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Skriven 2020-11-06 09:05:18 av Sean Dennis (1:18/200.0)
Ärende: The Weekly ARRL Letter
==============================
   The ARRL Letter                                                         
   November 5, 2020                                                        
                                                                           
     * ARRL Comments on FCC Draft WRC-23 Recommendations                    
     * ARRL Pacific Division Director Jim Tiemstra, K6JAT, SK               
     * New NIST System Detects Ultra-Faint Signals Using Quantum Physics    
       Principles                                                           
     * ARRL Podcasts Schedule                                               
     * A Sweepstakes "Clean Sweep" Means Working 84 Sections This Year     
     * Neutron-1 CubeSat Deployed from ISS; Other Sats Pending             
     * The K7RA Solar Update                                               
     * Just Ahead in Radiosport                                            
     * ARRL Learning Network Webinars                                      
     * Announcements                                                       
     * IARU Region 2 Executive Committee Meets in Multiple Virtual         
       Sessions                                                            
     * In Brief...                                                         
     * Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions              
   ARRL Comments on FCC Draft WRC-23 Recommendations                       
                                                                           
   ARRL has submitted comments on two draft recommendations approved in    
   October by the FCC's World Radiocommunication Conference visory       
   Committee (WAC). The comments focus on draft recommendations for World  
   Radiocommunication Conference 2023 (WRC-23) Agenda Item (AI) 1.2. AI    
   1.2 will consider the identification of frequencies in the 3.3 - 3.4    
   GHz and 10.0 - 10.5 GHz bands, among others, "for International Mobile  
   Telecommunications (IMT), including possible additional allocations to  
   the mobile service on a primary basis," in accordance with WRC-19       
   Resolution 245. ARRL urged no change to the 3.3 - 3.4 GHz international 
   secondary allocation to the Amateur Service in ITU Regions 2 (the       
   Americas) and                                                           
                                                                           
   3 (Oceania), and no change to the 10.0 - 10.5 GHz worldwide secondary   
   amateur and amateur-satellite allocation.                               
                                                                           
   "Radio amateurs make substantial use of both bands," ARRL said in its   
   comments. "They have conducted experiments and designed systems that    
   protect primary users. The lack of interference complaints is evidence  
   that they have been successful in doing so. In this manner, new         
   spectrum horizons are explored and new techniques are developed that    
   put spectrum to productive use that otherwise would represent lost      
   opportunities and waste of the natural resource."                       
                                                                           
   ARRL stressed that the WAC preliminary views make no suggestion that    
   the international secondary allocations to the Amateur Service should   
   not continue in both bands. ARRL said it wanted to reaffirm that these  
   secondary allocations continue to be important and useful and that      
   WRC-23 should not consider changing either secondary allocation.        
                                                                           
   "Sharing between primary users and secondary amateur radio users has    
   been highly successful, and the US domestic Table reflected the         
   International allocations until this year," ARRL said. In September,    
   however, the FCC adopted an Order to delete the secondary amateur and   
   amateur-satellite allocations in the 3.3 - 3.5 GHz band. Amateur radio  
   operations may continue on a secondary basis, subject to decisions to   
   be made on issues raised in a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in  
   the proceeding, WT Docket 19-348.                                       
                                                                           
   ARRL maintained that amateur radio should remain secondary in the       
   international allocations at 3.3 - 3.4 GHz "until more is known about   
   the technical characteristics of equipment that will be used by new     
   services and the extent of geographic build-out."                       
                                                                           
   With regard to 10.0 - 10.5 GHz, ARRL noted that it has been used for    
   many amateur terrestrial experiments and tests that have helped to      
   develop the technical characteristics of the band. The band is also     
   heavily used throughout much of the world as the downlink for the       
   Qatari amateur satellite Es'hail-2 (QO-100).                            
                                                                           
   ARRL noted that radio amateurs utilizing the secondary spectrum at 3.3  
   - 3.4 GHz and 10.0 - 10.5 GHz "have developed and honed their equipment 
   and capabilities to share with the existing services."                  
                                                                           
   "The Amateur Service has earned its reputation for making careful and   
   non-preclusive use of its secondary allocations and will continue doing 
   so," ARRL concluded. "Therefore, we respectfully request that the       
   Amateur Service and Amateur-Satellite Service be continued as secondary 
   services in the above bands."                                           
   ARRL Pacific Division Director Jim Tiemstra, K6JAT, SK                  
                                                                           
   ARRL Pacific Division Director Jim Tiemstra, K6JAT, of Oakland,         
   California, died October 30. An ARRL Life Member, he was 65.            
                                                                           
   Tiemstra was ARRL Pacific Division Vice Director from 2009 through      
   2017, sitting on the ministration and Finance, and Programs and       
   Services Committees of the Board. He became ARRL Pacific Division       
   Director in January 2018. He was a member of the ministration and     
   Finance Committee, the Legal Structure Review Committee, chair of the   
   Legislative vocacy Committee, and an advisor to the Amateur Radio     
   Legal Defense and Assistance Committee, among other Board assignments.  
                                                                           
   Licensed in 1970 as WN9ELU in Chicago, Tiemstra was the president of    
   his high school radio club in Illinois. Early on, he built most of his  
   own gear from Heathkits. In 1977, he married Lilah Greene, KE6EHD, and  
   they moved to California, where Tiemstra became N6OIK, later choosing   
   K6JAT as a vanity call sign. He'd also held V26JAT and 3D2TJ and had    
   operated from Curacao and Hawaii.                                       
                                                                           
   Primarily a contester and DXer, Tiemstra had been a DXpedition member   
   and had long been involved in the public service aspects of the hobby.  
   As a member of the Oakland Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES)       
   group, he was among those responding to the Loma Prieta earthquake in   
   1989 and the Oakland Hills firestorm in 1991, receiving a Certificate   
   of Appreciation from the American Red Cross. He championed the          
   Emergency Communication Ham Operation (ECHO) proposal to install        
   amateur radio equipment in his city's Emergency Operations Center and   
   in each of its 30 fire stations.                                        
                                                                           
   Tiemstra worked with his ARES group to gain RACES recognition, wrote    
   the RACES Operations Manual, and was instrumental in forging a formal   
   Letter of Understanding with the City of Oakland. He served as          
   Oakland's RACES Radio Officer for more than 14 years, was on the        
   mayor's Emergency Management Council, and was ARRL East Bay Section     
   Emergency Coordinator. In 2002, he was recognized by the Oakland Fire   
   Department as Community Volunteer of the Year.                          
                                                                           
   Tiemstra retired in 2018 as a federal practitioner in the private       
   practice of law. Read more.                                             
                                                                         
   New NIST System Detects Ultra-Faint Signals Using Quantum Physics       
   Principles                                                              
                                                                           
   Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology       
   (NIST) have devised and demonstrated a system that could dramatically   
   increase the performance of communication networks while enabling       
   record-low error rates in detecting even the faintest of signals. This  
   has the potential to cut the total amount of energy required for        
   state-of-the-art networks by a factor of 10 to 100. The                 
   proof-of-principle system consists of a novel receiver and              
   corresponding signal-processing technique, entirely based on the        
                                                                           
   The incoming signal (red, lower                                         
   left) proceeds through a beam                                           
   splitter to the photon detector,                                        
   which has an attached time register                                     
   (top right). The receiver sends the                                     
   reference beam to the beam splitter                                     
   to cancel the incoming pulse, so                                        
   that no light is detected. The                                          
   receiver uses exact times of photon                                     
   detection. The combination of                                           
   recorded detection times and the                                        
   history of reference beam                                               
   frequencies is used to find the                                         
   frequency of the incoming signal.                                       
                                                                           
   properties of quantum physics and able to handle extremely weak signals 
   with pulses that carry many bits of data.                               
                                                                           
   "We built the communication test bed using off-the-shelf components to  
   demonstrate that quantum-measurement-enabled communication can          
   potentially be scaled up for widespread commercial use," said Ivan      
   Burenkov, a physicist at the Joint Quantum Institute, a research        
   partnership between NIST and the University of Maryland. Burenkov and   
   his colleagues reported the results in Physical Review X Quantum.       
                                                                           
   "Our effort shows that quantum measurements offer valuable, heretofore  
   unforeseen advantages for telecommunications leading to revolutionary   
   improvements in channel bandwidth and energy efficiency," Burenkov      
   added.                                                                  
                                                                           
   Modern communications systems work by converting information into a     
   laser-generated stream of digital light pulses in which information is  
   encoded -- in the form of changes to the properties of the light waves  
   -- for transfer and then decoded when it reaches the receiver. The      
   train of pulses grows fainter as it travels along transmission          
   channels, and conventional electronic technology for receiving and      
   decoding data has reached the limit of its ability to precisely detect  
   the information in such attenuated signals.                             
                                                                           
   The signal pulse can dwindle until it is as weak as a few photons -- or 
   even less than one on average. At that point, inevitable random quantum 
   fluctuations, called "shot noise," make accurate reception impossible   
   by normal ("classical," as opposed to quantum) technology because the   
   uncertainty caused by the noise makes up such a large part of the       
   diminished signal. As a result, existing systems must amplify the       
   signals repeatedly along the transmission line, at considerable energy  
   cost, keeping them strong enough to detect reliably.                    
                                                                           
   The NIST team's system can eliminate the need for amplifiers because it 
   can reliably process even extremely feeble signal pulses: "The total    
   energy required to transmit one bit becomes a fundamental factor        
   hindering the development of networks," said Sergey Polyakov, senior    
   scientist on the NIST team. "The goal is to reduce the sum of energy    
   required by lasers, amplifiers, detectors, and support equipment to     
   reliably transmit information over longer distances."                   
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
   ARRL Podcasts Schedule                                                  
                                                                           
   The latest episode of the On the Air podcast (Episode 10) includes an   
   interview with ARRL Lifelong Learning Manager Kris Bickell, K1BIC,      
   about ARRL's new "Learning Network" webinars.                           
                                                                           
   The latest edition of Eclectic Tech (Episode 20) features an interview  
   with ARRL Emergency Preparedness Director Paul Gilbert, KE5ZW, about    
   the future of amateur radio technology in public service, and will also 
   cover a new power source that uses diamonds and nuclear waste.          
                                                                           
   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.                            
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
                                                                         
   A Sweepstakes "Clean Sweep" Means Working 84 Sections This Year         
                                                                           
   The ever-popular ARRL November Sweepstakes (SS) weekends are upon us -- 
   one for CW and the other for SSB. This year, participants will have to  
   search out an additional Section. The CW event takes place November 7 - 
   9 (UTC), and the SSB event is from November 21 - 23 (UTC). Each         
   Sweepstakes leg begins at 2100 UTC on Saturday and runs through 0259    
   UTC on Monday. Stations may operate 24 of the available 30 hours. An SS 
   Operating Guide package, available via the SS web page, explains how to 
   participate in Sweepstakes. Clubs or public service teams that are      
   considering participating in SS will find                               
                                                                           
   the guide to be a useful source for information. This year marks the    
   79th SS event, which attracts more than 3,000 entries each fall for     
   both weekends.                                                          
                                                                           
   The number of ARRL and Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) Sections rose to  
   84 earlier this year with the addition of Prince Edward Island (PE) as  
   a separate entity. The objective of SS -- or "sweeps" -- is to work as  
   many stations in as many of the 84 Sections as possible within 24 hours 
   of operating. The number of Sections worked is a score multiplier, and  
   working all of them -- a "clean sweep" in SS terminology -- is the goal 
   of many SS aficionados, who qualify for a clean sweep coffee mug.       
   Hardcore SS operators try to run up the contact and multiplier counts   
   by operating for the allowed 24 hours.                                  
                                                                           
   Some multipliers are rarer and/or harder to work, and these can vary    
   from year to year. For many years, the most difficult SS multiplier was 
   considered to be Northern Territories (NT) in Canada, where J. Allen,   
   VY1JA, in Yukon Territory, was often the only station available. Allen  
   has stepped back from amateur radio, however, owing to health issues.   
   Making a clean sweep also requires working Alaska and Hawaii (or        
   another station in the Pacific Section), as well as                     
   Newfoundland/Labrador (NL) and Prince Edward Island (PE) in the other   
   direction. On the rarer side, finding -- and working -- stations in     
   Alberta (AB), North Dakota (ND), Northern New York (NNY), US Virgin     
   Islands (VI), Wyoming (WY), and Delaware (DE) has proven vexing for     
   some SS operators.                                                      
                                                                           
   Nonetheless, even stations with modest equipment and antennas can       
                                                                           
   enjoy success. Many stations like to operate in the QRP category (with  
   an output of 5 W or less), although that challenge has been more        
   daunting at this point in the solar cycle.                              
                                                                           
   ARRL November Sweepstakes is the oldest domestic radiosport event (the  
   first was in 1930). The SS contest exchange has deep roots in           
   message-handling protocol and replicates a radiogram preamble. In SS,   
   stations exchange:                                                      
     * A consecutive serial number (NR). Operators do not have to add      
       zeros ahead of numbers less than 100.                               
     * Operating category (Precedence) -- Q for Single Operator, QRP; A    
       for Single Operator, Low Power (up to 150 W output); B for Single   
       Operator, High Power (greater than 150 W output); U for Single      
       Operator, Unlimited, regardless of power; M for Multioperator,      
       regardless of power, and S for School Club.                         
     * Your call sign.                                                     
     * Check (CK) -- the last two digits of the year of first license for  
       either operator or station.                                         
     * Section -- ARRL/RAC Section.                                        
                                                                           
   Full contest rules and an Operating Guide that includes examples of log 
   formatting are available on the Sweepstakes web page. The deadline to   
   submit CW entries is November 16. The deadline to submit phone entries  
   is November 30.                                                         
                                                                           
   Direct questions to the ARRL Contest Program.                           
   Neutron-1 CubeSat Deployed from ISS; Other Sats Pending                 
                                                                           
   The Neutron-1 3U CubeSat was deployed from the International Space      
   Station (ISS) on November 5 at 10:40 UTC. For the satellite's first     
   month and during its commissioning phase, the Neutron-1 beacon will     
   transmit 1,200 bps BPSK telemetry every 60 seconds on 435.300 MHz.      
   Developed by the Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory (HSFL) at the           
   University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM), the satellite's payload includes a 
   VU FM amateur radio repeater during available times and according to    
   the spacecraft's power budget. The Neutron-1 science mission is spelled 
   out in a formal paper, Neutron-1 Mission: Low Earth Orbit Neutron Flux  
   Detection and COSMOS Mission Operations Technology Demonstration.       
                                                                           
   HSFL operates and maintains a satellite UHF, VHF, and L/S-band amateur  
   radio ground station at Kauai Community College.                        
                                                                           
   The primary mission of Neutron-1 is to measure low-energy neutron flux  
   in low-Earth orbit (LEO). The science payload, a small neutron detector 
   developed by Arizona State University, will focus on measurements of    
   low-energy secondary neutrons -- a component of the LEO neutron         
   environment.                                                            
                                                                           
   A number of other amateur radio satellites are expected to launch or be 
   deployed in the next few months. AMSAT's RadFxSat-2 (Fox-1E) is         
   expected to go into orbit by year's end on Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne   
   vehicle. RadFxSat-2 carries a 30 kHz wide VU linear transponder.        
                                                                           
   The Tevel Mission -- a series of eight Israeli 1U CubeSats, each        
   carrying a UV FM transponder -- is expected to launch from India on a   
   SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in December. Also from the Herzliya Science      
   Center is a 3U CubeSat called Tausat-1, which is scheduled to launch on 
   a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) ISS resupply mission in     
   February for subsequent deployment. Tausat-1 carries an FM transponder. 
                                                                           
   AMSAT-Spain (AMSAT-EA) reports that its PocketQubes, EASAT-2 and HADES, 
   have been integrated for launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 in December, while 
   GENESIS-L and GENESIS-N have been integrated for launch on Firefly's    
   Alpha rocket. Read more. -- Thanks to AMSAT News Service                
                                                                         
   The K7RA Solar Update                                                   
                                                                           
   Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: On November 4, the solar flux density 
   reached 88.1, its highest level since October 14, 2016, when, during a  
   waning solar cycle, it was 92.8, with an average daily flux for that    
   week of 76.9, and average daily sunspot number of 18.7, similar to what 
   we're seeing now.                                                       
                                                                           
   The average daily planetary A index this week was 6.3, down from 12.3   
   last week. The average daily mid-latitude A index was 4.9, down from    
   9.9 last week.                                                          
                                                                           
   Spaceweather.com reported on November 3 that the new sunspot group      
   produced a minor solar flare, and a pulse of UV radiation "briefly      
   ionized Earth's upper atmosphere, causing a low-frequency radio         
   blackout over the Indian Ocean." Check the STEREO satellite images:     
   360ø view | Conventional format. A large, new sunspot group, AR2781, is 
   the largest so far in new Solar Cycle 25, according to                  
   Spaceweather.com. It should be geo-effective (facing Earth) over the    
   next 10 days.                                                           
                                                                           
   Predicted solar flux is 88 on November 5 - 10; 83 on November 11;       
   dropping to 75, 74, and 75 on November 12 - 14; 76 on November 15 - 21; 
   75 on November 22 - 27; 74 on November 28 - 29; 72 on November 30 -     
   December 5; 74 on December 6 - 10; 75 on December 11; 76 on December 12 
   - 18, and 75 on December 19.                                            
                                                                           
   Predicted planetary A index is 5, 8, and 8 on November 5 - 7; 5 on      
   November 8 - 16; 10, 5, 10; and 15 on November 17 - 20; 12 on November  
   21 - 22; 8, 10, and 12 on November 23 - 25; 5 on November 26 - 27; 10   
   on November 28; 5 on November 29 - December 13; then 8, 5, and 8 on     
   December 14 - 16; 12 on December 17, and 10 on December 18 - 19.        
                                                                           
   Sunspot numbers for October 29 - November 4 were 35, 32, 26, 12, 11,    
   15, and 18, with a mean of 21.3. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 84.6,     
   79.6, 76.8, 77.3, 81.6, 82.9, and 88.1, with a mean of 81.6. Estimated  
   planetary A indices were 14, 5, 6, 10, 3, 3, and 3, with a mean of 6.3. 
   Middle latitude A index was 11, 4, 6, 8, 2, 2, and 1, with a mean of    
   4.9.                                                                    
                                                                           
   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                                                
     * November 7 -- IPARC Contest (CW)                                    
     * November 7 - 8 -- Ukrainian DX Contest (CW, phone)                  
     * November 7 - 8 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon (CW)                     
     * November 7 - 9 -- ARRL November Sweepstakes (CW)                    
     * November 7 - 15 -- AWA Bruce Kelley 1929 QSO Party (CW)             
     * November 8 -- IPARC Contest (SSB)                                   
     * November 8 -- EANET Sprint (CW, phone, digital)                     
     * November 9 -- K1USN Slow Speed Test (CW)                            
     * November 9 -- 4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint (CW, phone)   
     * November 10 -- Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest                  
     * November 11 -- VHF-UHF FT8 Activity                                 
     * November 11 -- 3.5 RSGB 80-Meter Autumn Series (SSB)                
                                                                           
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   ARRL Learning Network Webinars                                          
                                                                           
   Visit the ARRL Learning Network website (a members-only benefit) to     
   register for upcoming sessions and to view previously recorded          
   sessions. The schedule is subject to change.                            
                                                                           
   Amateur Radio's Role at the Boston Marathon Bombing: Steve Schwarm,     
   W3EVE                                                                   
                                                                           
   Amateur radio has played a significant role in public service           
   communications for  the Boston Marathon for several decades. That role  
   was put to the test in 2013 when two bombs were exploded near the       
   finish line. This presentation will describe the role that ham radio    
   played at the marathon and how that role changed due to the bombing.    
                                                                           
   Tuesday, December 8, 2020, 10 AM PST / 1 PM EST (1800 UTC)              
                                                                           
   Learn and Have Fun with Morse Code: Howard Bernstein, WB2UZE, and Jim   
   Crites, W6JIM                                                           
                                                                           
   Morse code, or "CW," is a popular ham radio operating mode. Learning CW 
   does not have to be an arduous or lonely experience. Learn, practice,   
   and enjoy CW with the methods used by the Long Island CW Club.          
                                                                           
   Thursday, December 17, 2020, 5 PM PST / 8 PM EST (0100 UTC on Friday,   
   December 18)                                                            
                                                                           
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   Announcements                                                           
     * Club Log has updated its DXCC Most Wanted list. The Democratic      
       People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) -- North Korea (P5) -- still tops 
       the list, with Bouvet Island (3Y/B), Crozet Island (FT5/W),         
       Scarborough Reef (BS7H), and San Felix Islands (CE0X) rounding out  
       the top five entities.                                              
     * Radio Amateurs of Canada has established a new "Rookie" category    
       for both the RAC Canada Day and RAC Canada Winter contests. The     
       Canada Winter Contest will take place on December 19. A Rookie is   
       defined as a single operator first licensed less than 3 years       
       before the contest.                                                 
     * In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Miller-DX-Club,       
       special event stations with call signs such as R2020DX, RA30DX,     
       RC30DX, RD30DX, RG30DX, RJ30DX, RK30DX, RL30DX, RQ30DX, RT30DX,     
       RU30DX, RV30DX, RW30DX, RX30DX, RY30DX, and RZ30DX will be active   
       November 16 - 29. QSL via the bureau or RQ7L.                       
     * Author and filmmaker Don Keith, N4KC, has announced that his new    
       film, Colors of Character, will debut in selected theaters          
       nationwide on November 11. The film follows young African-American  
       artist Steve Skipper, who was frustrated at every turn. Keith also  
       wrote a biography of Skipper, titled Dream On: A Journey to         
       Deliverance.                                                        
     * Raw scores for the recent CQ World Wide DX Contest (SSB) have been  
       posted, Contest Director John Dorr, K1AR, has announced.            
                                                                           
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   IARU Region 2 Executive Committee Meets in Multiple Virtual Sessions    
                                                                           
   The International Amateur Radio Union Region 2 (IARU-R2) Executive      
   Committee (EC) held its fourth meeting of the year via Zoom in three    
   parts, replacing an in-person meeting not possible due to the pandemic. 
   In the first session on October 21, Region 2 President Ram¢n Santoyo,   
   XE1KK, reviewed the year since the October 2019 Lima General Assembly,  
   highlighting the new initiatives Region 2 has undertaken. These         
   included the appointment of a youth liaison and the                     
                                                                           
   introduction of workshops, as well as the work of the Band Planning     
   Committee to coordinate with Regions 1 and 3 on a number of issues,     
   especially the explosive growth in digital modes. Region 2 also took    
   part in a Future Committee, which will develop a strategy and plans for 
   "updating the IARU organization to be more effective in dealing with    
   the challenges of the rapidly evolving telecommunications ecosystem,"   
   an IARU Region 2 news release said. Secretary George Gorsline, VE3YV,   
   presented a proposed 2021 strategic plan for discussion.                
                                                                           
   Session 2 on October 24 was Coordinators Day. Each R2 coordinator was   
   invited to give a presentation on their function and recent activity.   
   With 12 coordinators, ranging from CITEL/ITU to beacon coordination,    
   the 4-hour session reviewed the breadth of amateur radio activities in  
   R2. The presentations will be posted on the IARU Region 2 website.      
                                                                           
   The third and final session on October 28 continued the discussion on   
   planning and budget for FY 2021. "The pandemic has created considerable 
   disruption this year, and how long that may continue is uncertain," an  
   EC news release said. "With these challenges are also opportunities     
   created by the rapid acceptance of virtual meetings for improved        
   outreach to broaden participation by member-societies and all amateurs  
   in the Americas. A special session to approve the finalized budget will 
   be scheduled later in the year."                                        
   In Brief...                                                             
                                                                           
   The German town of Bad Bentheim is seeking nominations for the Golden   
   Antenna Award. For 50 years, the town has hosted                        
   Deutsch-Niederländische Amateurfunker Tage (DNAT), or German-Dutch      
   Amateur Radio Days, during which the town stresses the importance of    
   amateur radio as a public service. Nominations (in PDF) are open until  
   April 1, 2021. A committee headed by the mayor of Bad Bentheim will     
   choose the winner. The recipient will be invited to Bad Bentheim to     
   receive the award, which will be presented on August 28, 2021. The      
   award recognizes an individual radio amateur or a group for outstanding 
   humanitarian performance. "In 2021, we would favor candidates who did   
   something special related to the COVID-19 pandemic, but other           
   candidates are welcome," said Jan G. Stadman, PA1TT/DJ5AN, who chairs   
   the DNAT. Send nominations to Stadt Bad Bentheim, P.O. Box 1452,        
   D-48445 Bad Bentheim, Germany, or submit via email.                     
                                                                           
   IEEE Region 1 has selected Ulrich Rohde, N1UL, as the recipient of the  
   2020 IEEE Region 1 Technological Innovation (Industry or Government)    
   Award. The selection was made by the Region 1 Awards and Recognition    
   Committee and approved by the Region 1 Board of Governors. The award    
   recognizes "pioneering research and leadership in signal processing."   
   The Technological Innovation (Industry or Government) Award cites       
   "significant patents, discovery of new devices, development of          
   applications, or exemplary contributions to industry or government      
   fitting Dr. Rohde's accomplishments in our industry." A partner of      
   Rohde & Schwarz, Rohde has published more than 300 scientific papers    
   and written several books and book chapters. He holds several dozen     
   patents.                                                                
                                                                           
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   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 21 -- Alabama State Convention, Montgomery, Alabama        
     * December 11 - 12 -- Florida State Convention, Plant City, Florida   
                                                                           
   Find conventions and hamfests in your area.                             
                                                                           
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 
                                                                           
   ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for                                      
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