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Text 15734, 574 rader
Skriven 2020-12-11 09:05:20 av Sean Dennis (1:18/200.0)
Ärende: The Weekly ARRL Letter
==============================
   The ARRL Letter                                                         
   December 10, 2020                                                       
                                                                           
     * Launch Window for AMSAT's RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E CubeSat Opens on       
       December 19                                                          
     * Nathan Simington Confirmed as Newest FCC Member                      
     * Lee Finkel, KY7M, is New National Contest Journal Editor             
     * ARRL Podcasts Schedule                                               
     * ARRL Announces New Book Releases                                    
     * First Solar Image from Hawaii Observatory Shows Sunspot Close-Up    
     * ARRL 10-Meter Contest is this Weekend                               
     * IARU Region 2 Executive Committee Approves Dues Reductions for      
       Member-Societies                                                    
     * ARRL Learning Network Webinars                                      
     * The K7RA Solar Update                                               
     * Announcements                                                       
     * Australian Radio Amateurs Denied Access to 60 Meters                
     * Transatlantic Tests Mark 99th Anniversary                           
     * In Brief...                                                         
     * Just Ahead in Radiosport                                            
     * Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions              
   Launch Window for AMSAT's RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E CubeSat Opens on December 
   19                                                                      
                                                                           
   The launch that will carry AMSAT's RadFxSat-2/Fox-1E CubeSat into orbit 
   could come as early as this month. Virgin Orbit has announced that the  
   launch window for its LauncherOne Launch Demo 2 mission, which will     
   carry the AMSAT spacecraft into orbit, opens on December 19. RadFxSat-2 
   is the fifth and final Fox-1 satellite built by AMSAT.                  
                                                                           
   Like RadFxSat/Fox-1B (now AMSAT-OSCAR 91) the RadFxSat-2/Fox-1E CubeSat 
   is a partnership opportunity between Vanderbilt University and AMSAT    
   and will carry a similar radiation effects experiment, studying new     
   FinFET technology.                                                      
                                                                           
   The RadFxSat-2 spacecraft bus is built on the Fox-1 series, but Fox-1E  
   features a linear transponder upgrade to replace the standard FM        
   transponder in the Fox-1A - Fox-1D projects. In addition, the uplink    
   and downlink bands are reversed from the previous Fox satellites in a   
   mode V/u (J) configuration using a 2-meter uplink and 70-centimeter     
   downlink.                                                               
                                                                           
   The telemetry downlink will be 435.750 MHz. The inverting linear        
   transponder uplink will be 145.860 MHz - 145.890 MHz. The inverting     
   linear transponder downlink will be 435.760 MHz - 435.790 MHz.          
                                                                           
   The telemetry downlink features a 1,200 bps BPSK channel to carry the   
   Vanderbilt science data, in addition to a 30 kHz wide transponder for   
   amateur radio use. Telemetry and experiment data can be decoded using   
   FoxTelem version 1.09 or later.                                         
                                                                           
   "Participation in telemetry collection by as many stations in as many   
   parts of the world as possible is essential, as AMSAT Engineering looks 
   for successful startup and indications of the general health and        
   function of the satellite as it begins to acclimate to space," AMSAT    
   said in announcing the possible launch window. "AMSAT will send a       
   commemorative 3D-printed QSL card to the first station capturing        
   telemetry from RadFxSat-2." -- Thanks to AMSAT                          
   Nathan Simington Confirmed as Newest FCC Member                         
                                                                           
   On a 49 - 46 vote, the US Senate on December 9 confirmed Nathan         
   Simington to be a Commissioner at the FCC. Simington previously served  
   as a senior advisor at the US Department of Commerce. Earlier, he was a 
   legal associate at various law firms, often specializing in finance.    
                                                                           
   Upon being sworn in, he will take the seat of Commissioner Michael      
   O'Rielly, whose renomination was pulled by President Donald Trump last  
   summer, shortly before it was to go to the Senate floor.                
                                                                           
   FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has announced that he will step down on January   
   20, opening a seat for incoming President Joe Biden to appoint a new    
   commissioner to form a new 3 - 2 Democratic majority. Biden then could  
   either designate that new commissioner as chairman, or select one of    
   the two sitting Democrats already on the Commission, Jessica            
   Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks. Biden could also designate one of the  
   two sitting Democrats as Acting Chairman to manage the FCC until his    
   new pick has been confirmed by the Senate and sworn in. Until that      
   happens, the FCC will have a 2 - 2 party split.                         
   Lee Finkel, KY7M, is New National Contest Journal Editor                
                                                                           
   Lee Finkel, KY7M, of Phoenix, Arizona, will begin his tenure as Editor  
   of National Contest Journal (NCJ) with the magazine's January/February  
   issue. An ARRL publication, NCJ is in its 48th year. Finkel, the 17th   
   Editor, takes over the reins from Scott Wright, KO/MD, a noted and      
   regular amateur radio contester, who has helmed NCJ since January 2017. 
                                                                           
   "My hope is that I will be able to build on Scott Wright's hard work    
   and that of my other predecessors, the very supportive ARRL staff, and  
   the impressive cadre of columnists and other writers, to continue       
   making NCJ a valuable resource for the contesting community," Finkel    
   said. Most contesters will recognize his call sign from his regular     
   contest activity. He's also been a contributing writer for NCJ and      
   other publications. A retired lawyer, mediator, arbitrator, and         
   educator, he and his family have lived in Arizona since 1981.           
                                                                           
   Licensed as WN9EBT in 1962 in Chicago, Finkel said it wasn't long       
   before he discovered contesting. His participation in the now-defunct   
   ARRL Communications Department (CD) Parties whetted his appetite for    
   contesting. He also discovered DX contests and his "still-favorite CW   
   Sweepstakes."                                                           
                                                                           
   Finkel is a member of the First-Class CW Operators' Club (FOC) and      
   CWops, past Central Arizona DX Association (CADXA) president, and a     
   member of the Arizona Outlaws Contest Club (AOCC). He serves on the     
   Northern California DX Foundation (NCDXF) Board of Directors. He        
   frequently operates the Top Band Club of Arizona remote station, NA7TB, 
   originally built by Milt Jensen, N5IA (SK). Read more.                  
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
                                                                         
   ARRL Podcasts Schedule                                                  
                                                                           
   The latest episode of the On the Air podcast (Episode 12) will feature  
   a discussion about storm spotting and SKYWARN, with Mike Corey, KI1U,   
   co-author of Storm Spotting and Amateur Radio, now in its third         
   edition.                                                                
                                                                           
   The latest edition of Eclectic Tech (Episode 22) describes how some     
   companies are experimenting with gravity as a means of generating       
   electricity. Then, a discussion with ARRL Assistant Laboratory Manager  
   Bob Allison, WB1GCM, about how modern transceivers compare to vintage   
   models.                                                                 
                                                                           
   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.                            
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
   ARRL Announces New Book Releases                                        
                                                                           
   ARRL has released new editions of two books, Antenna Physics, and Storm 
   Spotting and Amateur Radio.                                             
                                                                           
   The second edition of Antenna Physics: An Introduction bridges the gap  
   between basic theory and graduate-level engineering texts. This latest  
   edition includes new material to help readers to better understand the  
   complexities of antenna theory.                                         
                                                                           
   The author is world-recognized antenna technology authority Robert J.   
   Zavrel, Jr., W7SX. This edition provides a guide to grasping a deeper   
   understanding of how antenna systems function. Zavrel clearly           
   communicates the theory and mathematics that form the foundations upon  
   which all antenna designs depend.                                       
                                                                           
   The second edition of Antenna Physics: An Introduction is available     
   from the ARRL Store or your ARRL Dealer. (ARRL Item no. 1359, ISBN:     
   978-1-62595-135-9, $34.95 retail, special ARRL Member Price $29.95.)    
   Call 860-594-0355 or, toll-free in the US, 888-277-5289. It will also   
   be available for the Amazon Kindle.                                     
                                                                           
   The third edition of Storm Spotting and Amateur Radio is also now       
   available from ARRL. Storm spotting gives radio amateurs another way to 
   offer a public service by using their skills as communicators. In an    
   average year, the US experiences more than 10,000 severe thunderstorms, 
   5,000 floods, and more than 1,000 tornadoes. During these weather       
   events, ham radio volunteers provide real-time information to partners  
   such as emergency managers and National Weather Service forecasters.    
                                                                           
   New in this edition are lessons learned and response reports from the   
   2017 hurricane season, among other things. Co-authors are University of 
   Mississippi Professor of Emergency Management Michael Corey, KI1U, and  
   former Embry Riddle Aeronautical University meteorology professor       
   Victor Morris, AH6WX, with Contributing Editor Rob Macedo, KD1CY.       
                                                                           
   The third edition of Storm Spotting and Amateur Radio is available from 
   the ARRL Store or your ARRL Dealer. ARRL Item no. 1410, ISBN:           
   978-1-62595-135-9, $22.95 retail, special ARRL Member Price $19.95.)    
   Call 860-594-0355 or, toll-free in the US, 888-277-5289. Also available 
   in Amazon Kindle format.                                                
   First Solar Image from Hawaii Observatory Shows Sunspot Close-Up        
                                                                           
   The world's largest solar observatory, National Science Foundation      
   (NSF) Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawaii, has released its      
   first image of a sunspot, capturing the phenomenon in striking detail.  
   The image, taken last January, is among the first solar images of the   
   new Solar Cycle 25. The telescope's 4-meter primary mirror will give    
   the best views of the sun from Earth throughout Solar Cycle 25. The     
   image was released along with the first of a series of Inouye-related   
   articles featured in the Solar Physics journal. As radio amateurs know, 
   sunspots and other solar activity can affect HF radio                   
                                                                           
                                      The first sunspot image taken on     
                                      January 28, 2020 by the NSF's Inouye 
                                      Solar Telescope's Wave Front         
                                      Correction context viewer. The       
                                      sunspot is sculpted by a convergence 
                                      of intense magnetic fields and hot   
                                      gas boiling up from below.           
                                      [NSO/AURA/NSF, photo]                
                                                                           
   propagation, among other things, and they are where coronal mass        
   ejections (CMEs) and solar flares originate. The Inouye telescope is in 
   its final stages of construction.                                       
                                                                           
   "While the start of telescope operations has been slightly delayed due  
   to the impacts of the COVID-19 global pandemic, this image represents   
   an early preview of the unprecedented capabilities that the facility    
   will bring to bear on our understanding of the sun," said David         
   Boboltz, NSF Inouye Solar Telescope Program Director. Solar Cycle 25 is 
   predicted to peak in mid-2025.                                          
                                                                           
   "With this solar cycle just beginning, we also enter the era of the     
   Inouye Solar Telescope," said Matt Mountain, President of the           
   Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), the       
   organization that manages the National Solar Observatory and the Inouye 
   Solar Telescope. "We can now point the world's most advanced solar      
   telescope at the sun to capture and share incredibly detailed images    
   and add to our scientific insights about the sun's activity."           
                                                                           
   During the peak of Solar Cycle 24, 120 sunspots were tracked. Some 115  
   sunspots are predicted for the peak of Solar Cycle 25.                  
                                                                           
   The new image encompasses an area on the sun's surface of some 10,000   
   miles across -- just a tiny part of the sun, but large enough to fit    
   Earth inside, the Inouye Solar Telescope said in its statement. Read    
   more. -- Thanks to the National Solar Observatory and news media        
   reports                                                                 
                                                                         
   ARRL 10-Meter Contest is this Weekend                                   
                                                                           
   The 2020 ARRL 10-Meter Contest is just ahead, December 12 - 13. Whether 
   you're new to the hobby or a seasoned operator, this event offers       
   something for radio amateurs of all experience levels, from Technician  
   to Amateur Extra.                                                       
                                                                           
   If you're a recently licensed ham or a Technician-class licensee who    
   wants to get their first taste of HF contesting, remember that          
   Technicians have CW privileges from 28.0 to 28.3 MHz and SSB phone      
   privileges from 28.3 to 28.5 MHz.                                       
                                                                           
   This contest relies in part on winter E-skip, so propagation may favor  
   higher activity during daylight hours. Be on the lookout for unexpected 
   band openings and favorable propagation. Many operators have noticed    
   improved conditions in recent months.                                   
                                                                           
   The contest runs from 0000 UTC on December 12 and concludes at 2359 UTC 
   on December 13. Contest logs are due by 2359 UTC on December 20.        
   Complete rules and more information are on the ARRL website.            
   IARU Region 2 Executive Committee Approves Dues Reductions for          
   Member-Societies                                                        
                                                                           
   The International Amateur Radio Union Region 2 (IARU R2) Executive      
   Committee (EC) approved dues reductions and holidays for                
   member-societies in Region 2 (the Americas). The action came as the R2  
   EC held its fifth and final virtual meeting of the year on November 18  
   to complete outstanding business from its three October sessions and to 
   approve the 2021 operating budget.                                      
                                                                           
   "Recognizing that the pandemic created many hardships for               
   member-societies and all amateurs in the Americas, the R2 EC approved a 
   1-year dues reduction for 2021," the EC said. Member-societies with     
   annual dues lower than $150 will get a dues holiday next year, while    
   larger societies will get a 50% dues reduction. The R2 EC said it's     
   able to allow the discounts because 2021 expenses are expected to be    
   lower, "primarily as travel restrictions have moved meeting attendance  
   to being held virtually."                                               
                                                                           
   The other major item of business was to review the Future Committee's   
   proposal to the IARU ministrative Council (AC). The committee was     
   formed to study and propose how IARU should be structured "to become    
   far more nimble and able to respond quickly to changes in the           
   telecommunications ecosystem," the EC said. Representing Region 2 at    
   the Executive Committee session were Committee Chair Ram¢n Santoyo,     
   XE1KK, and Secretary George Gorsline, VE3YV.                            
                                                                           
   The very popular R2 workshops will be given a reboot in the new year,   
   focusing more on the needs of member-societies as well as on emergency  
   communication. Read more.                                               
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
   ARRL Learning Network Webinars                                          
                                                                           
   Visit the ARRL Learning Network (a members-only benefit) to register,   
   check for upcoming webinars, and view previously recorded sessions. The 
   schedule is subject to change.                                          
                                                                           
   HF, VHF, and UHF Antennas for SOTA: Brian Betz, W7JET                   
                                                                           
   What antenna should you use for activations? We will discuss and show   
   the different types of antennas used by activators, and show the pros   
   and cons of each type. The goal of the presentation is to help          
   activators make a good, informed antenna choice that suits them best.   
                                                                           
   Tuesday, December 15, 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)                                                            
                                                                           
   QSLing in an Online World: Anthony Luscre, K8ZT                         
                                                                           
   Learn all about the changing methods of QSLing in amateur radio,        
   including traditional paper QSL cards, and electronic QSLing, such as   
   Logbook of The World and eQSL.                                          
                                                                           
   Tuesday, January 5, 2021, 10 AM PST / 1 PM EST (1800 UTC)               
                                                                           
   Amateur Radio Logging: Anthony Luscre, K8ZT                             
                                                                           
   Discover the advantages of keeping an electronic amateur radio log.     
   Find out why you may need more than one software program for            
   logging-contesting, digital modes, special events, and so on. Learn     
   about using one full-featured logging program to pull everything        
   together, interface with outside databases, handle electronic QSLing,   
   and more. The discussion will include file formats, importing and       
   exporting data between programs, submitting contest logs online, and    
   safe backup of data.                                                    
                                                                           
   Thursday, January 14, 2021, 12:30 PM PST / 3:30 PM EST (2030 UTC)       
                                                                           
   Visit the ARRL Learning Network (a members-only benefit) to register,   
   check on upcoming webinars, and to view previously recorded sessions.   
   The schedule is subject to change.                                      
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
                                                                         
   The K7RA Solar Update                                                   
                                                                           
   Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Solar activity quieted this week. The 
   average daily sunspot number declined from 57.6 to 28.9, and average    
   daily solar flux from 108.1 to 91.9. Average daily planetary A index    
   went from 6.4 to 4.4, and average daily middle latitude A index went    
   from 5.6 to 3.1.                                                        
                                                                           
   Predicted solar flux for the next month is 82 on December 10 - 11; 84   
   on December 12 - 13; 80 on December 14 - 16; 82 and 88 on December 17 - 
   18; 92 on December 19 - 24; 94 on December 25 - 28; 96, 94, and 92 on   
   December 29 - 31; 90 on January 1 - 4; 88 on January 5 - 7, and 86 on   
   January 8 - 11.                                                         
                                                                           
   The forecast for planetary A index shows 40 and 25 on December 10 - 11; 
   8 on December 12 - 13; 5 on December 14 - 17; 12, 20, and 8 on December 
   18 - 20; 5 on December 21 - 22; 8, 10, and 8 on December 23 - 25; 5 on  
   December 26 - January 5; 10 and 8 on January 6 - 7, and 5 on January 8  
   - 13.                                                                   
                                                                           
   A coronal mass ejection on December 7 was expected to spark a           
   geomagnetic storm on December 10 -- 11, which explains why the          
   planetary A index is predicted at 40, 25, 8, and 8 on December 10 --    
   13.                                                                     
                                                                           
   The ARRL 10-Meter Contest this weekend is much anticipated because of   
   recent increased solar activity. I'm hoping for the best!               
                                                                           
   Sunspot numbers for December 3 - 9 were 40, 38, 42, 25, 35, 11, and 11, 
   with a mean of 28.9. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 102.9, 95.8, 99.9,    
   90.9, 89.5, 82.4, and 82.1, with a mean of 91.9. Estimated planetary A  
   indices were 3, 2, 5, 6, 3, 5, and 7, with a mean of 4.4. Middle        
   latitude A index was 1, 1, 4, 4, 2, 4, and 6, with a mean of 3.1.       
                                                                           
   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.                                    
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
   Announcements                                                           
     * The Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) has announced a Get on    
       the air for Christmas (GOTA4C) initiative, shared on social media   
       with the hashtag #GOTA4C, December 19 - January 9.  "[I]t will      
       bring together a few activities that radio amateurs can participate 
       in over the holiday period," RSGB said.                             
     * The FCC, in conjunction with the Federal Trade Commission and the   
       US Postal Service, will host a webinar about current COVID-19 scams 
       on Wednesday, December 16, starting at 1 PM EST (1800 UTC). It will 
       be streamed live.                                                   
     * ON5AU has created a web page devoted to the memory of John          
       Devoldere, ON4UN (SK), an icon of low-band DXing, who died on       
       November 9.                                                         
     * Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) says its   
       InterOperable Radio System (IORS), launched in March, has now been  
       in space about 6,655 hours and traveled some 116.5 million miles,   
       according to the Arduino-based Space Radio clock by Kerry Banke,    
       N6IZW, of the ARISS Hardware Team.                                  
                                                                           
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   Australian Radio Amateurs Denied Access to 60 Meters                    
                                                                           
   After considering several options for a 5 MHz amateur allocation, the   
   Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has come down in   
   favor of national government interests. Following a consultation, ACMA  
   decided not to permit ham operation on the 5351.5 - 5366.5 kHz band.    
   The 15 kHz-wide band was allocated to the amateur service on a          
   secondary basis in 2017, ACMA says, "unresolved sharing issues" have    
   prevented ham radio use of the band, used by more than 500 other        
   licensed services as well as by the Australian military."               
                                                                           
   "The ACMA recognizes the high level of interest shown by the amateur    
   community in adding this band and understands there will be             
   disappointment," the agency said.                                       
                                                                           
   Australia's International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) member-society,    
   the Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA), argued for amateur access to 
   5351.5 - 5365 kHz as a compromise. The WIA pointed out that more than   
   80 countries have been granted access to the band.                      
                                                                           
   Radio amateurs in New Zealand lost access to 60 meters in late October. 
   Use of this band by radio amateurs there was provisional, allowing hams 
   to use two frequencies in the band -- 5353.0 kHz and 5362.0 kHz -- as   
   part of a trial.                                                        
                                                                           
   In the US, ARRL proposed amateur access to a new, contiguous secondary  
   band at 5 MHz in a 2017 Petition for Rule Making. ARRL also asked the   
   FCC to retain shared access to four of the current five 60-meter        
   channels (one would be within the new band) as well as current          
   operating rules, including the 100 W PEP effective radiated power (ERP) 
   limit. The federal government is the primary user of the 5 MHz spectrum 
   in the US. Read more. -- Thanks to The 5 MHz Newsletter Editor Paul     
   Gaskell, G4MWO, for some information.                                   
                                                                         
   Transatlantic Tests Mark 99th Anniversary                               
                                                                           
   On December 11, 1921, radio history was made when a signal from amateur 
   station 1BCG in Greenwich, Connecticut, was heard in Ardrossan,         
   Scotland, marking the first successful transatlantic radio transmission 
   using shortwave frequencies. Between 1921 and 1924, radio amateurs      
   experimented with transmitting across the Atlantic. Sponsored by ARRL,  
   the Transatlantic Tests aimed to prove that shorter wavelength          
   frequencies could propagate long distances using transmitters running   
   less than 1 kW. The initial run of the Transatlantic Tests was a        
   failure. For the second Transatlantic Tests, ARRL dispatched receiver   
   designer Paul Godley, 2ZE, considered one of the best of operators the  
   day, to Europe to listen for participating stations. His nine-tube      
   receiver employed the latest superheterodyne technology.                
                                                                           
   In one of those historical coincidences, during his voyage to England,  
   Godley met Harold Beverage, who convinced him to use a specially        
   designed, highly sensitive, directional 1,300-foot antenna, still       
   referred to as the Beverage antenna.                                    
                                                                           
   During a pre-event dinner arranged by his British hosts, Godley also    
   met wireless pioneer Guglielmo Marconi.                                 
                                                                           
   Over the course of the test period, more than two dozen stations were   
   heard between 230 and 235 meters, roughly 1.3 MHz in what is now the AM 
   broadcast band. Some utilized spark-gap transmitters, others employed   
   vacuum-tube CW transmitters. The one heard most consistently was the    
   1BCG CW transmitter operated by six members of the Radio Club Of        
   America -- Ernest Amy, 2VK; Edwin Armstrong; George Burghard, 2SS;      
   Minton Cronkhite, 1BCG; John Grinan, NJ2PZ, and Walker Inman, 2BGM.     
   From 1BCG, they transmitted their message at 2152 UTC (then GMT) on     
   December 11, 1921:                                                      
                                                                           
   "No.1 de 1BCG. W-12 [Words 12], New York, Date 11/12-21, To Paul        
   Godley, Ardrossan, Scotland, Hearty Congratulations, Burghard, Inman,   
   Grinan, Armstrong, Amy, Cronkhite"                                      
                                                                           
   Reporting on the accomplishment, ARRL Secretary Kenneth B. Warner, 1EH, 
   declared, "Excelsior!" Read more. -- Thanks to Clark Burgard, N1BCG,    
   and Mike Marinaro, WN1M                                                 
   In Brief...                                                             
                                                                           
   Tennessee Centenarian Receives ARRL Centurion Award Elizabeth "Betty"   
   Oakberg, N4LZL, of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, recently received the ARRL     
   Centurion Award. Now 102, Oakberg started in radio as a shortwave       
   listener (SWL) and earned her Novice-class license in the late 1970s,   
   when she neared retirement as an elementary school teacher. She         
   subsequently upgraded to her Amateur Extra-class license. During her    
   more active hamming years, she earned Worked All States (WAS), made the 
   DXCC Honor Roll, received the Austrian OE-100 Award, and contacted the  
   Mir space station, among other achievements. A longtime member of the   
   Oak Ridge Amateur Radio Club, she served as an officer for several      
   years and regularly participated in ARRL Field Day. She was also a      
   frequent check-in with the American Foreign Service Net. Oakberg        
   received the ARRL Centurion Award plaque in November, and once pandemic 
   restrictions ease, a formal presentation will be arranged. -- Thanks to 
   John Oakberg, NK4N                                                      
                                                                           
   Neutron-1 CubeSat Signals Received Following the 3U Neutron-1 CubeSat's 
   deployment from the ISS on November 5, no signals were initially        
   received, but thanks to SatNOGS and the efforts of the amateur radio    
   community, several beacons were eventually received and decoded, AMSAT  
   News Service reports. The Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory (HSFL) team    
   has concluded that the satellite was in a normally charging deep-sleep  
   mode. The team is working to decode the .wav files it's received. The   
   satellite's payload includes a V/U FM repeater during available times   
   and according to the spacecraft's power budget. The Neutron-1 science   
   payload, a small neutron detector developed by Arizona State            
   University, will focus on measurements of low-energy secondary neutrons 
   -- a component of the low-Earth-orbit neutron environment. -- Thanks to 
   AMSAT News Service via the Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory               
                                                                           
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   Just Ahead in Radiosport                                                
     * December 12 - 13 -- ARRL 10-Meter Contest (CW, phone)               
     * December 12 - 14 -- PODXS 070 Club Triple Play Low Band Sprint      
       (Digital)                                                           
     * December 12 - 13 -- TRC Digi Contest                                
     * December 12 - 13 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon (CW)                   
     * December 12 - 13 -- International Naval Contest (CW, phone)         
     * December 13 -- QRP ARCI Holiday Spirits Homebrew Sprint (CW)        
     * December 13 -- CQC Great Colorado Snowshoe Run (CW)                 
     * December 14 -- 4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint (CW, phone)  
     * December 16 -- NAQCC CW Sprint                                      
                                                                           
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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.                                                       
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
     * December 11 - 12 -- Florida State Convention, Plant City, Florida   
                                                                           
   Find conventions and hamfests in your area.                             
                                                                           
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 
                                                                           
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