***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 24, No. 25
June 24, 2005
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* President greets Field Day 2005 participants
* World conference tackles Amateur Radio emergency communication issues
* ARRL personnel departures spawn staff changes
* Youngsters at Swiss, Canadian schools talk via ham radio with ISS
* US ham-astronaut first to testify before Congress from space
* Inaugural "Take Your Handheld to Work Day" a Success!
* IC inventor Jack Kilby, ex-W9GTY, SK
* Radio industry pioneer Al Kahn, K4FW, SK
* "Hamfest Calendar" corrections announced
*  Solar Update
*  IN BRIEF:
     This weekend on the radio: It's ARRL Field Day 2005!
     ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
     HF saves the day after motor home breakdown
     ARRL Northern New Jersey SM donates ARRL books to new library
     Pete Halpin, PH1PH/G7ECN, SK
     Swedish VLF transmitter on the air July 2-3

===========================================================
NOTE: Because of vacation and holiday schedules, there will be no edition of
ARRL Audio News on Friday, June 24, and no editions of The ARRL Letter and
ARRL Audio News on Friday, July 1. Both will return Friday, July 8. We wish
all safe and enjoyable Field Day 2005 and Independence Day holiday weekends!

===========================================================
==>Delivery problems (ARRL member direct delivery only!):
letter-dlvy@arrl.org
==>Editorial questions or comments: Rick Lindquist, N1RL, n1rl@arrl.org
===========================================================

==>PRESIDENT BUSH SENDS GREETINGS TO FIELD DAY 2005 PARTICIPANTS

President George W. Bush has sent greetings from the White House to everyone
participating in ARRL Field Day 2005.

"I send greetings to those celebrating the annual Field Day for Amateur
Radio, hosted by the American Radio Relay League. Across our country, radio
plays a vital role in relaying important information to the public and
emergency service personnel in times of need," the president said.

"By providing emergency communications at the federal, state, and local
level, licensed Amateur Radio operators help first responders and law
enforcement officials save lives and make our country safer. Your efforts
help ensure the right assistance gets to the right people at the right time.
I appreciate all ham operators who give their time and energy to help make
our citizens more secure. Your good work reflects the spirit of America and
contributes to a culture of responsibility and citizenship that strengthens
our nation. Laura and I send our best wishes."

An annual exercise aimed at developing skills to meet the challenges of
emergency preparedness as well as to acquaint the general public with the
capabilities of Amateur Radio, ARRL Field Day takes place this year on
Saturday and Sunday, June 25-26. Stations throughout the Americas may
participate.

==>AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION FOCUS OF WORLD CONFERENCE

Tampere, Finland, played host June 13-14 to the first Global Amateur Radio
Emergency Communications Conference (GAREC 2005). Participants from 17
countries and representatives of all three International Amateur Radio Union
(IARU) regions gathered to discuss and exchange information on the role of
Amateur Radio in emergency communication. A conference statement summarized
the value of Amateur Radio to emergency communication worldwide.

"The Amateur Radio Service has the proven capabilities and capacities to
serve the international community through its global network of
infrastructure-independent stations," the statement concluded. "Such
stations are not only most likely to withstand the physical impact of
disasters, but their flexibility furthermore avoids the overload all public
networks inevitably experience in the aftermath of disasters."

The statement also pointed to the Amateur Service as "an invaluable resource
of skilled operators, trained and experienced in maintaining communications
under the most adverse conditions." It further concluded that it's essential
"to ensure that this resource can be fully utilized in the service of
emergency and disaster response providers." Conferees agreed as well that
the Amateur Service needs access to "appropriate portions of the shared and
limited resource of the radio frequency spectrum."

The IARU has submitted the summary as an input document to the World Summit
on the Information Society (WSIS), set to take place in Tunisia this
November.

Representing the IARU and chairing GAREC 2005 was Hans Zimmermann, HB9AQS,
the IARU's International Coordinator for Emergency Communications. Past ARRL
President Rod Stafford, W6ROD, represented IARU in his capacity as Region 2
President and the League in his capacity as International Affairs Vice
President.

Major topics included cooperation between radio amateurs and institutional
emergency response providers on the national level, and an exchange of
experiences from recent events. Presentations showed how hams support
emergency responders as skilled volunteer telecommunication operators as
well as via their own global networks.

Conferees also talked over ways to improve and facilitate the work of
emergency communication networks. Participants agreed on the desirability of
establishing a "Center of Activity Frequency" for emergency traffic on 80,
40, 20, 17 and 15 meters. SRAL, the IARU member-society for Finland and the
host of GAREC 2005 will forward a proposal to that effect to the IARU for
its consideration. This could happen during the IARU Region 1 Conference
this September. GAREC-2005 did not put forth specific center-of-activity
frequencies, but the proposal did recommend calling them "The Tampere
Frequencies."

Because of Tampere's association with the history of emergency and disaster
communication, the city's name has become nearly synonymous with emergency
telecommunication. Among signal events, an experts' conference there in 1991
adopted the Tampere Declaration on Disaster Communications. In 1998, the
Intergovernmental Conference on Emergency Telecommunications (ICET-98)
adopted the Tampere Convention on the Provision of Telecommunication
Resources for Disaster Mitigation and Relief Operations. Effective as of
January 8, 2005, the convention largely eliminates roadblocks to moving
telecommunications personnel and equipment across international borders into
and within disaster-stricken areas. Tampere has hosted several related
conferences on emergency telecommunication as well. To maintain the
momentum, plans already are being discussed for a second global conference
in 2006.

A GAREC 2005 summary is available on the IARU Web site
<http://www.iaru.org/emergency/summary.html>.--IARU

==>DEPARTURES FROM ARRL HEADQUARTERS PROMPT STAFF CHANGES

Recent departures or pending departures from ARRL Headquarters have prompted
some new staff assignments to fill openings in the ARRL VEC and in the Sales
and Marketing departments. ARRL COO Harold Kramer, WJ1B, announced the
changes earlier this month.

ARRL VEC Department Volunteer Examiner Services Supervisor Maria Somma,
KB1KJC, has stepped into the position of interim Department Manager,
effective June 7. A long-time VEC and ARRL staff member, Somma succeeds Bart
Jahnke, W9JJ, who returned to his native Wisconsin in May to pursue a
business opportunity.

A nearly 20-year ARRL Headquarters staff veteran, Jahnke and his wife
Debra--who will depart as ARRL Sales Manager this month--had planned one day
to retire in Wisconsin. The Jahnkes purchased a farm property in Wisconsin
two years ago.

Somma has been at ARRL since 1985, and she became VE Services Supervisor in
1988. Since her arrival, ARRL VEC has conducted more than 90,000 examination
sessions and served some 809,000 customers. "I'm proud to have had a hand in
what the VEC has accomplished over the years," she said. "The allure and
excitement I felt back when I first started here is still with me, and I
look forward to future VEC endeavors."

Also in the VEC Department, Perry Green, WY1O, has been promoted to
Assistant VEC Manager. He previously served as Assistant to the VEC Manager.
Green came aboard at ARRL VEC in 2002 becoming a primary point of contact
for the club call sign administrator program, International Amateur Radio
permits, the special event 1x1 call sign program, accommodative testing,
exam software, vanity call signs and what he calls "the never-ending battle
to resolve the FRN/CORES password calamity," referring to the FCC's
registration system.

Sales Manager Debra Jahnke has been with ARRL for more than 25 years and
served as Circulation Manager prior to taking on her current duties nearly
four years ago. "We will all miss her high energy and many skills," Kramer
said. In view of her imminent departure from the ARRL staff to be with her
family in Wisconsin, the Sales and Marketing Department has announced a
reshuffling of responsibilities among current staffers.

ARRL Marketing Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, will assume responsibility for
fulfillment and warehouse functions. In his current role, Inderbitzen has
been handling planning and implementation of direct marketing for ARRL
membership, publication sales and advertising. An ARRL Life Member and a ham
since 1981, Inderbitzen joined the ARRL staff in 1991. He's worked
previously in the ARRL VEC Department and in the former ARRL Educational
Activities Department. Inderbitzen undertook the lion's share of planning
and implementation for the successful ARRL National Convention/ARRL EXPO
2005 at Dayton Hamvention.

Sales and Marketing Coordinator Janet Rocco will become the department's
Business Services Manager, a new position in which she will oversee
advertising and dealer customer sales and relations and manage the ARRL
sales staff. Rocco has been with the ARRL nearly four years, starting out in
the Outgoing QSL Service.

ARRL Sales and Marketing Manager Dennis Motschenbacher, K7BV, plans to
establish a new position--Membership Manager--an experienced professional to
manage and focus only on membership recruitment and retention. Establishing
the new position represents an effort to "look beyond many of the current
organizational paradigms regarding membership," he said.

==>INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS, QUEBEC PRIMARY SCHOOLERS QUIZ ASTRONAUT VIA HAM
RADIO

Members of the Amateur Radio Club (HB9ZIS) at Zurich International School
(ZIS) in Switzerland, spoke directly June 10 with US Astronaut John
Phillips, KE5DRY, on the International Space Station. Youngsters at École de
la Source (The Source Primary School) in Mascouche, Quebec, had a similar
opportunity a week later. The Amateur Radio on the International Space
Station (ARISS) program arranged both school group contacts with NA1SS.
Phillips told a ZIS student that the change in gravity has not affected his
appetite but does seem to make him less thirsty.

"It did not affect my eating habits at all, but it did affect my thirst,"
Phillips responded. "Your body doesn't need as much fluid up here because it
doesn't have to work as hard to push the blood to your head. So I probably
will drink less water, and my body has less fluid in it."

As for which planet he'd like to visit, Phillips told ZIS students that Mars
would be his first choice. "The only planet other than Earth that it's
practical to visit during this century, I believe, would be Mars, so I guess
I'd like to go there," Phillips said. "But right now I'd really like to
visit Earth now and then," he added, eliciting laughter from the students.

ARISS Mentor Peter Kofler, IN3GHZ, reports that Paul Schreier, HB9DST/AA1MI
served as the technical director and contact coordinator. Bruno Zimmerman,
HB9WAH, and radio club members set up a satellite station and antennas, and
Zimmerman served as the control operator. They also established an ATV link
to the assembly hall where the entire student body could follow along on a
big screen. At the school ham shack itself--at the ZIS middle school campus
in Horgen--the audience consisted of some 50 onlookers, including students,
teachers, parents and school board members. All told, the students at ZIS
had all 20 of their questions asked and answered.

Several media outlets, including the DRS national TV and radio and Die Neue
Züricher Zeitung newspaper, covered the event.

The following Friday, June 17, youngsters at Quebec's École de la Source
enjoyed the fruits of a three-year wait on the ARISS school group
application list. In 2002, fifth and sixth grade students took on the space
contact project, which current students continued.

One youngster wanted to know how long it takes for the ISS crew members to
put on their spacesuits for a spacewalk. Phillips responded that while it
takes about an hour to suit up and make required safety checks, it's a few
hours more before the crew exits the spacecraft. Two hours are expended
exhausting the airlock, he explained.

"But we take a lot longer than this because we have to protect against a
problem called 'the bends,' which is what divers get when the nitrogen in
their blood turns into bubbles," Phillips continued. "So we sit inside the
suit for three hours or so breathing oxygen to get the nitrogen out--so in
reality it takes maybe four or five hours from the time we start putting on
the suits until we actually go outside."

Replying to another question, Phillips said it's not really known if space
travel would be dangerous for a pregnant woman because one never has
traveled into space. He said female members of NASA's astronaut corps do not
even engage in training while pregnant.

Members of the Club Radioamateur Laval-Laurentide, VE2CRL, worked with ARISS
Mentor Steve McFarlane, VE3TBD, on the technical aspects of the event.
Students asked 15 questions during the approximately six-minute contact.
Students released a roaring "Merci!" (Thanks!) at signoff.

ARISS-Canada's Daniel Lamoureux, VE2KA, said a direct video link from the
contact site tied into the gymnasium so an audience of some 400 pupils,
parents and guests could look on. A representative from the Canadian Space
Agency talked to the students before the QSO and translated Phillips'
answers into French. Teacher Robert Ménard coordinated the project.

Two national TV networks and one newspaper sent reporters to cover the
event. Local dignitaries and school board members also were present.

ARISS <http://www.rac.ca/ariss/> is an international educational outreach
with US participation by NASA, ARRL and AMSAT.

==>HAM-ASTRONAUT TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS FROM SPACE

NASA International Space Station Science Officer John Phillips, KE5DRY, made
history June 14 by becoming the first person to testify before Congress
while in orbit. The Expedition 11 flight engineer appeared via satellite
before the House Science Committee's Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics,
chaired by Rep Ken Calvert (R-CA). Phillips answered questions from
subcommittee members about what it's like to live and work in space,
focusing on the space station's role in preparing humans for longer-duration
missions outlined in NASA's Vision for Space Exploration.

"We constantly learn new lessons up here," Phillips said, while traveling
through space at five miles per second. "The experiences we gather will
enable us to establish a long-term station on the moon and to go on to
Mars."

Two other astronauts, Peggy Whitson, KC5ZTD--who served on the ISS
Expedition 5 crew in 2002, and Expedition 9 crew member Mike Fincke, KE5AIT,
testified in person before the subcommittee.

For most of the lawmakers, their interview of Phillips marked their first
opportunity to speak directly with a space traveler on orbit. In response to
members' questions, Phillips talked about the tremendous view from 220 miles
up, floated around the ISS and talked about the hard work he's doing.

"The most important thing up here is that we *are* the experiment; we are
learning how to fly in space," Phillips told the subcommittee.

For more information about the ISS, visit the NASA Space Station Web site
<http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html>.--NASA

==>INAUGURAL “TAKE YOUR HANDHELD TO WORK DAY” A SUCCESS!

The Southeastern area of the country was the most active on June 21 as the
very first “Take Your HT to Work Day” encouraged hams to share their
enthusiasm with others during lunch hour.  While it was impossible to cover
all the repeaters, Echolink nodes and frequencies that might have been used,
it’s clear from a sampling taken from across the country that more than a
few hams were “caught” doing something nice for Amateur Radio.

Thanks to all who participated for your efforts to promote Amateur Radio!

==>IC INVENTOR JACK KILBY, EX-W9GTY, SK

Jack St Clair Kilby, who held the call sign W9GTY in the 1930s and 1940s,
died in Dallas June 20 at age 81. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics
in 2000 for his part in the invention of the first monolithic integrated
circuit.

A native of Great Bend, Kansas, Kilby has been credited with making the
Information Age possible.

He became interested in Amateur Radio after a severe ice storm crippled
Western Kansas in 1937.

Following college and a stint in the Army, Kilby went to work on the
transistor for Centralab in Milwaukee. In 1958, he moved to Dallas to work
for Texas Instruments, where he came upon the idea of creating the
integrated circuit. By 1960 the first chips were made available to industry,
and the age of microelectonics was upon us.

A public memorial service for Jack Kilby will be held Monday, June 27, at 10
AM on the Southern Methodist University campus at the Caruth Auditorium in
the Meadow School of the Arts, 6101 Bishop Boulevard, Dallas, Texas.

For those wishing to make a memorial contribution, the family has identified
the following: The Jack Kilby Fund in Electrical and Computer Engineering,
the University of Illinois Foundation, Harker Hall, 1305 West Green, Urbana,
Illinois 61801; and The Great Bend Foundation (Jack Kilby Statue Fund), PO
Drawer E, Great Bend, KS 67530.

==>TEN-TEC CO-FOUNDER AL KAHN, K4FW, SK

Albert R. "Al" Kahn, K4FW, of Cassopolis, Michigan, died June 15. He was 98.
An ARRL member, Kahn--with Jack Burchfield, K4JU, co-founded Ten-Tec
following his retirement from Electro-Voice (E-V), which he'd also founded
and served as president. Kahn continued his regular CW schedules until just
a few days before he died.

"It's a sad day, but few of us will leave the sort of footprints that Al did
during his long and productive life," remarked ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ.
Ten-Tec, on its Web site, acknowledged Kahn's passing "with the deepest
regret." Kahn had remained a member of Ten-Tec's Board of Directors.

Kahn's daughter Carol Bieneman says that radio and sound communication
fascinated her father from childhood. "At age 12 he joined a Boy Scout troop
and was sent home with a radio to repair," she recounts. "This was the start
of his lifelong passion for radio."

Born in LaSalle, Illinois, Kahn moved as a child to South Bend, Indiana. He
became licensed there in 1921 as 9BBI and later held W8DUS in Michigan. As
Burchfield tells it, Kahn (with Lou Burroughs, a local machinist) in 1927
started a radio service shop in South Bend. Legendary Notre Dame football
coach Knute Rockne needed a public address system to amplify his voice
during practice sessions, and he came to Kahn for help.

Most microphones of the day were carbon-button types, but Kahn constructed a
superior velocity--or ribbon--microphone and put together a PA system that
Rockne called his "electric voice." In 1930, Kahn and Burroughs adopted the
name Electro-Voice for the business and began making velocity microphones,
which they also supplied to the military during World War II. During the
war, Kahn invented and patented a noise-canceling microphone and marketed it
successfully to the military. The design is still in use.

E-V added "high-fidelity" equipment and speakers to its product line, and,
in 1960, the company built two plants in Tennessee and shifted operations
there from the Midwest. Kahn was president of E-V until 1969 when it merged
with Gulton Industries. After departing E-V, Kahn and Burchfield founded
equipment manufacturer Ten-Tec, now in its 37th year of manufacturing HF
radio equipment for Amateur Radio, commercial, and military applications.

Kahn accumulated many honors over his more than eight decades as a radio
amateur and industry figure. He was inducted into the CQ Amateur Radio Hall
of Fame and was a member of the First-Class CW Operators Club (FOC), the Old
Old Timer's Club, the Quarter Century Wireless Association (QCWA), and the
A-1 Operator Club. In 2002, the QCWA honored Kahn on his 80th anniversary as
an amateur licensee. He also received an Army/Navy "E" Award in 1945 for
supplying the War Department with thousands of microphones during World War
II. The Boy Scouts of America presented Kahn with its Silver Beaver Award
for staffing Amateur Radio stations at international scout jamborees.

A memorial service for Al Kahn is set for Saturday, July 16, at the Diamond
Cove Missionary Church, 22541 Diamond Cove Road, Cassopolis, Michigan.
Visitation will be from 2 PM until 4 PM at the church, followed immediately
by the memorial service at 4 PM.

Memorial contributions are invited to Cass County Hospice, 310 East Sherwood
St, Decatur, MI 49045 or to the Michiana Amateur Radio Club, c/o Noel Kindt,
W9EFL, 90888 Bluff Dr, Marcellus, MI 49067.--Some information from the N9VV
Ten-Tec History Web page

==>JULY QST "HAMFEST CALENDAR" CORRECTIONS NOTED

Some events listed in the July QST "Hamfest Calendar" (pp 93-95) include
incorrect information. The "Hamfest and Convention Database" on the ARRL Web
site <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests.html> has current and correct information
on July 2005 hamfests and conventions, however. A summary of the significant
corrections is below. For items marked with am asterisk (*), see "Hamfest
Calendar" in June QST (pp 90-93) for details.

June 17-19
*Northwestern Division, Seaside, OR

June 23-26
*YLISSB, Bismarck, ND

July 8-10
*Arizona State, Williams

August 5-6
Texas State, Austin

August 6
Wyoming Section, Jackson

August 11-14
YLRL, Denver, CO

August 19-20
New Mexico State, Albuquerque

August 20
Missouri State, Columbia

August 20-21
Southeastern Division, Huntsville, AL

August 21
Kansas State, Salina

August 27-28
West Virginia State, Weston

September 9-11
Southwestern Division, Riverside, CA
Dakota Division, Fargo, ND

September 10
Kentucky State, Shepherdsville

Additional corrections, July QST, pages 93-94:

Montana--Montana State Convention
Contact person is Tim Hodges, KD7JZ, 1005 Boulevard Ave, Havre, MT 59501.
406-265-7352 e-mail 7twh@mtintouch.net; www.gwhamfest.org

Oklahoma--Oklahoma Section Convention
Set up times are Friday, July 15, 10 AM-3 PM, and Saturday, July 16, 7 AM-8
AM. Event is open to public Friday, July 15, 4 PM-8 PM, and Saturday, July
16, 8 AM-3 PM.

Maryland (West Friendship)--Jul 24; set up Saturday 2 PM; public Sunday 8 AM
to 4 PM (grounds open for tailgating at 6 AM). Spr: Baltimore RA Television
Society. Howard County Fairgrounds, Rte 144; from the Baltimore Beltway
(I-695) take I-70 W to the Rte 32 exit ramp, at Rte 32 turn left (heading S)
to Rte 144 (Old Frederick Rd), turn right onto Rte 144 heading W to Howard
County Fairgrounds entrance. Hamfest/Computerfest, giant flea market,
vendors, electronics, ham radio and computer equipment, tailgating ($10 per
space; first-come, first-served basis; no advanced reservations), VE
sessions (check in 8:30, free exams 9 AM; pre-registration required; John
Creel, WB3GXW, 301-572-5124, 6-9 PM; mailto:creewb3gxw@aol.com), DXCC card
checking, handicapped accessible, refreshments. TI: 147.03, 224.96, 448.325.
Adm: $6, under 12 free. Tables: tables on sale in advance only. Mayer
Zimmerman, W3GXK, c/o BRATS, Box 5915, Baltimore, MD 21282-5915;
410-461-0086 (phone/fax); mailto:w3gxk@verizon.netor
mailto:brats@bratsatv.org; www.bratsatv.org.

August QST's "Hamfest Calendar" will include corrected information for
events taking place during the second half of July. We apologize for any
inconvenience these erroneous listings may have caused.

==>SOLAR UPDATE

Solar flash Tad "That Lucky Ol' Sun" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington,
reports: Propagation guru Tad “That Lucky Ol’ Sun” Cook, K7RA, Seattle,
Washington, reports: A projection shows active geomagnetic conditions on
Friday, June 24, followed by unsettled to active on Field Day weekend, June
25-26. A planetary geomagnetic A index of 20 is predicted for June 24-26.
These aren’t great conditions for HF, but are not at the level of a
geomagnetic storm like we had on Thursday June 23 when the planetary K index
went all the way to seven, and the planetary A index was 48.  Sunspot
numbers and solar flux are expected to remain low, with solar flux around
85.

Given the low sunspot numbers, 20 and 40 meters are going to be the best
bands for working cross country, with 80 meters open after dark.  40 and 80
should be the best bands for working stations less than 1000 miles away, day
or night.

To review the past week, sunspots and solar flux numbers were lower.
Average daily sunspot numbers dropped nearly 28 points from the previous
week to 51.1.  Average daily solar flux was off over 15 points to 87.7.  The
big geomagnetic activity of note was one day following our Thursday through
Wednesday reporting period, on Thursday, June 23, when mid-latitude A index
was 30 and planetary A index was 48.

Sunspot numbers for June 16 through 22 were 67, 59, 50, 43, 47, 53 and 39
with a mean of 51.1. 10.7 cm flux was 98.1, 90.8, 90, 86.9, 86.1, 82.8 and
79.5, with a mean of 87.7. Estimated planetary A indices were 26, 14, 7, 7,
5, 4 and 7 with a mean of 10. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 19, 9,
5, 3, 2, 1 and 6, with a mean of 6.4.

__________________________________

==>IN BRIEF:

* This weekend on the radio: ARRL Field Day, the ARCI Milliwatt Field Day,
the Marconi Memorial HF Contest and His Majesty the King of Spain Contest
(SSB) are the weekend of June 25-26. JUST AHEAD: The RAC Canada Day Contest
and the NCCC Thursday Sprint are July 1 (UTC). The Venezuelan Independence
Day Contest, the WLOTA Contest, the Original QRP Contest and the DARC
10-Meter Digital Contest are the weekend of July 2-3. The RSGB 80-Meter Club
Championship (CW) is July 4, and the Michigan QRP July 4th CW Sprint is July
4-5. The NCCC Thursday Sprint is July 8 (UTC). The IARU HF World
Championship, The VK/Trans-Tasman 160-Meter Contest (Phone), the FISTS
Summer Sprint, the ARCI Summer Homebrew Sprint are the weekend of July 9-10.
The RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship (SSB) is July 13. The NCCC Thursday
Sprint is July 15 (UTC). See the ARRL Contest Branch page
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/> and the WA7BNM Contest Calendar
<http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html> for more info.

* ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration:
Registration for the ARRL HF Digital Communication (EC-005) and ARRL
VHF/UHF--Beyond the Repeater (EC-008) courses remains open through Sunday,
June 26. Classes begin Friday, July 8. Students participating in
VHF/UHF--Beyond the Repeater (EC-008) will enjoy exploring some of the
lesser-used and more intriguing aspects of VHF/UHF operation. HF Digital
Communication students will learn to use a variety of HF digital modes. To
learn more, visit the ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Web page
<http://www.arrl.org/cce/> or contact the ARRL C-CE Department cce@arrl.org.

* HF saves the day after motor home breakdown: Well outside cell phone and
ham repeater range, ARRL member Bob Johnson, W7LRD, his wife and their two
dogs found themselves May 6 in their motor home broken down "in the middle
of nowhere" 70 miles north of Las Vegas, Nevada. To the rescue came
Johnson's trusty Icom IC-730 and some friendly fellow radio amateurs. "I
found Bruce, VA7BEB, on 20 meters, and he started getting my information to
my insurance company for road service," Johnson recounts. But the
propagation gods were not smiling. Enter Phil, W7PDZ, and Larry, KA0MZL.
"Phil continued where Bruce left off, while Larry notified the Nevada
Highway Patrol," Johnson continues. "The highway patrol showed up and took
note of our situation. A tow truck out of Pahrump, Nevada, came and took us
to an RV park across the street from an auto parts store!" The next day
Johnson was able to pin down the problem--a failed ignition coil. He picked
up and installed a new one, and he and his family were good to go. "Without
the assistance and perseverance of these gentlemen, it would have been a
very long day and possibly night," he says.

* ARRL Northern New Jersey SM donates ARRL books to new library: What do you
do when your town gets a new library? ARRL Northern New Jersey Section
Manager Bill Hudzik, W2UDT, donated a selection of ARRL books to the new
Long Hill Township Library. At a fund-raising event, W2UDT learned from
Library Director Arline Most that the library had no current books on
Amateur Radio. So, when the new library was dedicated, Hudzik made sure that
Amateur Radio was represented! The new Long Hill Township Library now has a
selection including the ARRL Handbook, Morse code CD, licensing guides and a
young reader's radio adventure book, among others. Hudzik says he can't
think of a better way to promote the Amateur Radio service than to donate
reading material to the local library. "I got started in Amateur Radio at my
library, and I hope other young readers in Long Hill will follow," he said.

* Pete Halpin, PH1PH/G7ECN, SK: Pete Halpin, PH1PH/G7ECN, of Hengelo, the
Netherlands, died June 8. The co-developer with Simon Brown, HB9DRV, of the
freeware Ham Radio Deluxe transceiver-control package, Halpin was considered
its support and services guru. Licensed in 1982, Halpin was a retired
aircraft technician who, in Brown's words, "devoted copious free time to
this project. He will be missed by everyone involved with Ham Radio Deluxe."
The Radio Society of Great Britain recognized Brown and Halpin last year for
their significant contribution to the development of Amateur Radio
technology. Halpin also has received awards from the QRP Amateur Radio Club
International, one for his low-power successes on 6 meters. He was a past
director of No Code International.

* Swedish VLF transmitter on the air July 2-3: The SAQ Alexanderson
alternator transmitter <http://www.alexander.n.se/> operating on 17.2 kHz
from Sweden will be on the air Saturday and Sunday, July 2 and 3. The July 2
transmission at 1230 UTC will mark the inauguration of a new visitor's
center at the Grimeton site, and July 3 is "Alexanderson Day," when the
station will be open to the general public (between 10 AM and 4 PM local
time). Transmissions on July 3 will take place at 0815, 0915, 1215 and 1315
UTC. In addition, Amateur Radio station SK6SAQ will operate a special event
from the site. Approximate frequencies are 14.035 MHz CW and 3.755 and
14.215 MHz SSB.--RSGB
===========================================================
The ARRL Letter is published Fridays, 50 times each year, by the American
Radio Relay League--The National Association For Amateur Radio--225 Main St,
Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259;
<http://www.arrl.org/>. Jim Haynie, W5JBP, President.

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