.307(f) with bandwidth limitations,” and wholly denied Miller’s PRM.

Ken Chafin, W6CPA, and Leon Brown, KC6JAR

Chafin and Brown jointly filed a PRM in October 2007 requesting that the FCC “propose to expand the frequencies on which an amateur station operating as a repeater (repeater station) may operate,” specifically Section 97.205(b) to allow repeater stations to transmit in the 145.5-145.8 MHz frequency segment of the 2 meter amateur service band (144-148 MHz), in addition to the 2 meter band frequency segments currently authorized for repeater station operation.

Chafin and Brown argued that additional spectrum is needed for repeater stations “because some amateur repeater stations have begun using digital communications protocols and “digital voice operation is incompatible with existing analog operations [because d]igital voice users are unable to determine if the desired frequency is in use by analog users and can inadvertently cause harmful interference to those users.” The men pointed out that coordinating groups have been unable to separate analog and digital voice repeater operations to avoid harmful interference because the available repeater spectrum in the 2 meter band is “fully occupied by existing analog users in most metropolitan areas.”

The FCC, after considering the PRM, concluded that it did not present grounds for the Commission to amend its rules: “Repeater stations are authorized to transmit on any frequency in the 2 meter band except the 144.0-144.5 MHz and 145.5-146.0 MHz frequency segments. These two segments were excluded to minimize the possibility of harmful interference to other amateur service stations and operating activities, including ‘weak signal’ operations. Allocating an additional three hundred kilohertz of the 2 meter band to repeater operation would not be consistent with that concern. Rather, it would likely result in increased interference to non-repeater stations.”

The Commission further noted that when it had previously addressed the interference between amateur stations engaging in different operating activities, “it has declined to revise the rules to limit a frequency segment to one emission type in order to prevent interference to the operating activities of other amateur radio service licensees.” The FCC pointed out that interference between amateur stations is already addressed by Section 97.101(b) and (d) of the Commission’s Rules, requiring “amateur licensees to cooperate in selecting transmitting channels and in making the most effective use of amateur frequencies, provide that no amateur frequency will be assigned for the exclusive use of any station allocated to the Amateur Radio Service, and prohibit operators from willfully or maliciously interfering with or causing interference to any radio communication or signal.” and wholly denied Chafin and Brown’s PRM.

The Dallas Morning News has reported that “an ambitious plan for using power lines to deliver fast Internet service to 2 million Dallas-area homes collapsed Thursday.” Current Group, LLC has announced plans to sell its Dallas BPL network to Oncor, a regulated electric distribution and transmission business, for $90 million. Oncor reportedly has no plans to offer Internet service but will use the network to detect distribution network issues. While Current originally touted the network as a way to offer Internet service to consumers and had entered into a marketing arrangement with DirecTV, the Houston Chronicle quotes Oncor spokesman Chris Schein as confirming that Oncor will use the network only for monitoring the power grid: “Our business is delivering electricity, not being an Internet provider or a television provider.”

ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, observed that “This announcement underscores yet again that the Bush Administration made a fundamental error in judgment when it erroneously identified BPL as a potential ‘third wire’ delivering broadband to consumers. As the Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit determined last week, the FCC then compounded the error by ‘cherry-picking’ from its staff studies and ignoring other studies that proved the FCC was underestimating the interference potential of BPL systems. One can only hope that this latest marketplace failure of BPL will send a clear message that the answer to expanding consumer broadband access lies with other, more promising technologies that do not have such a potential to pollute the radio spectrum.”

ARRL Laboratory Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, was quick to point out that BPL was not going away in Dallas. According to Oncor Vice President Jim Greer, Oncor will use the BPL network to spot grid problems to detect large power outages before they affect customers. Oncor will not offer Internet service through the system as Current had originally planned when they built it.

The ARRL has no issues with BPL as long as it does not cause harmful interference to the amateur bands. Current’s Dallas system is a good example of that, Hare said, as it is “notched” so as not to interfere with the Amateur Radio Service: “The Current system in Dallas is probably not causing interference to ham radio. Their equipment doesn’t use the ham bands. It is also quiet except when in use. For meter reading and other utility applications, nearby modems may make the occasional short burst of noise, but not the cacophony of sound we hear with some other systems. You would probably be able to tell that BPL is there if you tune outside the ham bands. From an EMC perspective, what is needed now to complete this progress are regulations and standards that match BPL’s most successful models.”

DirecTV customers who get Internet service through Current’s network will probably lose service when the deal goes through. “Oncor is not in the telecommunications business, and it has no plans to get into the telecommunications business,” said Schein.

Dallas and Houston are the only metropolitan areas in Texas with BPL. In the past, the City of Austin looked at incorporating a BPL system in their community, but decided not to do so. In a report on how the BPL trial it undertook worked for them, the City of Austin summarized its reasons for that decision.

Looking at variations in Amateur Radio licensing activity and new ARRL membership around the country, it’s apparent that there are “hot spots” where newcomers are joining our ranks in relatively large numbers compared to other areas.

What does it take to make such a “hot spot”? One answer is that it takes a local radio club — but not just any club. It takes a club that has made a commitment to reach out to the community or communities that it serves, with a program to bring friends and neighbors from a vague awareness of Amateur Radio all the way to being active radio amateurs.

Such clubs don’t just happen. It takes vision, leadership and a lot of hard work. It takes club officers and members who are willing to venture beyond their normal comfort zone. It takes a welcoming, supportive and non-judgmental attitude on the part of everyone in the club that a newcomer is likely to encounter.

The good news is that once you have such a club it becomes — almost — a perpetual motion machine. Here’s how it works.

Assuming that your community has a radio club and that you’re a member, the first step is to develop a culture of outreach and welcome within the club. This takes conscious effort, especially if your members are in the comfortable rut of talking to the same group of friends all the time.

Imagine that you’re listening to the club’s repeater for the first time, as an amateur who is either new to the community or a new licensee. Would you feel welcome to join in the conversation, or would you feel that you would be regarded as an intruder? Now, imagine that you’re attending a club meeting for the first time. You walk in and see knots of people talking among themselves. Would anyone greet you and introduce them-selves or would you be left standing by yourself? Before you’re ready to make a serious outreach effort you must be able to answer these questions positively.

Being friendly and welcoming is necessary, but not sufficient. Does your club offer licensing classes? Do you help new licensees get over the many other hurdles — selecting and installing antennas, learning how to use equipment, debugging interference to and from consumer electronic devices, and so on — that stand in the way of aspiring operators? Do you make sure that their first on-the-air contact is a positive experience, and offer nets and roundtables that they will want to join? Do you expose them to the wide variety of activities that they can pursue as radio amateurs? Do you encourage ARRL membership, so they will enjoy full access to membership benefits and will receive the monthly stimulus of QST?

If you have all of these bases covered, congratulations! Your club is ready to promote itself to the community. Most clubs already have some experience doing this, with varying degrees of success. While a full discussion of the do’s and don’ts is more than this page can accommodate, here are a couple of thoughts.

There are many amateur licensees in your community who are not presently active. With the caveat that some are Silent Keys and others have not kept their addresses current in the FCC data base, it’s easy to compile a mailing list for an invitation to an Open House or other special event. If you succeed in reactivating them, their renewed enthusiasm may infect their friends and family members.

If you invite the general public to come and see your club, make sure there’s something for them to look at. Even a static display with some QSL cards and photos of past club events can be an ice-breaker, giving your greeters something to talk and invite questions about.

Field Day is just around the corner. With proper planning it can be an ideal event for introducing Amateur Radio to your community, and your club to existing and prospective licensees. This year there is a new, easy-to-use tool for publicizing your club’s Field Day site: the ARRL Field Day Station Locator Web Site, www.arrl.org/contests/announcements/fd/locator.php. But remember — an invitation to visit your site carries with it the responsibility to ensure that visitors (including children) are safe and that they have a positive, informative experience. If your Field Day operation is open to the public, the proper greeting of visitors cannot be left to chance — it’s as important a part of Field Day planning as the antennas, equipment, operators and food.

Every club has its ups and downs. If yours has been in the downward part of the cycle, now is a good time to take stock — to capitalize on the strengths and overcome the weaknesses. The opportunities for club growth, in quality as well as quantity, have never been greater.

Oh, about that “perpetual motion machine.” Have you ever attended a club meeting where there was to be an election of officers, but there were more offices than candidates? If not, you’re fortunate. Many clubs with static or shrinking membership lists find that it’s difficult to fill club offices or undertake new projects. Once a club finds the formula for attracting and nurturing new members, maintaining the club’s vibrancy and activity becomes much easier.

The best local clubs provide a logical path for identifying and developing their future leaders, from student to new member and in succession to greeter, committee member, committee chairman, and officer. Your club’s president for 2012 may be someone who sees Amateur Radio in action for the first time on Field Day — or may be sitting in your licensing class right now!

1. Eligibility: Field Day is open to all amateurs in the areas covered by the ARRL/RAC Field Organizations and countries within IARU Region 2. DX stations residing in other regions may be contacted for credit, but are not eligible to submit entries.
2. Object: To work as many stations as possible on any and all amateur bands (excluding the 60, 30, 17, and 12-meter bands) and in doing so to learn to operate in abnormal situations in less than optimal conditions. A premium is placed on developing skills to meet the challenges of emergency preparedness as well as to acquaint the general public with the capabilities of Amateur Radio.
3. Date and Time Period: Field Day is always the fourth full weekend of June, beginning at 1800 UTC Saturday and ending at 2100 UTC Sunday. Field Day 2008 will be held June 28-29, 2008.

From the ARRL:  We saw a string of zero-sunspot days over the past couple of weeks, but this week saw a brief but significant sunspot that lasted only a couple of days. Sunspot 990 emerged as a tiny speck over April 14-15, but it was definitely a Solar Cycle 24 spot. Not only was the polarity of this region correct for the new Cycle, but it was far north above the Sun’s equator, which is what we expect for a sunspot from an emerging solar cycle. The only previous Cycle 24 activity was close to the solar equator.

Sunspot numbers for April 10-16 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 11, 12 and 0 with a mean of 3.3. The 10.7 cm flux was 67.9, 67.1, 68.2, 69.3, 68.5, 69.2 and 69.5 with a mean of 68.5. Estimated planetary A indices were 8, 4, 11, 7, 2, 5 and 15 with a mean of 7.4. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 6, 3, 8, 6, 2, 3 and 9, with a mean of 5.3. Geophysical Institute Prague predicts quiet conditions April 18, quiet to unsettled April 19, quiet April 20, quiet to unsettled April 21, active April 22-23 and unsettled to active April 24.

For some unknown reason, there were no mid-latitude geomagnetic readings from the Fredericksburg, Virginia magnetometer on April 10, so I estimated the A index for that day as 6. This was done by looking at the Boulder Colorado readings for April 9-11 and the Fredericksburg readings for both April 9 and April 11.

Fredericksburg is about 1500 miles east of Boulder, and about 2.4 degrees south in terms of latitude. Each location produces a mid-latitude K and A index. The Fredericksburg numbers are reported at the end of each ARRL Propagation Bulletin, and the Boulder numbers are what you hear on WWV at 18 minutes after the hour when they give the Geophysical Alert Message. You can see the current message and browse the archives at the Space Weather Prediction Center’s Web site. NOAA predicts quiet geomagnetic conditions over the next few days, with geomagnetic upset occurring on April 23. The chance of returning sunspots increases beginning April 20; the best bet for more spots is April 26-28.

Stan Whiteman, W1MDZ, of Danforth, Maine, wrote to say he has set up a telescope with the proper filters for viewing sunspots. Of course, now that he has it finally set up, there were no sunspots to see. Danforth is a community in East Central Maine, across Grand Lake from New Brunswick, Canada. Stan turns 87 this year. Stan didn’t mention this, but I happen to know that he was stationed in Japan after World War II and got to meet Dr Hidetsugu Yagi, the originator of the Yagi antenna.

Last week we mentioned the storm brewing when, a couple of months ago, a daily business publication ran an article suggesting the Sun is on the verge of a Maunder Minimum, a many decades-long period with very few sunspots. They quoted Dr Kenneth Tapping of Canada’s Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory (DRAO) in Penticton, British Columbia — quotes that he says are incorrect and misleading.

Ken has produced a very good response, complete with graphs demonstrating that this minimum we are currently experiencing between Solar Cycles is nothing unusual. You can get a copy via e-mail by sending a request. Every e-mail sent to this address, no matter what the content, will receive a copy of Dr Tapping’s report via return e-mail.

Amateur solar observer Tad Cook, K7RA, of Seattle, Washington, provides this weekly report on solar conditions and propagation. This report also is available via W1AW every Friday, and an abbreviated version appears in The ARRL Letter. Check here for a detailed explanation of the numbers used in this bulletin. An archive of past propagation bulletins can be found here. You can find monthly propagation charts between four USA regions and 12 overseas locations here. Readers may contact the author via e-mail.

Over the past weekend, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia, setting off new speculations on what this means to Amateur Radio and specifically, to the DXCC program. ARRL DXCC Manager Bill Moore, NC1L, said he understands that there are many questions about the DXCC status of Kosovo, especially concerning whether or not the new state will be added to the DXCC list.Moore said the DXCC rules, modified in 2000 to better handle inclusion to DXCC, are clear on how additions can be made: “For inclusion in the DXCC List, certain conditions must be met. Gaining entry on the DXCC List is not contingent upon whether operation has occurred or will occur, but only upon the qualifications of the Entity.”

According to Moore, adding Kosovo to the DXCC List would be considered under the “Political Entity” DXCC guidelines. The DXCC rules state that “Political Entities are those areas which are separated by reason of government or political division. They generally contain an indigenous population which is not predominantly composed of military or scientific personnel.”

Kosovo, according to the DXCC rules, would then be added to the DXCC List as a Political Entity if it meets one or more of the following criteria:

• The entity is a UN Member State.

• The entity has been assigned a call sign prefix bloc by the ITU. (The exceptions to this rule are international organizations, such as the UN and ICAO. These Entities are classified under Special Areas, 3.a; and Ineligible Areas, 4.b.) A provisional prefix bloc assignment may be made by the Secretary General of ITU. Should such provisional assignments not be ratified later by the full ITU, the Entity will be removed from the DXCC List.

• 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 sub-section, 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.”

“New Entities satisfying one or more of the conditions above will be added to the DXCC List by administrative action as of their ‘Event Date.’ Kosovo will be added to the DXCC list if it becomes a member of the UN, or if it receives a prefix bloc from the ITU. The third condition does not apply,” Moore said. “The ‘Event Date’ will be either the date Kosovo became a UN member or it receives its prefix from the ITU.”

(Feb 16, 2008) — According to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), Amateur Radio operators traveling to Australia who wish to operate in that country do not need to apply for an Australian Amateur Radio license. This new policy, effective February 15, 2008, allows amateurs who hold a non-Australian Amateur Radio license to operate up to 90 days under a Class Licence; licensees who will be in Australia for more than 90 days will need to apply for an Australian Amateur Radio license.