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The ARRL Letter

December 3, 2015
Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME

 *  US Rep Greg Walden, W7EQI, Among Latest Amateur Radio Parity Act
    Cosponsors
 *  It's a Wrap: WRC-15 Concludes in Geneva
 *  There's a New Ham in the House!
 *  Revamped FCC Website Set to Debut
 *  ARRL Lab Acquires Keysight Digital Signal Generators
 *  ARRL Northwestern Division Leadership Team Elected to New Terms
 *  The Radio Amateur's Workshop Explains Workshop Essentials
 *  December ARRL Operating Events Offer the Lows and the Highs
 *  Special Event W1Q to be Active in ARRL 160 Meter Contest
 *  WX4NHC Will Be On the Air for SKYWARN Recognition Day on Saturday,
    December 5
 *  Amateur Radio Provides Communication for Oklahoma Veterans Day Parade
 *  Richard A. Strand, KL7RA, SK
 *  UK Antenna Columnist and Author Peter Dodd, G3LDO, SK
 *  In Brief...
 *  The K7RA Solar Update
 *  Just Ahead in Radiosport
 *  Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events


US Rep Greg Walden, W7EQI, Among Latest Amateur Radio Parity Act Cosponsors

US Rep Greg Walden, W7EQI (R-OR), is among the latest House members to sign on
as an Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 cosponsor. One of three radio amateurs
in Congress, Walden chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee's
Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, tr H.R. 1301, the House version
of the legislation. As of December 2, there were 117 cosponsors in the US House
 and three cosponsors for S. 1685, the US Senate bill, which cleared the Senate
 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on November 18. ARRL
President Kay Craigie, N3KN, said cosponsorship by Walden, the subcommittee
chair, is a highlight of the bill's progress in the House.

"Rep Walden and his subcommittee staff have been very helpful all along the
way," she added. President Craigie also said it's important that ARRL members
continue to write, call, or e-mail their members of Congress, including those
who already have become cosponsors.

"We want the members of Congress who signed on months ago to be reminded
periodically that their help is important and appreciated by constituents,"
President Craigie said. "Keeping Capitol Hill's attention is not a one-and-done
 thing. Thanking our supporters is both good manners and good strategy."

Other US House members who became H.R. 1301 cosponsors in November include
three from Texas and two from Wisconsin: Reps Ron Kind (D-WI), Gwen Moore
(D-WI), Gene Green (D-TX), Sam Johnson (R-TX), and Vela Filemon (D-TX)

The bill calls on the FCC to apply its "reasonable accommodation" standard to
private land-use restrictions. It would offer Amateur Radio operators an
opportunity to negotiate with homeowners associations in subdivisions that now
preclude the installation outdoor ham antennas.

More information on the Amateur Radio Parity Act is available on the ARRL
website.


It's a Wrap: WRC-15 Concludes in Geneva

World Radiocommunication Conference 2015 (WRC-15) concluded its deliberations
on November 27 in Geneva, as heads of delegations signed the Final Acts
revising the Radio Regulations -- the international treaty governing the use of
 radio frequency spectrum and satellite orbits. Some 3300 participants,
representing 162 out of the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) 193
member states, attended the 4-week conference. Another 500 or so participants,
representing 130 other entities, including industry, also attended as
observers. Festus Daudu of Nigeria chaired WRC-15.

Nearly 4000 people attended WRC-15 at ITU Headquarters in Geneva.

"A great deal has been achieved in the last 4 weeks, and the results will have
a major impact on the future of the telecommunication sector in general and
radiocommunications in particular," ITU Radiocommunication Bureau (ITU-R)
Director François Rancy said in a closing news release. WRC-15 addressed more
than 40 topics related to frequency allocation and sharing.

The conference reached consensus on a new worldwide secondary Amateur Radio
allocation at 5351.5-5366.5 kHz, with a power limit of 15 W effective isotropic
 radiated power (EIRP). Some Region 2 countries, but not the US, will be
permitted up to 25 W EIRP. With this action -- and despite conditions that are
more restrictive than had been hoped at the start of the Conference -- the
Amateur Service has obtained its first new global HF allocation since 1979.

The 15 kHz band at 60 meters "will maintain stable communications over various
distances, especially for use when providing communications in disaster
situations and for relief operations," an ITU news release said. The new band
will not become available for use until the FCC addresses the WRC-15 Final Acts
 in a rule making proceeding and establishes operating parameters.

Threats by the mobile telephone/broadband industry in the vicinity of 10 GHz
and 24 GHz have been averted for the time being, but are expected to be raised
again at WRC-19 and/or WRC-23. The 144 and 420 MHz bands were excluded from the
 WRC-19 agenda item addressing short-duration (3 years) small satellites.

Agenda Item 1.12, addressing the Earth Exploration Satellite Service (10 GHz
EESS), was approved at plenary with footnotes relevant to certain Middle East
countries. The EESS allocation was tailored to avoid the Amateur-Satellite
segment and poses no threat to terrestrial ham radio use of the band.

The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) team at WRC-15 also focused its
efforts on tweaking the agenda for WRC-19. Agenda Item 1.1 will consider 50-54
MHz harmonization in Region 1. A proposed agenda item to align the 160 meter
allocation in Region 1 with the rest of the world did not make the cut. Read
more. -- Thanks to ITU and RSGB


There's a New Ham in the House!

US Rep Steve Pearce (R-NM) has become the third Amateur Radio licensee in the
Congress. Pearce recently became KG5KIQ. He joins his House colleague, Rep
Daniel Benishek, KB8TOW (R-MI), and Rep Greg Walden, W7EQI (R-OR). Pearce had
reached out earlier this year to ARRL Rocky Mountain Division Director Brian
Mileshosky, N5ZGT, and New Mexico Section Manager Ed James, KA8JMW, to find out
 more about ham radio.

"He said he had learned of ham radio and was interested in its utility for
communicating with others wirelessly, especially at long distances on HF,"
Mileshosky recounted.

More recently the congressman alerted Mileshosky and James that he would be
passing through Albuquerque and wanted to meet with them to chat further about
Amateur Radio. The get-together over coffee with Pearce, an aide, James, and
Mileshosky lasted for "a very productive hour," Mileshosky said. On November
12, Pearce's aide contacted James to say that the Congressman has just arrived
in Albuquerque and wanted to take the Technician license examination, if
possible.

"We notified Frank Warren, AB5WJ, whose VE team regularly conducts on-demand
licensing exams," Mileshosky said. Three hours after our first indication that
he was in town, the Congressman was taking his Technician license exam."

The FCC granted Pearce's license on November 18.


Revamped FCC Website Set to Debut

The FCC's large-scale website redesign will roll out this month. The switch to
the new site is set to happen on December 10 at 0100 UTC.

"While the transition to the revamped site is expected to be completed almost
instantaneously, there will be an ongoing process following this transition
that will continue to involve user feedback, fixes by the FCC's Information
Technology team, and content updates by policy bureaus and offices," the FCC
said in a November 24 Public Notice.

The FCC said the new website has been designed to provide "better
functionality, an improved design, and better searchability and navigability."
Earlier this year the Commission's IT Department opened a beta-test version of
the site to gather user comments.

"Extensive user research revealed how the FCC could improve the website's
information architecture to make content easier to find," the Public Notice
said. The FCC said its new website has been designed to operate on tablet and
mobile device browsers with the display optimization based upon the device.

When the new site comes online, the current FCC website will disappear. The FCC
 said web pages and files that have not already migrated to the new site will
remain available, however, and existing bookmarks will be redirected to the
appropriate content on the new site. Read more.


ARRL Lab Acquires Keysight Digital Signal Generators

The ARRL Laboratory has acquired two new Keysight N5182B MXG signal generators,
 which will replace two of the Lab's aging Marconi 2041 analog signal
generators. ARRL Senior Test Engineer Bob Allison, WB1GCM, said the new
equipment will expand the Lab's testing capabilities.

"Operating in a range from 9 kHz to 6 GHz, the MXG can generate both vector and
 analog RF signals at high performance levels, which will allow the ARRL
Laboratory to develop new tests for measuring the performance of digital
receivers and transmitters," Allison said. "The MXG can also function as a
waveform generator and has the ability to download complex RF signals captured
by the Lab's Keysight spectrum analyzer. This allows the Lab to capture both
digital and analog signals and play them back as a signal source for test
purposes."

Keysight Engineer Tom Holmes, N8ZM, recently visited the ARRL Lab to discuss
ideas regarding new tests with Allison. "Once Tom hooked the cables from the
MXA to the MXG, I realized the potential the ARRL Lab now has," Allison said.
"While our Marconi signal generators have been faithful to us for many, many
years, they lacked the ability to generate digital signals needed for today's
Amateur Radio equipment."

The ARRL has expressed its thanks to Keysight for its assistance, and
especially to Tom Holmes and Keysight's Field Territory Engineer Joe Carr. --
Thanks to Bob Allison, WB1GCM


ARRL Northwestern Division Leadership Team Elected to New Terms

ARRL Northwestern Division Director Jim Pace, K7CEX, and Vice Director Bonnie
Altus, AB7ZQ, overcame challengers for their respective positions in the
2016-2018 election cycle. Ballots counted on November 20 at ARRL Headquarters
showed that Pace defeated challenger William Balzarini, KL7BB, 2190 to 654
votes, while Altus outpolled challenger Delvin Bunton, N7QMT, 2061 to 776
votes. Pace and Altus have been declared elected. The count took place under
the supervision of a representative of CohnReznick LLP, the League's
independent auditor. Three tellers, appointed by the Ethics &
Elections Committee, were New England Director Tom Frenaye, K1KI; ARRL Chief
Financial Officer Barry Shelley, N1VXY, and ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ.

Pace, who had been elected Northwestern Division Vice Director in 2012, moved
into the Director's chair in 2014, after former Director Jim Fenstermaker,
K9JF, became ARRL Second Vice President. ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN,
tapped Altus, then Oregon Section Manager, as Vice Director to succeed Pace,
who previously had served as Western Washington SM.

Incumbents in four other ARRL Divisions faced no challengers in the current
election cycle and have been declared re-elected. They are Central Division
Director Dick Isely, W9GIG, and Vice Director Kermit Carlson, W9XA; Hudson
Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, and Vice Director Bill Hudzik, W2UDT;
New England Division Director Tom Frenaye, K1KI, and Vice Director Mike
Raisbeck, K1TWF, and Roanoke Division Director Dr Jim Boehner, N2ZZ, and Vice
Director Bill Morine, N2COP.


New terms of office for all successful candidates begin at noon on January 1,
2016.

This election cycle marked a return to paper ballots. The ARRL Ethics and
Elections Committee decided in January to return to using solely paper ballots,
 after instituting a hybrid paper and electronic balloting process in the fall
of 2012. Online balloting proved popular among those who took advantage of it,
but overall voter participation declined significantly. See the August 2015
issue of QST, p 78, for more information.


The Radio Amateur's Workshop Explains Workshop Essentials

A new ARRL book, The Radio Amateur's Workshop, by Joel R. Hallas, W1ZR, is now
available from the ARRL Store, ARRL publication dealers, and as an e-book for
the Amazon Kindle.

The Radio Amateur's Workshop is your guide to setting up and maintaining an
efficient at-home laboratory and work station. It describes the tools you'll
need for projects ranging from assembling electronic kits, to building and
testing antennas. Subsequent chapters look at a wide variety of workshop test
equipment, including an explanation of how various instruments can be used to
develop, fabricate, and evaluate projects. Become part of the do-it-yourself
movement. Discover fun and creative ways to use radio technology at your
workshop today.

The Radio Amateur's Workshop (ARRL Item No. 0482, ISBN: 978-1-62595-016-1)
retails for $22.95, special ARRL Member Price $19.95. To order online, visit
the ARRL Store or order by phone, toll free in the US, (888) 277-5289.


December ARRL Operating Events Offer the Lows and the Highs

For veteran contesters and newcomers alike, December offers two of the most
popular operating events of the fall "contest season" -- The ARRL 160 Meter
Contest, December 4-6, and the ARRL 10 Meter Contest the following weekend,
December 12-13. Both contests offer an opportunity to appreciate the diversity
and range of the HF bands available.

Often called "Top Band," 160 meters -- actually a medium-wave band -- is the
lowest frequency band currently available for contest use. While some Top Band
stalwarts will operate day and night on
contest weekend, operation for this event typically takes place starting at
dusk and into the nighttime hours, and it's an all-CW event. This is mainly a
contest where US and Canadian stations work one another and the rest of the
world, because the rules do not permit DX-to-DX contacts.

On this challenging band, it's all about your antenna and teasing desired
signals out of the noise. Running 100 W into a compromise antenna of a
shortened dipole or an inverted L or vertical with just a few radials, you can
expect to work a number of states, if you put in some effort. High power is
also an option. In times of scant sunspots, 160 can come alive with signals
from other continents. From a low-noise location, it's possible to work the
world with a wire vertical antenna, such as an inverted L, coupled with radials
 -- the more the merrier. Separate low-noise receiving antennas such as
Beverages are popular on this band. Top Band operation can be addicting for its
 combination of challenges, rewards, and variability.

At the other end of the HF spectrum 10 meters can be a "counterpoise" to 160.
Most activity will be during the daylight hours. The object is for amateurs
worldwide to exchange contact information with as many stations as possible on
10 meters.

The band is more likely to be open in high-sunspot years, but 10 meters can be
surprising. Gain antennas for 10 can be built fairly easily, since they're
relatively small (a 10 meter dipole is on the order of 16.5 feet). Building a
small Yagi for 10 meters is not difficult. If 10 meters is open, signals from
around the world can be quite strong, and contest contacts are fast and
exciting.

The ARRL 10 Meter Contest encompasses CW and SSB operation -- you can operate
either one or operate both, which can be a wonderful way to avoid mode burnout.
 Effective use of one good 10 meter opening during an otherwise closed-band
weekend could place you among the regional score leaders.

Both of these events offer a variety of entry categories and power levels, from
 QRP to legal limit. -- Thanks to The ARRL Contest Update/Brian Moran, N9ADG


Special Event W1Q to be Active in ARRL 160 Meter Contest

Special Event station W1Q is now on the air until December 15, to celebrate
QST's 100th anniversary. The first issue of QST was published in December 1915.
 W1Q will be active in the ARRL 160 Meter Contest over the December 5-6
weekend, with Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, as the operator.

ARRL COO Harold Kramer, WJ1B, and volunteer operators will be on the air on
various bands and modes throughout the month. This is not an official ARRL
operation, and Kramer will handle all details, QSL cards, and LoTW entries. He
will post additional information on his QRZ.com page under WJ1B. -- Thanks to
Harold Kramer, WJ1B


WX4NHC Will Be On the Air for SKYWARN Recognition Day on Saturday, December 5

WX4NHC, the Amateur Radio station at the National Hurricane Center in Miami,
will take part in SKYWARN Recognition Day (SRD) on Saturday, December 5. The
annual on-the-air event gets under way at 0000 UTC (Friday, December 4 in US
time zones) and concludes at 2400 UTC. WX4NHC will be active from 1400 UTC
until 2300 UTC. The Hurricane Center ham station has participated in every
SKYWARN Recognition Day since its inauguration 16 years ago. WX4NHC will take
advantage of the event for operator training.

"We will try to stay on the recognized Hurricane Watch Net frequency of 14.325
MHz most of the time and announce when we QSY," said Assistant WX4NHC
Coordinator Julio Ripoll, WD4R, at the NHC. WX4NHC will also be active on a
wide variety of bands and modes, from HF through UHF.

Cosponsored by ARRL and the National Weather Service (NWS), SKYWARN Recognition
 Day pays tribute to Amateur Radio operators for the vital public service they
perform. Registration is still open for stations planning to participate from a
 NWS Forecast Office; a list of NWS participating offices is on the NWS SKYWARN
 Recognition Day web page.

During SKYWARN Recognition Day amateur stations exchange contact information
with as many National Weather Service-based stations as possible on SSB, FM,
CW, RTTY, and AM on the 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6, and 2 meter bands, as well as 70
 centimeters. Repeater contacts are permitted.

Stations exchange call signs, signal reports, location, and a one- or two-word
description of the weather (eg, sunny, partly cloudy, windy, rainy). Procedures
 are detailed on the NOAA SRD web page.

The volunteer SKYWARN program comprises nearly 290,000 trained severe weather
spotters -- many of them radio amateurs -- who identify severe storms and
provide NWS forecasters with reports of local weather conditions during severe
weather events.

To learn more, visit the SKYWARN Recognition Day website.


Amateur Radio Provides Communication for Oklahoma Veterans Day Parade

Midwest City, Oklahoma's fourth annual Veterans Day Parade was a success, due
in part to the communication support that Mid-Del Amateur Radio Club (MDARC)
volunteers provided. Amateur Radio met communication needs at multiple staging
areas, along the parade route, at the incident command post, and for the
reviewing stand. Working closely with the City of Midwest City Emergency
Management Office Communications Coordinator and the Midwest City police and
fire departments, the ham volunteers were able to cover the large area and a
parade route of about 2 miles. The Midwest City Communications Coordinator is
Scott Walsh, N5NYS. The event featured a flyover by the Warbirds, a vintage
World War II aircraft group from Tulsa. Heading up the team of 17 ham
volunteers was Donald Ohse, W5DRO, whose experience includes working with the
city and the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office as a volunteer.

"By using Amateur Radio, we were able to provide communications and resources
that could commit to many areas that normally would not have been covered due
to manpower constraints," Ohse said. "For the past 3 years, we have been
providing a radio amateur at the reviewing stand, where the emcee for the event
 is located, and we also place a spotter about 200 yards from the reviewing
stand to communicate back to the reviewing stand, if a parade participant is
out of order," he noted. "This was very helpful, so the emcee would not
announce the wrong entry."

Ohse said the parade's multiple staging areas presented another challenge.
Using several simplex frequencies, the ham volunteers were able to reduce radio
 traffic on the main public safety net frequency, leaving it available for more
 important uses. Read more.


Richard A. Strand, KL7RA, SK

Well-known contester and station builder Richard Strand, KL7RA, of Kenai,
Alaska, died on November 20 after suffering a heart attack a couple of weeks
earlier. He was 69.

A radio astronomer, Strand was an ARRL Life Member. KL7RA was a regular in the
ARRL November Sweepstakes, handing out the relatively rare Alaska Section
multiplier, and he had hoped to recover in time for the 2015 ARRL November
Sweepstakes events. He also was active in DX contests.

Strand was a Volunteer Examiner with the Anchorage Amateur Radio Club VEC, and
he had been a contributor to The ARRL Handbook.


UK Antenna Columnist and Author Peter Dodd, G3LDO, SK

Antenna columnist and author Peter Dodd, G3LDO, of East Preston, Littlehampton,
 England, died on November 17. He was 83. Dodd was well known for his antenna
expertise and was a long-time contributor to the Radio Society of Great
Britain's journal, RadCom, for which he edited the "Antennas" column. He also
wrote several articles for QST and QEX. In addition he was the author of
several books on antennas and on low-frequency operating.

According to Mike Dennison, G3XDV, Dodd was very active in the early days of
low-frequency experimentation and made the first two-way contact on 73 kHz and
was part of a very early transatlantic contact on 136 kHz. "He compiled several
 early collections of articles on low-frequency operating, including The LF
Experimenter's Handbook, which was published by the RSGB in 2000," Dennison
said.

Other titles by Dodd include Building Successful HF Antennas and Backyard
Antennas, which remain in print.


In Brief...

December is "Youngsters on the Air Month" in IARU Region 1: IARU Region 1 Youth
 Working Group Chair Lisa Leenders, PA2LS, has announced that December is
"Youngsters On The Air Month" in IARU Region 1. Nearly 40 YOTA-suffix call
signs are expected to be active, with young operators at the helm. Leenders
stressed that the activity is not a contest but an effort to demonstrate
Amateur Radio to youth and to encourage youngsters to get on the air. "We are
trying to spread the word! Talk to people about what we do, not only quick
5-9s," she said. Awards are available at four award levels: Bronze = worked
five YOTA stations; Silver = worked 10 YOTA stations; Gold = worked 15 YOTA
stations, and Platinum = worked 25 YOTA stations. All stations must be worked
during December 2015. Some rare DXCC entities will be on the air for the
activity, including A2YOTA in Botswana, and A43YOTA in Oman. Visit the YOTA
Facebook page for more details. -- Thanks to IARU Region 1

"Year of Pluto" Special Event Set for December: Pluto and the City of
Flagstaff, Arizona, are forever linked in history. On February 18, 1930,
astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff,
using a blink comparator and photographic plates. The New Horizons probe
reached the Pluto system 85 years later last July, imaging Pluto, its largest
moon Charon, and the other small moons. Pluto has since been downgraded to
"dwarf planet" status. Nonetheless, 2015 was designated the "Year of Pluto." To
 celebrate, the members of the Northern Arizona DX Association (NADXA) will
mount special event station W7P, December 5-13, from Lowell Observatory.
Operation will be on SSB and CW. Doug Tombaugh, N3PDT, the nephew of Clyde
Tombaugh, will operate for a few days during the early part of the special
event period. QSLs and a certificate are available. Visit the NADXA website for
 more information.

Intrepid-DX Group Seeks Nominations for "Intrepid Spirit" Award: The
Intrepid-DX Group is seeking nominations for its annual Intrepid Spirit Award,
presented to the individual or group best displaying "Intrepid Spirit" over the
 past year. "An Intrepid Spirit is bold, courageous, dedicated, innovative,
fearless, generous, resolute and visionary in their approach to Amateur Radio,"
 the announcement explains. "We are seeking to make this award to the group or
individual that most displayed their intrepid spirit in 2015, by expressing an
unshakable commitment to the Amateur Radio DX community." The award honors the
memory of James McLaughlin WA2EWE/T6AF. Submit nominations via e-mail by
December 15, 2015. The award will be presented at the International DX
Convention in Visalia, California on April 16, 2016. -- Thanks to Intrepid-DX
Group President Paul Ewing, N6PSE

____________________________________________________________________________


The K7RA Solar Update

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Solar indicators dropped this week, with
average daily sunspot numbers at 41.6 from November 26 through December 2, down
 from 62.7 in the previous 7 days. Average daily solar flux dipped 18 points,
from 115.2 to 97.2. A week ago the predicted average daily solar flux for the
same period was 111.4, more than 14 points above the actual outcome.

Average daily planetary A index was 9.9, while average daily mid-latitude A
index was 6.6, more than double the two figures for the previous week, 4.1 and
3.1, respectively. But there were no days
with high geomagnetic activity. The most was on Monday and Tuesday, with
planetary A index at 19 and 14 indicating moderately unsettled conditions.

Predicted solar flux is 100 on December 3-4; 95 and 90 on December 5-6; 85 on
December 7-9; 100 on December 10; 115 on December 11-13; then 110, 105, and 100
 on December 14-16; 105 on December 17-18; 110 on December 19-20; 105 on
December 21, and 100 on December 22-26. The lowest predicted solar flux is 95
for December 27.

Predicted planetary A index is 5, 8, and 6 on December 3-5; 18, 24, and 22 on
December 6-8; 16, 22, and 10 on December 9-11; 8 on December 12-15; then 10 and
 8 on December 16-17; 5 on December 18-23, and 8 on December 24-26. The next
period of unsettled to active geomagnetic conditions is December 28, with a
predicted planetary A index of 25.

Sunspot numbers for November 26 through December 2 were 56, 48, 36, 47, 51, 27,
 and 26, with a mean of 41.6. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 103.9, 98.9, 96.6,
95.5, 95.7, 94.6, and 95.3, with a mean of 97.2. Estimated planetary A indices
were 3, 7, 8, 9, 19, 14, and 9, with a mean of 9.9. Estimated mid-latitude A
indices were 2, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11, and 7, with a mean of 6.6.

In this Friday's bulletin look for an updated forecast and reports from last
weekend's CQ World Wide CW DX Contest.

Send me your reports and observations.

____________________________________________________________________________


Just Ahead in Radiosport

 *  December 4-6 -- ARRL 160 Meter Contest (CW)
 *  December 5 -- TARA RTTY Melee (digital)
 *  December 5-6 -- TOPS Activity Contest (CW)
 *  December 5-7 --Wake-Up! QRP Sprint (CW)
 *  December 5-13 -- AWA Bruce Kelley 1929 QSO Party (CW)
 *  December 6 -- Ten-Meter RTTY Contest (digital)
 *  December 6 -- SARL Digital Contest
 *  December 6 -- CQC Great CO Snowshoe Run (CW)
 *  December 8 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW)
 *  December 9 -- NAQCC CW Sprint (CW)

See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information.

____________________________________________________________________________


Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events

 *  December 11-12 -- West Central Florida Section Convention, Plant City,
    Florida
 *  January 9 -- TECHFEST, Lawrenceville, Georgia
 *  January 10 -- New York City-Long Island Section Convention, Bethpage,
    New York
 *  January 15-16 -- Southern Florida Section Convention, Fort Myers,
    Florida
 *  January 15-16 -- North Texas Section Convention, Forest Hill, Texas
 *  January 17-23 -- Quartzfest, Quartzsite, Arizona
 *  January 29-30 -- Mississippi State Convention, Jackson, Mississippi
 *  January 29-31 -- Puerto Rico State Convention, Hatillo, Puerto Rico
 *  February 6 -- South Carolina State Convention, N. Charleston, South
    Carolina
 *  February 12-14 -- ARRL National Convention, Orlando, Florida
 *  February 19-20 -- Southwestern Division Convention, Yuma, Arizona
 *  February 27 -- WCF Section Technical Conference, Tampa, Florida
 *  February 27 -- New Mexico TechFest, Albuquerque, New Mexico
 *  February 27 -- Vermont State Convention, S. Burlington, Vermont

Find conventions and hamfests in your area.

____________________________________________________________________________


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)\/(ark

"So let me ask you a question about this brave new world of yours. When you've
killed all the bad guys, and when it's all perfect, and just and fair, and when
 you have finally got it exactly the way you want it, what are you going to do
with the people like you? The trouble makers. How are you going to protect your
 glorious revolution from the next one?"
- The twelfth Doctor

... We all learn by experience but some of us have to go to summer school.
---
 * Origin:  (1:3634/12.73)