*************** The ARRL Letter Vol. 27, No. 45 November 14, 2008 *************** IN THIS EDITION: * + Hurricane Nets, WX4NHC Activate as Hurricane Paloma Batters Cayman Islands and Cuba * + ARRL Sweepstakes Celebrates Diamond Anniversary this Weekend * + IBM Teams up with BPL Provider to Offer Service in Seven States * + Spectrum Defense: The ARRL's Primary Mission * + ARRL Says "Thank You" to Veterans * + Satellite Serving as Voice Repeater Expected to Go QRT by Year's End * ARRL to Offer Self-Study Course on Digital Technology for Emergency Communications * Solar Update * IN BRIEF: This Weekend on the Radio ARRL Continuing Education Course Registration + ARRL HQ to Close for Thanksgiving + WorldRadio to Cease Print Publication +Available on ARRL Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> =========================================================== ==>Delivery problems: First see FAQ <http://www.arrl.org/members-only/faq.html#nodelivery>, then e-mail <letter-dlvy@arrl.org> ==>Editorial questions or comments only: S. Khrystyne Keane, <k1sfa@arrl.org> =========================================================== ==> HURRICANE NETS, WX4NHC ACTIVATE AS HURRICANE PALOMA BATTERS CAYMAN ISLANDS AND CUBA As Hurricane Paloma -- a Category 4 storm at its peak --threatened the Cayman Islands and Cuba this past weekend, the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN), the VoIP Hurricane Net (VOIPWX) and WX4NHC -- the Amateur Radio station at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) -- were active and standing by to take and relay reports from the affected areas. WX4NHC and the various hurricane Nets were active beginning at 4 PM EST on Friday, November 7, going through the evening and overnight hours into Saturday morning. Later that afternoon, hams reactivated the Nets, keeping them open through Saturday night to gather more information from Cuba. Arnie Coro, CO2KK, was active with Cuban Emergency Nets on 40 meters. He relayed reports of widespread communication outages; at least one communications tower was blown down in Santa Cruz Del Sur. In the province of Camaguey, sustained winds of 95 MPH and gusts to 155 MPH were recorded. "We had to go through two different relays on 40 meters to gather those reports from Arnie, as propagation -- which is normally good between WX4NHC and Cuba -- was poor," said Assistant WX4NHC Coordinator Julio Ripoll, WD4R. "Arnie's reports were also used in official advisory statements issued by the NHC." The Cayman Islands also saw their share of the storm. "Through a variety of contacts that we were able to make [in the area], we learned of hurricane force wind gusts measured as high as 100 MPH on Grand Cayman Island," said VoIP Hurricane Net Director of Operations Rob Macedo, KD1CY. "There was significant damage, particularly over Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. We received a relayed unofficial report of a 155 MPH wind gust on Cayman Brac. Roofs were blown off homes and significant damage was reported at resort locations on Cayman Brac." Ripoll said that the NHC used many of the reports received from the Nets in the official advisory statements issued by NHC forecasters. A complete list of reports received from various sources can be seen on the VoIP Hurricane Net Report Viewer <http://report.voipwx.net/qilan/nhcwx/list_VOIP_records?auth=OK>. "The efforts of the VoIP Hurricane Net were very helpful, especially during Paloma's track through the Cayman Islands," said Ripoll. "The information relayed by the Nets gave the Hurricane Center forecasters additional insight of what Cayman residents were actually going through. The multi-tasking, multi-mode methods of combining EchoLink, IRLP, VoIP, HF monitoring, Internet Web blogs and direct e-mail is a great example of information gathering without limitations. These hybrid communications efforts -- before and during the hurricane -- to contact hams and non-hams were successful in promoting awareness that people had alternate means of sending and receiving hurricane information during the event. Some of these new contacts will now be better prepared for future storms." ==> ARRL SWEEPSTAKES CELEBRATES DIAMOND ANNIVERSARY THIS WEEKEND Fans of domestic contesting will take to the airwaves this weekend for the 75th running of the ARRL November SSB Sweepstakes. According to ARRL Contest Branch Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X, the event started back in 1929 as a competition for handling formal traffic messages and is one of the oldest traditions in Amateur Radio. A complete primer by ARRL Contributing Editor H. Ward Silver, N0AX, on how to participate in Sweepstakes can be found in the Radiosport supplement in the October 2008 issue of QST. Kutzko said that the CW Sweepstakes two weeks ago netted some of the highest on-air participation in years: "For the bottom of the sunspot cycle, band conditions were stellar two weeks ago. We've already received almost 1000 logs for the CW portion. I hope conditions will be as good this weekend for the SSB Sweepstakes." To commemorate this diamond anniversary, the ARRL is offering special prizes. All stations that submit a log with 75 of the 80 ARRL and RAC Sections worked will receive a special free magnet. As in previous years, those who submit logs with at least 100 contacts will be able to purchase Participation Pins. The major challenge in Sweepstakes is to work a "Clean Sweep," or all 80 ARRL/RAC Sections. "We were concerned that Clean Sweeps would be tough to come by for the CW portion, but thanks to many hams who trekked out to activate some of the rarer Sections, there were many Clean Sweeps," Kutzko said. "We anticipate many more stations on the air for the Phone portion of Sweepstakes -- with a little bit of effort, you too can get a Clean Sweep." Kutzko said this year's Sweepstakes is offering a special incentive. "This year, we will be awarding a Clean Sweep whisk broom to all stations that make a Clean Sweep," Kutzko said. "Brooms were last available in 1983, the 50th running of Sweepstakes. In addition to the free brooms, Clean Sweep coffee mugs will also be available for purchase. This year's mug will be fine etched glass and will truly be a collector's item." Thanks to ICOM America, the Principal Awards Sponsor of the November Sweepstakes, certificates will be awarded for first place in each of the 80 ARRL/RAC Sections for all six entry categories; plaques will be available to the overall winners in each entry category, as well as the winners in each Division. "ICOM has provided plaques and certificates for Sweepstakes winners since 2005, and we are grateful for their support over the years," Kutzko said. As with the CW Sweepstakes, Kutzko is encouraging stations in rare ARRL/RAC sections to get on the air and hand out their section. "Being on the other side of the pileup is tremendous fun. If you live in a rare section like North Dakota, Newfoundland/Labrador, Manitoba or several others, the QSOs you make will be greatly appreciated by everyone you work. If you live in one of these places, this is a golden opportunity for you to be the 'rare DX.' Stations in these Sections get to hear 'Thanks for the Sweep!' more than once during the weekend. Even if your station is modest, your effort to put a rare Section on the air during Sweepstakes will be appreciated by every single station that works you." Whether you want to go for a Top 10 finish, or simply get on the air to hand out a few QSOs or work on your Worked All States Award (WAS) <http://www.arrl.org/awards/was/>, Kutzko said the November SSB Sweepstakes is guaranteed fun and excitement. Don't forget to submit your log to Logbook of The World, too! Be sure to check out the complete rules and entry forms <http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2008/novss.html>. Come be a part of one of Amateur Radio's finest traditions. ==> IBM TEAMS UP WITH BPL PROVIDER TO OFFER SERVICE IN SEVEN STATES On November 12, IBM announced that it has signed a $9.6 million deal with International Broadband Electric Communications (IBEC) to install equipment and provide BPL service to almost 350,000 homes in Alabama, Indiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin. According to the Associated Press, IBEC Chief Executive Scott Lee said the network, which will be funded by $70 million in low-interest federal loans from the Department of Agriculture, should be in place in about two years. IBEC currently provides broadband to only about 1400 customers, most of them beginning to receive service in the past 18 months. "IBEC's equipment doesn't use the ham bands," said ARRL Laboratory Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, "making it less likely that they will have any interference complaints from amateurs. Their equipment, however, does interfere with shortwave broadcast and other spectrum, but in the US, not many users have complained. IBM has been in the BPL business for a few years now, so this venture is nothing new for them." IBEC staff member Brent Zitting, KB4SL, serves as a member of ARRL's EMC Committee. IBM is the first major systems integrator to enter the market. According to an IBEC press release announcing the joint venture, IBM will provide overall project management, oversight and training of the line crews who will be installing the BPL equipment. IBEC will provide the BPL technology and equipment and serve as the Internet Service Provider (ISP) to these rural residents. A 2006 FCC study reported that fewer than 5000 homes receive their Internet connections via power lines. IBM and IBEC's joint plan, Lee said, will serve residents, of whom about 86 percent have no cable or DSL access, in the seven states. According to reports, IBEC's strategy is to sign up electric cooperatives that provide power to sparsely populated areas across the eastern United States. Rather than compete toe-to-toe with large, entrenched cable or DSL providers, IBEC is looking for customers that have been largely left out of the move to high-speed Internet. "Although the BPL industry is making progress on the EMC issues," Hare explained, "this process will not be complete until it supports regulations and industry standards that reflect its successful models. At recent meetings of the IEEE P1775 BPL EMC standards committee -- although utility and radiocommunications stakeholders wanted to include an informative annex on the ways to address BPL interference, as well as a procedure to address complaints -- some in the BPL industry, including the representative from IBEC, blocked moving the EMC standard to IEEE ballot with the annex included." ==> SPECTRUM DEFENSE: THE ARRL'S PRIMARY MISSION Defending and enhancing access to the Amateur Radio spectrum is the primary mission of the ARRL. According to ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, the League has not only protected the bands, but has also added several new ones, despite exponential growth in the variety and number of radio frequency devices in the hands of consumers and businesses. "Even our most disappointing defeat -- the loss of the bottom 40 percent of the 220 MHz band some two decades ago -- gave us upgraded status, from shared to exclusive, in the remaining 60 percent of the band," he said. Sumner said that amateurs will soon have cause to celebrate: March 29, 2009 marks the date that high-powered international broadcasting stations will be removed from the heart of the 40 meter band. "We are working with the broadcasters to make sure the change takes place as agreed at the 2003 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC)," Sumner said. "While it's probably too much to expect 100 percent instant compliance, we know that the responsible broadcasters are preparing to move out of the 7100-7200 kHz segment -- doubling the size of the worldwide 40 meter band and making this popular band more useful than it's been in 70 years." At the WRC in 2007, the Amateur Radio Service earned its first low-frequency (LF) allocation, 135.7-137.8 kHz; however, here in the United States, amateurs will not gain access to this new band automatically when the Final Acts of the conference take effect on January 1, 2009. "We must petition the FCC to implement the allocation, and we know the petition will not be granted without an argument -- because we've been down this road before," Sumner explained. "Twice in the past, the ARRL has sought an LF allocation. Both times our request was opposed by the Utilities Telecom Council (UTC) -- the same organization that has opposed our efforts to protect radio services from Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) <http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/> interference." Sumner recounted that the ARRL's fight against BPL interference has been going on for six years. "Last year, in the wake of Federal Communications Commission decisions that did not adequately protect licensed radiocommunication services from interference from BPL systems, the ARRL even went to court to challenge the FCC and won!" he said <http://pacer.cadc.uscourts.gov/common/opinions/200804/06-1343-1112979.p df>. "On April 25, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit confirmed what the ARRL has been saying for years about how the FCC was handling the BPL interference issue: FCC prejudice tainted the rulemaking process." On July 9, the Court went one step further, ordering the FCC to pay the ARRL more than $6000 toward the League's costs in pursuing the appeal. "While this is a tiny fraction of our total investment," Sumner said, "the award affirmed that -- contrary to the 'spin' the FCC had been trying to give to the Court's decision -- the ARRL substantially prevailed in its appeal." Calling the Court's decision "a tremendous victory for radio amateurs and other licensed users of the radio spectrum -- indeed, for anyone who cares about the federal administrative process," Sumner said that the remand does not guarantee that the FCC will correct its errors. "We face another round of technical arguments," he said. "No doubt the FCC's technical staff, many of whom want to do the right thing, will remain under heavy pressure to ignore the laws of physics and give preference to wishful thinking once again. When the FCC reopens the BPL proceeding as the Court has ordered, we must leave no room for these technical issues to be settled on anything other than technical grounds. There's more work to do. It is only through the support of thousands of ARRL members and friends that we have managed to come this far. But it took great effort, including our frontal assault on the flawed FCC proceedings, to get their attention. Together we can celebrate all that we have accomplished on the BPL front over the past six years!" BPL is not the only challenge facing the League, Sumner said, pointing out that preparations for the upcoming WRC in 2011 are already underway. The key WRC-11 issues for Amateur Radio are: * A possible allocation near 500 kHz. This would provide amateurs' first access to the lower part of the medium frequency (MF) band. Sumner said a "600 meter" band offers exciting possibilities for reliable groundwave communication through the application of digital signal processing techniques to a portion of the spectrum that is as old as radio itself. * Defense against a push to allocate spectrum between 3 and 50 MHz for oceanographic radar applications. * Support of an initiative to provide better protection for radio services against interference from short-range radio devices. * Consideration of regulatory measures for software-defined radio and cognitive radio systems, which offer both opportunities and threats to existing radio services. * Selection of agenda items for the WRC to follow (tentatively planned for 2015). "ARRL staff and volunteers are hard at work on your behalf, teaming up with International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) volunteers from around the globe to build the strongest possible case for Amateur Radio at WRC-11," he said, calling on all amateurs to help protect Amateur Radio's precious spectrum. "Once again, your financial commitment to spectrum defense is vital to our ability to protect your access to radio spectrum. Your contribution to the 2009 Spectrum Defense Fund will provide the financial resources required for us to represent you at WRC-11, and to respond when the FCC reacts to the BPL remand decision. Contributions to the 2009 Spectrum Defense Fund are coming in, but the goal of raising $300,000 to support ARRL's representation of members by November 30 is an uphill climb. We cannot reach our goal without contributions from ARRL members." To help in the ARRL's ongoing mission to protect our valuable spectrum, please visit the Spectrum Defense area on the ARRL Web site <https://www.arrl.org/forms/fdefense/>. You can also reach ARRL Chief Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH, at 860-594-0397 or via e-mail <k1mmh@arrl.org>. New special gifts are being offered for contributions, including a new 2009 mug and pin. More details on thank you gifts can be found on the donation form for the Spectrum Defense Fund. ==> ARRL SAYS "THANK YOU" TO VETERANS On Tuesday, November 11, Veterans Day -- called Remembrance Day or Armistice Day outside the US -- was celebrated all over the world. This day -- marking the end of World War I, the "War to end all Wars" -- has been set aside to honor all who have served their country. It was on November 11, 1918 -- on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month -- that Germany signed the Armistice, formally ending the hostilities that had been ongoing since 1914. The ARRL would like to take this opportunity to thank our service veterans. Whether they served on active duty or reserve, during peace time or time of conflict, they served their county with honor. We also would be remiss if we did not remember the families of those veterans who kept the homefires burning bright; without their love and support, our veterans would have indeed been alone. ARRL Headquarters has its share of service veterans: Contributing Editor Al Brogdon, W1AB (Army); Publications Sales Associate Mark Dzamba, KB1FMY (Air Force); Assistant VEC Manager Perry Green, WY1O (Army); Volunteer Archivist Charles Griffen, W1GYR (Air Force); Technical Editor Joel Hallas, W1ZR (Army); News Editor S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA (Coast Guard); DXCC Manager Bill Moore, NC1L (Army); Reprints Specialist Tony Nesta, AA1RZ (Navy); Membership and Volunteer Programs Manager Dave Patton, NN1N (Navy); Chief Technology Officer Paul Rinaldo, W4RI (Army); Technical Relations Specialist Jon Siverling, WB3ERA (Army); Field and Regulatory Correspondent Chuck Skolaut, K0BOG (Air Force); Education & Technology Program Coordinator Mark Spencer, WA8SME (Air Force), and Archivist Perry Williams, W1UED (Air Force). Thank you for your service -- your sacrifice and the sacrifice of your fellow service members is not forgotten. ==> SATELLITE SERVING AS VOICE REPEATER EXPECTED TO GO QRT BY END OF YEAR Launched in January 1990, AMSAT-OSCAR 16 (AO-16) -- a digital satellite -- has been operating as a voice repeater since January 2008, using FM voice on the uplink and transmitting DSB voice on the downlink (best received on SSB) <http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2008/01/23/100/>. But according to the satellite's command team, the satellite's orbit might force this to end sometime before the end of the year. According to Mark Hammond, N8MH, a member of the AO-16 command team, AO-16 has a hardware/watchdog timer that resets the satellite and shuts the transmitter down. This timer in AO-16 will fire -- and cannot be reset -- when the satellite's temperature is 15 degrees Celsius or cooler. When the timer "fires," it shuts down the transmitter. "When the bird's temperature is more than 15 degrees Celsius," Hammond said, "the hardware timer behaves and continuous operations are sustained." The satellite's temperature depends upon solar illumination. Hammond said that the "magic number" is around 85 percent of the orbit in sunlight: If the orbit provides AO-16 with less than 85 percent illumination, the spacecraft's temperature falls below 15 degrees and the hardware timer fires. "Illumination projections, as well as subsequent temperature predictions, suggest that we might be able to sustain operations until sometime in the window of November 22 until December 4, 2008," Hammond predicted. "So if you want to make some AO-16 contacts, you had better get them as soon as possible!" Hammond said that long term-orbital projections suggest that if the satellite hardware remains fundamentally unchanged -- such as no deterioration of on-board components -- "it will be nearly 10 years before AO-16 receives sufficient illumination to warm up the spacecraft enough to again support sustained operations." It is possible that the transmitter on AO-16 will turn off sometime in the next few days or weeks, Hammond said. "This requires some commanding to get it running again, meaning a pass over the eastern coast of the United States is required for a change in operational status. We expect that as the spacecraft cools down, transmitter shutdowns will become more frequent. You can be sure that we'll continue to probe the craft with commands, in hopes that we something will change in a good way that will allow us to use the bird for operations of some sort." AMSAT Vice President of Operations Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, said the satellite hears very well; the reduced bandwidth by using either USB or LSB on the ground station receiver "allows for a very robust downlink. Tuning the downlink is just like on a linear transponder, meaning it is tight and with fast Doppler. Uplink tuning is not required, just as with the FM mode V/U satellites. My personal observations include being able to access and hear the satellite within one degree of the horizon, much lower than any other current bird for my location [in Florida]. This should be an easy satellite with omni antennas and a 70 cm preamp." AO-16's uplink is 145.9200 MHz FM; the downlink is 437.0260 MHz SSB. Users are asked to restrict their uplink power to a reasonable power level, and not to transmit without being able to hear the downlink; all general single-channel guidelines apply. "Enjoy this grand old bird while you can!" said Hammond. ==> ARRL TO OFFER SELF-STUDY COURSE ON DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY FOR EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS With digital technology becoming an integral part of Amateur Radio, hams interested in Emergency Communications now have a new tool to help them take advantage of emerging modes such as Packet Radio APRS, Winlink 2000, IRLP, EchoLink and WIRES-II, D-STAR, APCO25, HF sound card modes and Automatic Link Establishment (ALE). "The ARRL Digital Technology for Emergency Communications Course" will introduce hams to all of the ways Amateur Radio operators are using digital technology as a valuable emergency communications tool <http://www.arrl.org/catalog/?item=1247>. Written by ARRL Publications Manager and QST Editor Steve Ford, WB8IMY, this self-study CD-ROM will answer such questions as: * Can you transfer supply lists or personnel assignments between emergency operations sites? * Can you get critical e-mails to the Internet if a connection goes down? * Can you relay digital images of damage at specific locations? * Can you track the locations of emergency personnel and display them on computer maps? Illustrations, screenshots, Internet links and audio files are used to demonstrate transmission modes and equipment configurations. Bite-sized learning units and interactive knowledge checks make learning interesting and fun! "This course is a great starting point for anyone interested in the public service applications of digital communications technology," said Ford. "The ARRL Digital Technology for Emergency Communications Course" is available from the ARRL for only $49.95. Minimum System Requirements for CD-ROM -- Microsoft Windows Vista/XP/2000/NT/98/95 or Apple OS X; 200 MHz processor; 32 MB RAM; sound card and speakers; 4-speed CD-ROM drive or higher. Requires Web browser -- Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0, Mozilla Firefox 2.0, Apple Safari 3.0 or later versions. Some documents require Adobe Reader. ==>SOLAR UPDATE Tad "We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow" Cook, K7RA, this week reports: We soon may be talking about a day or two without sunspots as the norm, perhaps when looking at a preceding month -- quite the opposite of noting the few days with sunspots. It seems like a long time ago because of the long strings of spotless days. We saw eight days in a row with visible sunspots around mid-October, followed by another eight days around the start of November, then after just three days of no spots. By the end of today -- Friday, November 14 -- we may see five straight days, possibly followed by more. Sunspot numbers for November 6-12 were 11, 0, 0, 0, 16, 18 and 21 with a mean of 9.4. The 10.7 cm flux was 68.6, 67.8, 68.3, 68.4, 69.3, 71.4 and 70.9 with a mean of 69.2. The estimated planetary A indices were 1, 8, 14, 12, 3, 1 and 2 with a mean of 5.9. The estimated mid-latitude A indices were 0, 7, 11, 10, 3, 1 and 4 with a mean of 5.1. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information Service Propagation page <http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html>. To read this week's Solar Report in its entirety, check out the W1AW Propagation Bulletin page <http://www.arrl.org/w1aw/prop/>. This week's "Tad Cookism" brought to you by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae's "In Flanders Field" <http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/flanders.htm>. __________________________________ ==>IN BRIEF: * This Week on the Radio: This week is the ARRL EME Contest on November 15-16 and the 75th running of the ARRL Sweepstakes Contest (SSB) on November 15-17. The NCCC Sprint is November 14.The JT Hamradio-50 Anniversary DX Contest and the Feld Hell Sprint are November 15. The SARL Field Day Contest, the All Austrian 160 Meter Contest and the RSGB 2nd 1.8 MHz Contest (CW) are November 15-16. The EU PSK63 QSO Party is November 16, the Run for the Bacon QRP Contest is November 17 and the NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint is November 20. Next week, the YO International PSK31 Contest is November 21. The LZ DX Contest is November 22-23. The SKCC Sprint and the RSGB 80 Meter Club Sprint (CW) are both on November 26. All dates, unless otherwise stated, are UTC. See the ARRL Contest Branch page <http://www.arrl.org/contests/>, the ARRL Contest Update <http://www.arrl.org/contests/update/> and the WA7BNM Contest Calendar <http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html> for more info. Looking for a Special Event station? Be sure to check out the ARRL Special Event Station Web page <http://www.arrl.org/contests/spev.html>. * ARRL Continuing Education Course Registration: Registration remains open through Sunday, November 23, 2008, for these online course sessions beginning on Friday, December 5, 2008: Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 1 (EC-001), Radio Frequency Interference (EC-006), Antenna Design and Construction (EC-009), Technician License Course (EC-010), Analog Electronics (EC-012) and Digital Electronics (EC-013). Each online course has been developed in segments -- learning units with objectives, informative text, student activities and quizzes. Courses are interactive, and some include direct communications with a Mentor/Instructor. Students register for a particular session that may be 8, 12 or 16 weeks (depending on the course) and they may access the course at any time of day during the course period, completing lessons and activities at times convenient for their personal schedule. Mentors assist students by answering questions, reviewing assignments and activities, as well as providing helpful feedback. Interaction with mentors is conducted through e-mail; there is no appointed time the student must be present -- allowing complete flexibility for the student to work when and where it is convenient. To learn more, visit the CCE Course Listing page <http://www.arrl.org/cep/student> or contact the Continuing Education Program Coordinator <cep@arrl.org>. * ARRL HQ to Close for Thanksgiving: ARRL Headquarters will be closed Thursday, November 27 and Friday, November 28 in observance of Thanksgiving. There will be no W1AW bulletins or code practice transmissions those days. The ARRL Letter will be published on Wednesday, November 26, but there will be no ARRL Audio News on Friday, November 28. ARRL Headquarters will reopen Monday, December 1 at 8 AM Eastern Standard Time. We wish everyone a safe and bounteous Thanksgiving holiday. * WorldRadio to Cease Print Publication: In a joint statement, WorldRadio Publisher Armond Noble, N6WR, and CQ Publisher Dick Ross, K2MGA, announced that WorldRadio magazine will no longer be published as a print magazine. According to the announcement, CQ Communications Inc has acquired WorldRadio and plans to continue it as an online publication on CQ's Web site. WorldRadio subscribers will have their subscriptions transferred to CQ magazine. Readers will be notified of details as plans are finalized. =========================================================== The ARRL Letter is published Fridays, 50 times each year, by the American Radio Relay League: ARRL--the national association for Amateur Radio, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259; <http://www.arrl.org/>. Joel Harrison, W5ZN, President. The ARRL Letter offers a weekly e-mail digest of essential and general news of interest to active radio amateurs. Visit the ARRL Web site <http://www.arrl.org/> for the latest Amateur Radio news and news updates. The ARRL Web site <http://www.arrl.org/> also offers informative features and columns. ARRL Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> is a weekly "ham radio newscast" compiled and edited from The ARRL Letter. It's also available as a podcast from our Web site. Material from The ARRL Letter may be republished or reproduced in whole or in part in any form without additional permission. Credit must be given to The ARRL Letter/American Radio Relay League. ==>Delivery problems (ARRL member direct delivery only!): letter-dlvy@arrl.org ==>Editorial questions or comments: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA, k1sfa@arrl.org ==>ARRL News on the Web: <http://www.arrl.org/> ==>ARRL Audio News: <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> or call 860-594-0384 ==>How to Get The ARRL Letter The ARRL Letter is available to ARRL members free of charge directly from ARRL HQ. To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your address for e-mail delivery: ARRL members first must register on the Members Only Web Site <http://www.arrl.org/members/>. You'll have an opportunity during registration to sign up for e-mail delivery of The ARRL Letter, W1AW bulletins, and other material. To change these selections--including delivery of The ARRL Letter--registered members should click on the "Member Data Page" link (in the Members Only box). Click on "Modify membership data," check or uncheck the appropriate boxes and/or change your e-mail address if necessary. (Check "Temporarily disable all automatically sent email" to temporarily stop all e-mail deliveries.) Then, click on "Submit modification" to make selections effective. (NOTE: HQ staff members cannot change your e-mail delivery address. You must do this yourself via the Members Only Web Site.) The ARRL Letter also is available to all, free of charge, from these sources: * ARRLWeb <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/>. (NOTE: The ARRL Letter will be posted each Friday when it is distributed via e-mail.) * The QTH.net listserver, thanks to volunteers from the Boston Amateur Radio Club: Visit Mailing Lists@QTH.Net <http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/letter-list>. (NOTE: The ARRL cannot assist subscribers who receive The ARRL Letter via this listserver.) Copyright 2008 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved