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Skriven 2020-08-28 09:05:02 av Sean Dennis (1:18/200.0)
Ärende: The Weekly ARRL Letter
==============================
   The ARRL Letter                                                         
   August 27, 2020                                                         
                                                                           
     * Board of Directors Elects New ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA          
     * Amateur Radio Volunteers Ready as Deadly Hurricane Laura Makes       
       Landfall                                                             
     * NASA's THEMIS Mission Investigates Aurora Mysteries                  
     * ARRL Podcasts Schedule                                               
     * Candidates Set for 2020 ARRL Division Elections                     
     * ARRL Seeks National Club Coordinator                                
     * The K7RA Solar Update                                               
     * Just Ahead in Radiosport                                            
     * Ham-Astronauts to Crew Boeing, SpaceX Commercial Missions for NASA  
     * Announcements                                                       
     * In Brief...                                                         
     * Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions              
   Board of Directors Elects New ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA             
                                                                           
   The ARRL Board of Directors has elected David Minster, NA2AA, of Wayne, 
   New Jersey, as ARRL's new Chief Executive Officer, starting on          
   September 28. Minster is currently Managing Partner at Talentrian       
   Partners, a management consulting firm serving the consumer goods and   
   luxury goods industries.                                                
                                                                           
   Minster began his career as a software engineer, moving into management 
   at Unilever, as a Chief Information Officer of this globally recognized 
   portfolio of brands that includes Elizabeth Arden Company,              
   Chesebrough-Ponds Canada, Thomas J. Lipton Co., and others. From there, 
   he moved to fine jewelry manufacturer and retailer David Yurman, where  
   he served as COO and CIO. More recently, Minster served as CEO of       
   jewelry brands Scott Kay and Judith Ripka.                              
                                                                           
   "Building a culture of accomplishment and accountability is what I do   
   best," he said. "My initial focus will be working with the Board on     
   establishing strategic goals and concrete plans to navigate ARRL        
   through the digital transformation required for the coming decades of   
   its Second Century. This includes exciting and innovative ways to be    
   engaged in amateur radio, while growing activity and membership."       
                                                                           
   Minster got his Novice license, WB2MAE, in 1977, when he was in his     
   teens. He progressed from vanced to Amateur Extra and, after a stint  
   as NW2D, he settled on the vanity call sign NA2AA in the 1990s as a way 
   to honor a mentor, N2AA, and the contest station that he used to        
   frequent, K2GL, in Tuxedo Park, New York.                               
                                                                           
   Minster's ham radio pursuits have ranged far and wide over the years.   
   His background includes National Traffic System training and            
   participation in public service events, as well as contesting from      
   home, club stations, and contest stations in the Caribbean --           
   particularly on Bonaire, where he is a member of PJ4G. Primarily a CW   
   operator, Minster collects unique and vintage bugs and keys.            
                                                                           
   Minster earned a bachelor's degree in computer engineering from The     
   Ohio State University and has a special interest in satellites, digital 
   communications, remote operation, and ham radio computing and software. 
   He has written keyer software for the commercial market, and contest    
   logging, packet, and satellite telemetry software for personal use.     
                                                                           
   In addition to being an ARRL member, Minster is a member of AMSAT, the  
   Frankford Radio Club, the Straight Key Century Club, CWops, and the     
   North American QRP CW Club.                                             
                                                                           
   "I spend every day of my life, one way or another, engaged in amateur   
   radio. It is more than just a hobby for me; it is my community. It is   
   where I live; where I have built lifelong friendships, and friendships  
   that span the globe. Amateur radio allows me to dream and to            
   experiment. I can't wait to bring my energy and boundless enthusiasm in 
   service to ARRL."                                                       
                                                                           
   ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, said, "We are excited to welcome    
   David as our new CEO, and look forward to his progressive leadership.   
   His experience in management and operations, plus his activities in     
   amateur radio, will serve our organization and members well."           
                                                                           
   Minster will succeed Barry J. Shelley, N1VXY, who was CEO in 2018, and  
   who has been serving as ARRL's Interim CEO since January 2020. Shelley  
   had been ARRL's Chief Financial Officer since January 1992.             
   Amateur Radio Volunteers Ready as Deadly Hurricane Laura Makes Landfall 
                                                                           
   Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES^(R)) teams along the Gulf Coast   
   were ready to assist as needed after Hurricane Laura made landfall as a 
   powerful and deadly Category 4 storm along the Texas-Louisiana border   
   with sustained winds of 150 MPH. The National Hurricane Center (NHC)    
   predicted "unsurvivable storm surge" was in the vicinity of 20 feet or  
   greater, driving Gulf waters inland into waterways and lowlands. More   
   than a half-million people in Louisiana and Texas were told to evacuate 
   ahead of the storm, but not everyone did -- or was able to leave.       
   Widespread power outages were reported. By Thursday morning, the        
   Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) had ratcheted its alert level up to 5 --      
   Catastrophic Response Mode -- and remained in operation even after the  
   hurricane hit.                                                          
                                                                           
   "Once Laura has been downgraded to a Tropical Storm, we will focus on   
   helping to gather any post-storm reports from the areas that had been   
   hit," HWN Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, said. "This includes the        
   relaying of any emergency or priority traffic."                         
                                                                           
   At mid-week, ARRL South Texas Section Emergency Coordinator Jeffery     
   Walter, KE5FGA, said, "We have begun nightly Zoom meetings with North   
   Texas, South Texas, and ARRL Delta Division leadership. The areas       
   directly in the path of the storm may call for mutual aid support." He  
   assured that volunteers would be vetted and provided with necessary     
   information and a plan put in place to define their deployment period.  
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
   The FCC has granted an ARRL request for a 30-day waiver to facilitate   
   relief communications in the wake of Hurricane Laura. The waiver        
   temporarily permits amateur data transmissions at a higher symbol rate  
   than currently permitted under the FCC's rules. ARRL pointed out in its 
   request that Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) members would be    
   working with federal, state, and local emergency management officials   
   to assist with disaster relief and may use radio modems capable of both 
   PACTOR 3 and PACTOR 4 emissions. The higher data rates PACTOR 4 offers  
   are critical to sending hurricane relief communications, including      
   lists of needed and distributed supplies. Read more.                    
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
   At 1200 UTC on Thursday, the NHC was reporting damaging winds and       
   flooding rainfall overspreading inland areas in western and central     
   Louisiana. "Life-threatening storm surge continues along much of the    
   Louisiana coastline," the report added. The storm was still packing 100 
   MPH winds. Laura was moving toward the north and that motion was        
   expected to continue through the day. A northeastward to                
   east-northeastward motion was expected Thursday night and Friday. Laura 
   was predicted to move across southwestern Louisiana Thursday morning,   
   and then continue northward across the state through the afternoon,     
   with the storm's center forecast to move over Arkansas Thursday night,  
   the mid-Mississippi Valley on Friday, and the mid-Atlantic states on    
   Saturday.                                                               
                                                                           
   Voice over Internet Protocol Weather Net (VoIP-WX) Manager Rob Macedo,  
   KD1CY, was interviewed on The Weather Channel on Thursday morning.      
                                                                           
   In Louisiana and Texas, ARES teams were in standby status for local     
   emergency managers or served agencies, such as the Red Cross, to        
   request activation. Louisiana Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC) James 
   Coleman, AI5B, said earlier this week that activations would happen on  
   a parish-by-parish or on a regional basis as support is needed. The     
   Louisiana ARES Emergency Net activated on Wednesday on 3.878 and/or     
   7.255 MHz. The Delta Division Emergency Net was on standby Thursday.    
   Ham Aid emergency communication kits from ARRL Headquarters have been   
   pre-positioned in Louisiana for such situations since last year.        
                                                                           
   ARRL South Texas Section Manager -- and incoming ARRL Director of       
   Emergency Management -- Paul Gilbert, KE5ZW, was among those            
   participating in an August 26 ARRL Headquarters Emergency Response Team 
   (HQERT) Zoom meeting that also included Section leadership in Louisiana 
   and Mississippi. ARES members were advised to stay in touch with        
   Section Emergency Coordinators as well as district and local emergency  
   coordinators for any activation plans, but consensus of those at the    
   session was that volunteers would be needed. Gilbert stressed that ARES 
   volunteers should not self-deploy.                                      
                                                                           
   "Most staff members, including the HQERT, are working from home and     
   communicating with each other via email and Microsoft Teams," ARRL      
   Assistant Emergency Preparedness Manager Ken Bailey, K1FUG, said,       
   adding that W1AW was ready if needed.                                   
                                                                         
   NASA's THEMIS Mission Investigates Aurora Mysteries                     
                                                                           
   According to a NASA report, a special type of aurora, draped            
   east-to-west across the night sky like a glowing pearl necklace, is     
   helping scientists to better understand the science of auroras. Known   
   as auroral beads, these lights often show up just before large auroral  
   displays, which are caused by electrical storms in space called         
   substorms. Previously, scientists weren't sure if auroral beads were    
   somehow connected to other auroral displays as a phenomenon in space    
   that precedes substorms, or if they are caused by disturbances closer   
   to Earth's atmosphere.                                                  
                                                                           
   But powerful new computer models combined with observations from NASA's 
   Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms --  
   THEMIS -- mission have provided the first strong evidence of the events 
   in space that lead to the appearance of these beads, and demonstrated   
   the important role they play in our near space environment.             
                                                                           
   "Now we know for certain that the formation of these beads is part of a 
   process that precedes the triggering of a substorm in space," said      
   Vassilis Angelopoulos, principal investigator of THEMIS at UCLA. "This  
   is an important new piece of the puzzle."                               
                                                                           
   A THEMIS Spacecraft.                                                    
                                                                           
   By providing a broader picture than can be seen with the three THEMIS   
   spacecraft or ground observations alone, the new models have shown that 
   auroral beads are caused by turbulence in the plasma -- a fourth state  
   of matter, made up of gaseous and highly conductive charged particles   
   -- surrounding Earth. The results, recently published in Geophysical    
   Research Letters and Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics,    
   will ultimately help scientists better understand the full range of     
   swirling structures seen in the auroras.                                
                                                                           
   "THEMIS observations have now revealed turbulences in space that cause  
   flows seen lighting up the sky as of single pearls in the glowing       
   auroral necklace," said Evgeny Panov, lead author on one of the new     
   papers and THEMIS scientist at the Space Research Institute of the      
   Austrian Academy of Sciences. "These turbulences in space are initially 
   caused by lighter and more agile electrons, moving with the weight of   
   particles 2,000 times heavier, and which theoretically may develop to   
   full-scale auroral substorms."                                          
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
   ARRL Podcasts Schedule                                                  
                                                                           
   The latest episode of the On the Air podcast (Episode 8) features an    
   interview with brothers Andy, KK4LWR, and Tony, KD8RTT, Milluzzi about  
   the ARRL Collegiate Amateur Radio Initiative. The On the Air podcast is 
   a monthly companion to On the Air magazine, ARRL's magazine for         
   beginner-to-intermediate ham radio operators.                           
                                                                           
   The latest episode of the Eclectic Tech podcast (Episode 15) features a 
   chat with Bob Allison, WB1GCM, about HF transceiver shopping -- getting 
   the best performance for the money.                                     
                                                                           
   The On the Air and Eclectic Tech podcasts are sponsored by Icom. Both   
   podcasts are available on iTunes (iOS) and Stitcher (Android), as well  
   as on Blubrry -- On the Air | Eclectic Tech.                            
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
                                                                         
   Candidates Set for 2020 ARRL Division Elections                         
                                                                           
   The candidates for the 2020 ARRL Division elections are now official.   
   ARRL members will choose between two candidates for Director in the     
   Dakota and Great Lakes Divisions in this year's election cycle, and     
   from among three candidates for Vice Director in the Great Lakes        
   Division and between two candidates in the Midwest Division. In the     
   Atlantic and Delta Divisions, incumbents are unopposed for both         
   Director and Vice Director. In the Dakota Division, the sitting Vice    
   Director is running unopposed, while in the Midwest Division, the       
   current Vice Director is the only candidate for Director.               
                                                                           
   Declared Elected Without Opposition                                     
     * In the Atlantic Division, Director Tom Abernethy, W3TOM, who has    
       held the seat since 2015, and Vice Director Bob Famiglio, K3RF,     
       elected to a 3-year term (2015 - 2018) and then appointed in 2019   
       to fill a vacancy when the incumbent stepped down.                  
     * In the Dakota Division, Vice Director Lynn Nelson, W0ND, in office  
       since 2018.                                                         
     * In the Delta Division, Director David Norris, K5UZ, who's served in 
       that office since 2012, and Vice Director Ed Hudgens, WB4RHQ,       
       appointed in 2013.                                                  
     * In the Midwest Division, current Vice Director Art Zygielbaum,      
       K0AIZ, will become the new Director in January, succeeding          
       incumbent Rod Blocksome, K0DAS, who is not seeking a new term.      
       Zygielbaum has been Vice Director since 2014.                       
                                                                           
   Contested Seats                                                         
     * In the Dakota Division, incumbent Director Matt Holden, K0BBC, in   
       office since 2018, is being challenged by Vernon "Bill" Lippert,    
       AC0W.                                                               
     * In the Great Lakes Division, incumbent Director Dale Williams,      
       WA8EFK, who has held the seat since 2014, will face off against     
       Michael Kalter, W8CI, who is treasurer of the Dayton Amateur Radio  
       Association.                                                        
     * In the Great Lakes Division, members will choose from among three   
       candidates to succeed incumbent Vice Director Thomas Delaney,       
       W8WTD, who is not running for another term. They are current Ohio   
       Section Manager Scott Yonally, N8SY; Jim Hessler, K8JH, who is vice 
       president of the Grand Rapids Amateur Radio Association, and Frank  
       Piper, KI8GW, Yonally's predecessor as Ohio Section Manager.        
     * In the Midwest Division, members will choose between Dave Propper,  
       K2DP, a current Assistant Director, and Lloyd Colston, KC5FM, a     
       past Oklahoma Section Manager, to fill the Vice Director's chair    
       that Zygielbaum is vacating.                                        
                                                                           
   Balloting for contested seats will take place this fall. Votes will be  
   counted, and successful candidates announced, in November.              
   ARRL Seeks National Club Coordinator                                    
                                                                           
   ARRL is seeking a National Club Coordinator who will act as the primary 
   point of contact for Section Affiliated Club Coordinators. Section      
   Affiliated Club Coordinators work with clubs to foster and coordinate   
   activities to promote recruiting and training of new radio amateurs,    
   endorse ARRL membership, and impart a positive image of amateur radio   
   within the community.                                                   
                                                                           
   In addition to maintaining lines of communication with Section          
   Affiliated Club Coordinators, the National Club Coordinator will        
   develop presentations for in-person audiences and electronic media. The 
                                                                           
   National Club Coordinator will also maintain affiliated club records    
   and provide information and support to Affiliated Club Coordinators so  
   they can assist clubs in keeping the ARRL affiliated club database      
   current. This individual will also process applications from clubs      
   seeking ARRL affiliation.                                               
                                                                           
   The National Club Coordinator will design, write, and produce a         
   newsletter and contribute content for QST, the ARRL website, and social 
   media venues. The incumbent will also represent ARRL at amateur radio   
   events, deliver presentations on the work of ARRL and the value of      
   membership, and interact with members on behalf of the organization.    
                                                                           
   The successful candidate will be able to conduct business in a          
   professional manner, effectively represent ARRL at amateur radio        
   events, and maintain productive working relationships and open          
   communication between staff and the Field Organization. He or she will  
   have at least 3 years of similar or related experience; past service as 
   a club officer is a plus.                                               
                                                                           
   Applicants should have a 2- or 4-year college degree or possess         
   job-specific skills acquired through on-the-job training or an          
   apprenticeship.                                                         
                                                                           
   The ideal candidate will exhibit courtesy, tact, and diplomacy on the   
   job and be able to build relationships and solicit cooperation both     
   within and outside the organization. Other skills include a working     
   knowledge of Microsoft Office, desktop applications, online             
   videoconferencing tools, and managing social media platforms.           
                                                                           
   For complete information on this opening, see the full job description, 
   which includes instructions on how to submit a resume.                  
                                                                         
   The K7RA Solar Update                                                   
                                                                           
   Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Our closest star seems to have        
   quieted again. We have now experienced 6 consecutive days with no       
   sunspots at all.                                                        
                                                                           
   The average daily sunspot number dropped from 5.4 to 1.9 this week, and 
   average daily solar flux declined from 71 to 70.4. Geomagnetic          
   indicators increased marginally, with average daily planetary A index   
   going from 4.4 to 5.1, and average middle latitude A index from 5 to 6. 
                                                                           
   Predicted solar flux is 70 on August 27 - September 2; 71 on September  
   3; 72 on September 4 - 9; 71 on September 10 - 16; 70 on September 17 - 
   27; 71 on September 28 - 30; 72 on October 1 - 6, and 71 on October     
   7-10.                                                                   
                                                                           
   Predicted planetary A index is 8 on August 27 - 28; 10, 12, and 12 on   
   August 29 - 31; 8 on September 1; 5 on September 2 - 17; 8 on September 
   18 - 19; 10, 15, and 10 on September 20 - 22; 5, 10, 12, and 18 on      
   September 23 - 26; 15 on September 27 - 28; 12 on September 29, and 5   
   on September 30 - October 10.                                           
                                                                           
   Sunspot numbers for August 20 - 26 were 13, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, and 0, with  
   a mean of 1.9. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 69.9, 70.9, 70, 70.6, 70.3, 
   70.6, and 70.4, with a mean of 70.4. Estimated planetary A indices were 
   3, 4, 8, 7, 3, 4, and 7, with a mean of 5.1. Middle latitude A index    
   was 4, 5, 13, 7, 3, 3, and 7, with a mean of 6.                         
                                                                           
   A comprehensive K7RA Solar Update is posted Fridays on the ARRL         
   website. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the   
   ARRL Technical Information Service, read "What the Numbers Mean...,"    
   and check out K9LA's Propagation Page.                                  
                                                                           
   A propagation bulletin archive is available. For customizable           
   propagation charts, visit the VOACAP Online for Ham Radio website.      
                                                                           
   Share your reports and observations.                                    
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
   Just Ahead in Radiosport                                                
     * August 29 -- Kentucky State Parks on the Air (CW, phone, digital)   
     * August 29 - 30 -- ALARA Contest (CW, phone)                         
     * August 29 - 30 -- W/VE Islands QSO Party (CW, phone)                
     * August 29 - 30 -- SCC RTTY Championship                             
     * August 29 - 30 -- YO DX HF Contest (CW, phone)                      
     * August 29 - 30 -- World Wide Digi DX Contest                        
     * August 29 - 30 -- Kansas QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)             
     * August 30 -- SARL HF CW Contest                                     
     * August 31 -- QCX Challenge (CW)                                     
                                                                           
   See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. For in-depth        
   reporting on amateur radio contesting, subscribe to The ARRL Contest    
   Update via your ARRL member profile email preferences.                  
                                                                         
   Ham-Astronauts to Crew Boeing, SpaceX Commercial Missions for NASA      
                                                                           
   Ham-astronauts abound among crew members assigned to pioneering         
   commercial space missions by Boeing and SpaceX. Jeanette Epps, KF5QNU,  
   is the latest astronaut assigned to the Boeing Starliner-1, a           
   four-passenger vehicle that will undertake its first mission to the     
   International Space Station (ISS) in 2021. Others on the crew will      
   include veteran Sunita Williams, KD5PLB, and Josh Cassada, KI5CRH.      
   Another crew member is yet to be named.                                 
                                                                           
                                                Jeanette Epps, KF5QNU.     
                                                [NASA, photo]              
                                                                           
   Epps, Williams, and Cassada will spend 6 months on the ISS. The flight  
   will follow NASA certification after a successful uncrewed Orbital      
   Flight Test-2 and Crew Flight Test with astronauts. The spaceflight     
   will be the first for Epps and Cassada and the third for Williams, who  
   spent long-duration tours on the ISS for Expeditions 14/15 and 32/33.   
   NASA assigned Williams and Cassada to the Starliner-1 mission in August 
   2018.                                                                   
                                                                           
   Four veteran astronauts are preparing to launch this fall on the SpaceX 
   Crew 1 mission. They are Victor Glover, KI5BKC; Mike Hopkins, KF5LJG;   
   Shannon Walker, KD5DXB, and Soichi Noguchi, KD5TVP, of the Japan        
   Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).                                    
                                                                           
   Boeing Starliner 1 crew                                                 
   members Josh Cassada, KI5CRH,                                           
   and Sunita Williams, KD5PLB.                                            
                                                                           
   NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than October 23 for the first  
   operational flight with astronauts of the Crew Dragon spacecraft and    
   Falcon 9 rocket as part of the agency's Commercial Crew Program. The    
   SpaceX Crew-1 mission will be the first regular rotational mission to   
   the space station following completion of NASA certification.           
                                                                           
   Astronauts Bob Behnken, KE5GGX, and Doug Hurley traveled to the ISS on  
   a SpaceX Crew Dragon in late May, marking the first time that humans    
   traveled aloft via a commercial spacecraft.                             
                                                                           
                                      NASA's SpaceX Crew-1 crew members in 
                                      the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft 
                                      during training. From left to right: 
                                      Shannon Walker, KD5DXB; Victor       
                                      Glover, KI5BKC; Mike Hopkins,        
                                      KF5LJG, and Soichi Noguchi, KD5TVP.  
                                      [SpaceX, photo]                      
                                                                           
   NASA's Commercial Crew Program is working with the US aerospace         
   industry as companies develop and operate a new generation of           
   spacecraft and launch systems capable of carrying crews to low-Earth    
   orbit and to the space station. Commercial transportation to and from   
   the station will provide expanded utility, additional research time,    
   and broader opportunities for discovery on the orbital outpost, NASA    
   says.                                                                   
                                                                           
   "As commercial companies focus on providing human transportation        
   services to and from low-Earth orbit, NASA will concentrate its focus   
   on building spacecraft and rockets for deep-space missions," the space  
   agency said.                                                            
                                                                           
   Some of the ham-astronauts will be available for ham radio contacts     
   from the ISS with schools and educational groups via the Amateur Radio  
   on the International Space Station (ARISS) program.                     
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
   Announcements                                                           
     * The World Wide Radio Operators Foundation (WWROF) has announced the 
       election of 22-year-old Philipp Springer, DK6SP, to its Board of    
       Directors, effective immediately. Springer is a member of the IARU  
       Region 1 Youth Working Group and the Deutscher Amateur Radio Club   
       (DARC), where he is responsible for leading activities for the      
       Youngsters On The Air (YOTA) Team Germany program. He was a         
       competitor at World Radio Team Championship (WRTC) 2018. At the     
       same time, WWROF announced the departure of veteran board member    
       Dennis Motschenbacher, K7BV.                                        
     * The Arizona Radio Council of Arizona (ARCA) has conferred awards    
       and scholarships during an online meeting attended by 41 member     
       clubs. Selected as Arizona Ham of the Year award was Angie          
       Buchanan, N7EMB. The ARCA Young Ham of the Year Award went to       
       Annika Smith, KE7JOY, who was 17 when she won the award. ARCA also  
       awarded a $2,500 scholarship to Charles Loftus, Jr., KI7DUV, who    
       will be pursuing a degree in engineering. -- Thanks to ARCA Chair   
       Steve Miller, W6SDM                                                 
     * The Titan Missile Museum in Sahuarita, Arizona, has been closed due 
       to the COVID-19 pandemic. The closure includes the original 80-foot 
       Collins discage antenna, which has been maintained by the Green     
       Valley Amateur Radio Club (GVARC) for use by visiting amateurs,     
       access to which has now been restricted -- Thanks to Ray Soifer,    
       W2RS                                                                
     * Australian telecommunications regulator ACMA has announced it's     
       analyzing submissions to its paper, "Possible use of the 5351.5 -   
       5366.5 kHz band by the amateur service," in which the agency will   
       examine sharing issues between existing and potential amateur uses  
       of the band and seek comments on a range of options.                
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
   In Brief...                                                             
                                                                           
   Derecho Takes Down 1,200 Feet of Tower and 35 Yagis The popular contest 
   station of Tony Radebaugh, N0NI, in Rippey, Iowa, lost some 1,200 feet  
   of tower and 35 Yagis in the August 10 derecho event. Winds of 140 MPH  
   or greater caused extensive property damage in some areas. "Trees       
   falling on guy wires is what did me in," Radebaugh said. "Everything    
   outside of the trees stayed up, including a three-element full-size     
   40-meter Yagi at 196 feet. A two-element 40-meter XM240 on the same     
   tower snapped." The violent, fast-moving storm complex raked a 700-mile 
   path from Nebraska to Indiana. Winds of more than 70 MPH hit Chicago,   
   and more than 300,000 lost power. Iowa was the hardest-hit state, with  
   some 10 million acres of corn and soybean crops wiped out. Residents    
   had little or no warning before the so-called "land hurricane" struck.  
                                                                           
   Shorter Call Signs Popular with Australian Foundation Licensees         
   Australian Foundation-class licensees attempting to swap call signs     
   under a new plan are encountering delays. Foundation licensees may now  
   shed their seven-character call signs (VK#Fxxx) for standard            
   six-character call signs. Australian regulator ACMA announced the       
   change in July. Its contractor, the Australian Maritime College (AMC),  
   has been unable to meet the overwhelming demand, so processing times    
   have been extended. The Wireless Institute of Australia reports that it 
   is updating its "Publicly Available Callsigns Database" to match the    
   new call sign template.                                                 
                                                                           
   Veteran Incoming QSL Bureau Manager Dick Maylott, W2YE, SK Dick         
   Maylott, W2YE, of Leesburg, Virginia, who managed the ARRL Incoming QSL 
   Bureau for fourth-district two-letter prefix call signs since 1993,     
   died unexpectedly on August 23. He was 83. Licensed in 1954, Maylott    
   was a member of the Sterling Park Amateur Radio Club, which sponsors    
   the QSL Bureau; the Potomac Valley Radio Club; the Loudoun Amateur      
   Radio Group; the Quarter Century Wireless Association, and the National 
   Capitol DX Association.                                                 
   Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions                  
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
   Note: Many conventions and hamfests have been canceled or postponed due 
   to the coronavirus pandemic. Check the calendar of canceled events on   
   the ARRL website.                                                       
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
     * November 14 - 15 -- Central Division Convention, Fort Wayne,        
       Indiana                                                             
     * November 21 -- Alabama State Convention, Montgomery, Alabama        
     * December 11 - 12 -- Florida State Convention, Plant City, Florida   
                                                                           
   Find conventions and hamfests in your area.                             
                                                                           
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 
                                                                           
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