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The ARRL Letter

January 26, 2017
Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME

 *  Amateur Radio Parity Act Speeds to US House Passage, Heads to US Senate
 *  New FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Praises House Action on H.R. 555, Other
    Telecoms Bills
 *  CEPT Meeting Makes Progress on WRC-19 Agenda Items Affecting Amateur
    Radio
 *  The Doctor Will See You Now!
 *  Time to Order ARRL November Sweepstakes Clean Sweep Mugs, Participation
    Pins!
 *  Second Annual Midwinter 630-Meter Activity Night Set for February 4-5
 *  CIA Declassified Database Includes Information about Soviet-Era Amateur
    Radio
 *  US Naval Academy HFsat Coordinated for 15- Meter to 10-Meter Transponder
 *  FEMA Region X Reports Another Successful HF Interoperability Exercise
 *  Tickets Now Available for Dayton DX, Top Band, and Contest Dinners
 *  New Mexico Radio Amateur Marks 80 Years as a Licensee
 *  In Brief...
 *  The K7RA Solar Update
 *  Just Ahead in Radiosport
 *  Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions


Amateur Radio Parity Act Speeds to US House Passage, Heads to US Senate

Just 10 days after being introduced in the 115th Congress, the 2017 Amateur
Radio Parity Act legislation, H.R. 555, passed the US House of Representatives
on unanimous consent under a suspension of House rules. The bill's language is
identical to that of the 2015 measure, H.R. 1301, which won House approval late
 last summer after attracting 126 cosponsors, but failed to clear the US Senate
 last fall as the 114th Congress wound down. The new bill, again sponsored by
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), was launched on January 13 with initial
cosponsorship by Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) and Rep. Greg Walden, W7EQI (R-OR),
who chairs the influential House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

"The grassroots effort of Amateur Radio operators across this nation in support
 of the Amateur Radio Parity Act has been remarkable, nothing like we have ever
 seen before," ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, said. "To all hams, keep
going! Now is the time to charge forward with that same momentum to the Senate.
 We can do it!" The bill arrives in the US Senate with ample time in which to
garner its approval through an education campaign.

"We're very encouraged by the speed with which this bill made it through the
House. It's amazing that this happened," said ARRL Hudson Division Director
Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, who has been at the forefront of the legislative
initiative. "With the help of ARRL members, we believe we can get this done,"
Lisenco continued. "We came within a hair's breadth last time, with [thousands
of] e-mails to members of both houses of Congress, as well as letters and
telephone calls. Member participation in this final push is critical."

H.R. 555 calls on the FCC to establish rules prohibiting the application of
deed restrictions that preclude Amateur Radio communications on their face or
as applied. Deed restrictions would have to impose the minimum practicable
restriction on Amateur Radio communications to accomplish the lawful purposes
of homeowners associations seeking to enforce the restriction.



New FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Praises House Action on H.R. 555, Other Telecoms
Bills

The FCC's new chairman, Ajit Pai, this week praised US House action on H.R. 555
 and other telecommunications-related legislation that cleared the chamber the
previous day.

"I want to commend the US House of Representatives for passing a number of
important, bipartisan telecom bills yesterday," Pai said on Tuesday. "These
bills will help bring greater efficiency to the Commission, provide consumers
with greater protections, improve rural call completion, help Amateur Radio
operators, and take several steps to promote public safety," he continued,
adding, "I look forward to working with Congress on these and other important
issues as Chairman of the FCC."

President Donald Trump named the 44-year-old telecommunications attorney -- who
 has served on the Commission since 2012 and is its senior member -- to succeed
 Chairman Tom Wheeler, who stepped down on Inauguration Day, January 20.

"I am deeply grateful to the President of the United States for designating me
the 34th Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission," Pai said in a
statement. "I look forward to working with the new administration, my
colleagues at the Commission, members of Congress, and the American public to
bring the benefits of the digital age to all Americans."

A Republican, Pai was nominated to the FCC by former President Barack Obama and
 was confirmed unanimously by the US Senate in 2012. Pai has said the
Commission needs to eliminate "outdated and unnecessary regulations," as he
proposed in a December speech. "The regulatory underbrush at the FCC is thick,"
 he said. "We need to fire up the weed whacker and remove those rules that are
holding back investment, innovation, and job creation."

Pai has said that he supports "the freedom to access lawful content, the
freedom to use applications, the freedom to attach personal devices to the
network, and the freedom to obtain service plan information."

In a January 24 speech, Pai addressed the "digital divide" in the US, "between
those who can use cutting-edge communications services and those who do not,"
he said. "I believe one of our core priorities going forward should be to close
 that divide -- to do what's necessary to help the private sector build
networks, send signals, and distribute information to American consumers,
regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or anything else."

The son of immigrants from India, the Harvard Law graduate and respected
telecommunications attorney grew up in Parsons, Kansas.

The FCC now is down to three members, so President Trump will have the
opportunity to appoint two more. In addition to Pai are Democrat Mignon Clyburn
 and Republican Michael O'Rielly. The Commission can have five members, three
of whom typically are from the majority political party. Before leaving office,
 former President Barack Obama renominated now-former FCC Commissioner Jessica
Rosenworcel, a Democrat, for a new term.



CEPT Meeting Makes Progress on WRC-19 Agenda Items Affecting Amateur Radio

Progress was made regarding World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 (WRC-19)
agenda items of interest to Amateur Radio when European Conference of Postal
and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) Conference Preparatory Group
Project Team D (PTD) held its second meeting January 10-12 in Helsinki,
Finland. According to International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 1
President Don Beattie, G3BJ, experts discussed WRC-19 Agenda Item 1.1, which
proposes a 50-54 MHz allocation in Region 1 in order to create a global 6-meter
 band. Hans Blondeel Timmerman, PB2T, is the CEPT coordinator for this agenda
item.

A preliminary CEPT position was agreed upon for Agenda Item 1.1, which would
support a new 6-meter allocation in Region 1 (Europe, Africa, the Middle East,
and Northern Asia) only if the spectrum needs for the Amateur Services are
justified and studies show that the incumbent land mobile, radiolocation, and
broadcasting services -- including their future deployment and services in
adjacent spectrum -- are protected. The 185-member PTD developed a working
document summarizing the sharing studies currently available for this agenda
item.

"IARU will continue to work on these studies with administrations and others to
 establish the optimum future sharing scenarios," Beattie said.

Wireless Power Transmission/Transfer (WPT) was another item discussed, in
preparation for WRC-19 Agenda Item 9.1.6. Studies would assess suitable
harmonized frequency ranges to minimize the impact of WPT for electric vehicles
 on radiocommunication services. Various organizations are in the process of
approving standards intended for global and regional harmonization of WPT
technologies for electric vehicles.

As the ITU explained in its August 2016 report, "Applications of wireless power
 transmission via radio frequency beam," "WPT technology is considered as one
of [the] game-changing technologies. We will be able to become free from
lacking electric power when electric power will be supplied wirelessly."
Spectrum employed in WPT depends in part on its application; vehicle
applications typically use frequencies in the LF and MF range.

At PTD, an IARU Region 1 paper on high-power wireless transfer technologies
that argued for greater clarity in terminology and scope of studies to be
undertaken was broadly welcomed. That document is expected to result in a CEPT
contribution to ITU Working Party 1B, the committee charged with developing WPT
 spectrum allocation and related issues. A WRC-15 resolution had called for
"urgent studies" in preparation for this agenda item.

CEPT is one of the Region 1 telecommunications organizations with which IARU is
 actively participating, in advance of WRC-19. -- Thanks to IARU Region 1,
CEPT, ITU, and Jon Siverling, WB3ERA



The Doctor Will See You Now!

"Meteor Scatter" is the topic of the latest (January 26) episode of the "ARRL
The Doctor is In" podcast. Listen...and learn!

Sponsored by DX Engineering, "ARRL The Doctor is In" is an informative
discussion of all things technical. Listen on your computer, tablet, or
smartphone -- whenever and wherever you like!

Every 2 weeks, your host, QST Editor-in-Chief Steve Ford, WB8IMY, and the
Doctor himself, Joel Hallas, W1ZR, will discuss a broad range of technical
topics. You can also e-mail your questions to doctor@arrl.org, and the Doctor
may answer them in a future podcast.

Enjoy "ARRL The Doctor is In" on Apple iTunes, or by using your iPhone or iPad
podcast app (just search for "ARRL The Doctor is In". You can also listen
online at Blubrry, or at Stitcher (free registration required, or browse the
site as a guest) and through the free Stitcher app for iOS, Kindle, or Android
devices.

If you've never listened to a podcast before, download our beginner's guide.



Time to Order ARRL November Sweepstakes Clean Sweep Mugs, Participation Pins!

Anyone who managed to make a "Clean Sweep" by working all 83 ARRL/RAC sections
during the 2016 ARRL November Sweepstakes may commemorate their accomplishment
by purchasing a 2016 November Sweepstakes "Clean Sweep" mug. Awards are based
on claimed scores. Keepsake mugs are $15 each, including postage and handling.
In addition, participation pins are available to operators who completed at
least 100 Sweepstakes contacts. Pins include the year and mode and have become
a popular Sweepstakes tradition. Pins also are based on claimed scores, and
each is $8, including postage and handling. When you order, indicate CW or SSB.

Order mugs and pins separately. In either case, if you submitted your log
electronically, accompany your check for payment with a paper copy of the first
 page of your Cabrillo log, indicating how many mugs or pins you are ordering.
If you logged on paper, accompany your check for payment with a note to the top
 of your summary sheet, indicating how many mugs or pins you are ordering.

Send orders to "Clean Sweep Mugs" or "Sweepstakes Pins" (whichever applies) to
ARRL Contest Branch, 225 Main St., Newington, CT 06111.

Mugs and pins will be shipped after all entries have been processed and logs
verified (approximately April 2017). This helps ARRL to keep costs down and
avoid inventory issues. As a non-profit organization, we need to minimize
expenses.

Supplies are limited. Orders for mugs and pins must be received by January 31,
2017.



Second Annual Midwinter 630-Meter Activity Night Set for February 4-5

US and Canadian radio amateurs and Part 5 experimental stations will take part
in the second annual Midwinter 630-Meter Activity Night, which will begin on
February 4 at 0000 UTC and continue through February 5 at 2359 UTC. Radio
amateurs in the US will be able to make cross-band contacts with Canadian
participants.

"This event is being undertaken because of the continuing, worldwide interest
in 630-meter activities," said ARRL 630-Meter Experiment Coordinator Fritz
Raab, W1FR, in announcing the event. He said US radio amateurs are looking
forward to gaining access to the new 472-479 kHz band, while Canadians are
eager to learn more about the present level of amateur activity on their newest
 ham band.

"This activity night will give interested radio amateurs in both countries an
opportunity to see firsthand what is happening, and cross-band activity with
Canadian amateurs will offer a chance for US hams to take part in the
activity," Raab said.

The event is open to both radio amateurs and listeners. Raab said it will
provide an opportunity for participants to test their MF receive capabilities.
Operation will be in various modes.

A number of US FCC Part 5 Experimental stations will also operate throughout
630 meters on CW, PSK31, JT9, and QRSS modes. Some stations will operate WSPR
and QRSS CW beacons. FCC Part 97 rules stipulate that US Amateur Radio stations
 may not contact Experimental stations, however. Submit reception reports via
the ARRL Experiment website.



CIA Declassified Database Includes Information about Soviet-Era Amateur Radio

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) reports relating to Amateur Radio in the
former Soviet Union (including the Baltic States) and Warsaw Pact countries are
 among documents declassified to a new searchable online database, the CIA
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Electronic Reading Room. Documents cover
translations and assessments of Amateur Radio clubs; training; monitoring
Sputniks; technology and equipment; QSL cards, and ruminations on a plan to
monitor US ham radio transmissions for activities "of interest" to the
intelligence community. Searches on "Amateur Radio" or "ham radio" will yield
multiple documents, some heavily redacted.

For example, a 1949 memo largely dismissed the use of Amateur Radio in the
Soviet Bloc as an intelligence-gathering tool. "Except for possibilities in the
 counter-espionage field, it is believed that exploitation of amateurs with
reference to the USSR and satellites could lead at best only to information
concerning the location of ham transmitters, an item of dubious intelligence
value," said the memo, which carried the subject line "Exploitation of Radio
Amateurs." Another memo from the same year showed that the USSR viewed the
growing "cadre" of radio amateurs as the next generation of engineers.

Documents covering a wide range of topics not necessarily related to Amateur
Radio also have been declassified, sanitized, and made available to the public
for the first time in this archive. Some of these documents were only available
 previously in a closed system at the US National Archives. -- Thanks to
Southgate Amateur Radio News via Andy Thomas, G0SFJ



US Naval Academy HFsat Coordinated for 15- Meter to 10-Meter Transponder

The US Naval Academy has received IARU satellite frequency coordination for
HFsat, a 1.5 U CubeSat carrying a 15 to 10-meter inverting linear transponder
with a 30 kHz bandwidth (uplink 21.4 MHz, downlink 29.42 MHz). The Mode K
configuration is reminiscent of the old "RS" series of Russian satellites. The
CubeSat will also carry an APRS digipeater on 145.825 MHz. The US Naval
Academy's Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, said HFsat is designed to demonstrate the
viability of HF satellites as a back-up communication system, taking advantage
of HF radios found in a typical Amateur Radio installation or frequently used
to support disaster and emergency response communication.

"HFsat will be gravity gradient-stabilized by its full-sized 10-meter half-wave
 HF dipole with tip masses," Bruninga explained on the HFsat web page. "HFsat
will continue the long tradition of small amateur satellites designed by
aerospace students at the US Naval Academy."

A standardized CubeSat VHF communication card based on the popular Byonics
MTT4B all-in-one APRS Tiny-Track4 module for telemetry, command, and control is
 under development at the Academy. Students are working with Bill Ress, N6GHZ,
on the HF transponder card. HFsat's control operator will be Todd Bruner,
WB1HAI.

Bruninga sees a future for Amateur Radio satellites operating on the HF bands.
"HFsat will operate under the ITU rules of the Amateur Satellite Service since
not only does that service currently have allocations for satellite relay on
HF, but it is also the only service with nearly a century of knowledgeable
operators' experience with the HF bands under all conditions," Bruninga wrote
on the HFsat web page. "Should the system prove viable, and should other
services desire to use the transponder technology, then the lengthy process to
obtain federal HF [satellite communication] allocations could be considered."



FEMA Region X Reports Another Successful HF Interoperability Exercise

Participation appears to be growing in the monthly Federal Emergency Management
 Agency (FEMA) Region X HF interoperability exercises, which take place on 60
meters (center channels 5,332 and 5,348 kHz) on the third Wednesday of each
month. Check-ins include state, tribal, federal, and Amateur Radio stations, to
 test HF interoperability in an emergency or disaster response. FEMA Region X
is made up of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, but all stations are
welcome.

Laura Goudreau, KG7BQR, Regional Emergency Communications Coordinator for FEMA
Region X, said the January 18 exercise attracted 56 check-ins, 47 of them
Amateur Radio stations. Also checking in were six Army and two Air Force MARS
stations, three SHARES stations, and one FEMA station.

"The propagation that day allowed stations to participate from as far north as
Houston, British Columbia, as far east as Billings, Montana, and as far south
as Cupertino, California," Goudreau said. "During the exercise, voice and data
(both BPSK31 and MT63-2KL) were successfully tested."

The January numbers are up from 48 total check-ins, including 42 radio
amateurs, in December. The interoperability net between federal stations and
Amateur Radio licensees has been coordinated and authorized by the NTIA and the
 FCC. The next FEMA Region X HF Interoperability Exercise will take place on
February 15, 1730-1845 UTC.

Goudreau said it's not yet clear if other FEMA regions will also conduct
interoperability exercises. "I know there is some discussion, but not sure how
far it has or will go," she told ARRL. "I am hoping it grows to other regions
in the future, and I'm marketing it with others in FEMA to show how successful
it is."



Tickets Now Available for Dayton DX, Top Band, and Contest Dinners

Tickets are now available to the 2017 DX Dinner, Top Band Dinner, and Contest
Dinner, held in conjunction with Hamvention(R) in May.

The 32nd annual DX Dinner, sponsored by the SouthWest Ohio DX Association
(SWODXA), will be held on Friday, May 19, at the Dayton Marriott, 1414 South
Patterson Boulevard, Dayton, starting with a
social hour at 5:30 PM and dinner at 7 PM. The DXpedition of the Year(R) will
be announced. Tickets for the DX Dinner are available via the SWODXA website
(click on the "Purchase Tickets Today!" banner in the upper right-hand corner).

Tickets are also now available for the 28th annual Dayton Top Band Dinner,
which takes place on Friday, May 19, at the Crowne Plaza in downtown Dayton,
starting with a social hour at 6:15 PM and dinner at 7 PM.

The 25th annual Contest Dinner will take place on Saturday, May 20, at the
Crowne Plaza -- home of the Contest Super Suite. The dinner event begins with a
 social hour at 5:30 PM, with dinner to follow at 6:30 PM. The event is
sponsored by the North Coast Contesters. Contest Dinner tickets are available
online.



New Mexico Radio Amateur Marks 80 Years as a Licensee

"Made it! 80 years a ham." That's how ARRL member Paul Elliott, W5DM, of Hobbs,
 New Mexico, recently posted his milestone on the Top Band reflector. Growing
up during the Great Depression in Kingsville, Texas, Elliott got his ham ticket
 at age 14 as W5GGV. Now 94, Elliott eventually worked his way to the top rung
-- Amateur Extra -- back in the day when that license offered no additional
privileges, just prestige. It did later allow him to apply for a two-letter
suffix call sign, though, and he became W5DM.

His first rig was homebrewed from Atwater Kent radio parts, with a wire to a
tree for an antenna, but he remembers making his own galena crystal for a
crystal set and experimenting with a Model T spark coil. He continued building
his own transmitters and receivers for a couple of decades, operating CW until
SSB came along. Elliott succeeded in working all states on 160 meters from a
120 x 120 foot electrically noisy city lot with "a long but low semi-inverted
L," as he described it. He now has 189 DXCC entities confirmed on Top Band.

A Texas native and World War II veteran, Elliott is a graduate of the US Naval
Academy and served in the Pacific. After the war, he farmed cotton and maize on
 200 South Texas acres, before going back to school to earn a doctorate in
physics from Texas A&M. "I'm basically a peasant with a lot of education," he
quipped during a telephone chat with ARRL. Elliott spent more than 20 years in
academia as a professor of physics at his alma mater.

"Basically, all I'm doing today is chasing the occasional DX," Elliott told
ARRL. He said he has a transceiver and a couple of wire antennas that he makes
work on all bands. Elliott has 325 DXCC entities confirmed on all bands -- plus
 a lot of memories from an earlier era of Amateur Radio.

"Age, not surprisingly, has taken its toll," Elliott said on the Top Band
reflector, noting that his CW speed was now down to 20-25 WPM because of waning
 dexterity. "Thanks to all who have had the knowledge and the kindness to help
me over the years."



In Brief...

QRP ARCI Four Days in May Event Registration Open: Registration is open for
Four Days in May (FDIM), the QRP Amateur Radio Club International (QRP ARCI)
annual convention held in conjunction with
Hamvention. The hosting Holiday Inn in Fairborn, Ohio, has sold out, but other
accommodations are available in the vicinity. The event features a day of
seminars (including a free kit), Buildathon, vendors' night, evening lecture,
pizza night, QRP club night, homebrew competitions, games, music, raffles, door
 prizes, QRP Hall of Fame induction, and a banquet. Program details are
available and being updated on the QRP ARCI website. Contact FDIM for more
information.


Sweden's SAQ Alexanderson Alternator Station Reports "Successful" Christmas
Transmission: The old Alexanderson alternator SAQ at World Heritage Grimeton
Radio Station in Sweden was heard by more than 400 listeners on December 24,
2016, setting a new record. SAQ traditionally broadcasts at Christmas with the
1920s-era electro-mechanical transmitter that operates on 17.2 kHz. SAQ has
released a report that summarizes the success and a map that shows the
locations of those who heard SAQ. The vast majority of reports came from
listeners -- many of them radio amateurs -- in Europe, but several hams in the
US and Canada were among those able to hear the 17.2 kHz transmission.
"Excellent reception," reported LF enthusiast Joe Craig, VO1NA, in
Newfoundland. "I look forward to visiting SAQ someday." Dave Riley, AA1A, at
historic Brant Rock in Massachusetts reported "very good" copy, with the SAQ
signal at 10 dB above the noise. SAQ was even heard in Alaska, by Laurence
Howell, KL7L, in Wasilla, who gave SAQ a 449 signal report.


UK Regulator Ofcom No Longer Listing Unassigned Amateur Radio Call Signs: UK
Telecommunications regulator Ofcom no longer issues lists of unassigned -- or
unallocated -- UK Amateur Radio call signs. This practice ended last fall.
Replying to an inquiry, Ofcom's Julia Snape explained, "We do not hold a list
of call signs that are available. Due to a system change, the assignment of
call signs is now done using an algorithm rather than 'grabbing' from a list."
A call sign database dated September 20, 2016, can be downloaded as an Excel
spreadsheet.



The K7RA Solar Update

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: The average daily sunspot number rose from
22.6 to 52.7 -- up from no sunspots 2 weeks ago. Solar flux increased from 77.1
 to 83.9 for the January 19-25 reporting week. The first sunspot group of Cycle
 25 has appeared, in addition to this recent uptick. Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA,
will have an excellent article about this in the next issue of the Northwest
Indiana DX Club newsletter, available in early February.

Predicted solar flux is 85 on January 26-29; 82 on January 30-February 2; 75 on
 February 3-7; 76 on February 8; 77 on February 9-12; 78, 79, and 81 on
February 13-15; 83 on February 16-18; 85, 83, and 82 on February 19-21; 80 on
February 22-24; 78 on February 25; 77 on February 26-27; 76 on February
29-March 1; 75 on March 2-6, and 76 on March 7.

The predicted planetary A index is 5, 12, 15, and 8 on January 26-29; 12 on
January 30-31; 8 on February 1-2; 20, 16, 12, 10, and 8 on February 3-7; 5 on
February 8-13; 15 on February 14; 10 on February 15-16; 8 on February 17-19,
and 5 on February 20-22.

F.K. Janda, OK1HH, sent us this geomagnetic activity forecast for January
27-February 22: Quiet on January 27, February 1, 11-12, 14, 22; mostly quiet on
 January 30, February 9-10, 20-21; quiet to unsettled on January 31, February
13, 19; quiet to active on January 28-29, February 3-5, 15, 17, and active to
disturbed on February 2, 6-7, (8, 16, 18).

Amplifications of the solar wind from coronal holes are expected on January 26,
 (31), February (1-5), 9, (15). Parentheses indicate a lower probability of
activity enhancement.

Sunspot numbers for January 19-25 were 26, 61, 67, 61, 53, 55, and 46, with a
mean of 52.7. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 79.5, 83.2, 86.1, 86.8, 84.1, 82.3,
and 85.1, with a mean of 83.9. Estimated planetary A indices were 11, 11, 11,
9, 5, 3, and 6, with a mean of 8. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 10, 9,
9, 8, 2, 3, and 4, with a mean of 6.4.

Send me your reports or observations.

____________________________________________________________________________


Just Ahead in Radiosport

 *  January 27-29 -- CQ 160-Meter Contest (CW)
 *  January 28 -- Montana QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
 *  January 28-29 -- REF Contest (CW)
 *  January 28-29 -- BARTG RTTY Sprint
 *  January 28-29 -- UBA DX Contest (SSB)
 *  January 28-29 -- Winter Field Day (CW, phone, digital)

See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. For in-depth reporting on
Amateur Radio contesting, subscribe to The ARRL Contest Update via your ARRL
member profile e-mail preferences.

____________________________________________________________________________


Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions

 *  January 27-28 -- Mississippi State Convention, Jackson, Mississippi
 *  January 27-29 -- Puerto Rico State Convention, Hatillo, Puerto Rico
 *  February 3-4 -- Southern Florida Section Convention, Ft. Lauderdale,
    Florida
 *  February 4 -- South Carolina State Convention, North Charleston, South
    Carolina
 *  February 4 -- Virginia State Convention, Richmond, Virginia
 *  February 10-12 -- Southeastern Division Convention (HamCation), Orlando,
    Florida
 *  February 17-18 -- Arizona Section Convention, Yuma, Arizona
 *  February 18 -- Arkansas Section Convention, Hoxie, Arkansas
 *  February 25 -- West Central Florida Section Technical Conference,
    Sarasota, Florida
 *  February 25 -- New Mexico Tech Fest, Albuquerque, New Mexico
 *  February 25 -- Vermont State Convention, South Burlington, Vermont
 *  March 3-4 -- Alabama Section Convention, Birmingham, Alabama
 *  March 4 -- Arkansas State Convention, Russellville, Arkansas
 *  March 10-11 -- Louisiana State Convention, Rayne, Louisiana
 *  March 11 -- Nebraska State Convention, Lincoln, Nebraska
 *  March 18 -- West Texas Section Convention, Midland, Texas
 *  March 18 -- MicroHAMS Digital Conference 2017, Redmond, Washington
 *  March 24-25 -- Texas State Convention, Rosenberg, Texas
 *  March 31-April 1 -- Maine State Convention, Lewiston, Maine
 *  March 31-April 2 -- Nevada State Convention, Las Vegas, Nevada
 *  April 7-8 -- OzarkCon QRP Conference, Branson, Missouri
 *  April 15 -- Roanoke Division Convention, Raleigh, North Carolina
 *  Apr 21-23 -- International DX Convention, Visalia, California
 *  April 21-23 -- Idaho State Convention, Boise, Idaho
 *  April 22 -- Delaware State Convention, Georgetown, Delaware
 *  April 22 -- Aurora '17 Convention, White Bear Lake, Minnesota
 *  Apr 22-23 -- Communications Academy XIX, Seattle, Washington
 *  April 28-29 -- Southeastern VHF Society Conference, Charlotte, North
    Carolinia

Find conventions and hamfests in your area.

____________________________________________________________________________


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)\/(ark

Always Mount a Scratch Monkey
Do you manage your own servers? If you are not running an IDS/IPS yer doin' it
wrong...
... Life is like Jazz, it should be improvised.
---
 * Origin:  (1:3634/12.73)