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N9PMO > LETTER 18.07.14 23:04l 678 Lines 35249 Bytes #999 (0) @ ARRL
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Centennial Convention Will Be an Event to Remember, ARRL President Says
ARRL President Issues Call to Action to Gain Support for HR.4969, the
Amateur Radio Parity Act!
ARRL Board of Directors to Meet July 21-22 in Hartford
It's Official: N6MJ and KL9A Take WRTC-2014 Gold, Slovak and German Teams
Win Silver and Bronze
HAARP Closing Delayed, But Facility Being Dismantled Piecemeal
Attendance at Friedrichshafen "Ham Radio" 2014 Tops Last Year's
W1AW Centennial Operations Head to South Carolina
New Ham Radio Regulations in Place in Thailand, Germany Gets 4 Meters
Briefly
ICE Spacecraft Recovery Effort Appears at an Impasse
Astronauts Andy Thomas, VK5MIR, and Dave Leestma, N5QWC, Retire from NASA
A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL
Just Ahead in Radiosport
Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events
NOTE: Because of the ARRL Centennial Convention, this week's edition of The
ARRL Letter is being distributed earlier than usual and will not include The
K7RA Solar Update (the propagation bulletin will be posted as usual on
Friday, July 18). There will be no ARRL Audio News on Friday, July 18.
Centennial Convention Will Be an Event to Remember, ARRL President Says
ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, is eagerly anticipating the ARRL National
Centennial Convention this week, but with a sense of history, awe, and
honor. The Convention gets underway Thursday, July 17, at the Connecticut
Convention Center in Hartford. Craigie said this week that to be President
when the ARRL celebrates its centennial "is an extraordinary good fortune
that I am sincerely grateful for."
ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN.
"Imagine standing at one end of a row of 15 people," Craigie said. "Now
imagine that on the other end of the row is Hiram Percy Maxim, W1AW. Being
the inheritor of 'The Old Man's' legacy is enough to daunt anybody who
doesn't need ego-reduction surgery, even before you factor in the other 13
presidents -- all of them outstanding radio amateurs."
Among those attending the Convention will be all but one of the living past
Presidents of the ARRL. They are Harry Dannals, W2HD (1972-1982); Larry
Price, W4RA (1984-1992); Rod Stafford, W6ROD (1995-1999), and Joel Harrison,
W5ZN (2006-2010). "I spoke with Jim Haynie, W5JBP, who regrets that he can't
attend but sends his very best regards," Craigie recounted. Haynie served as
ARRL President from 2000 until 2005.
Craigie will host a Presidents Breakfast on Saturday morning. "In addition,
we will welcome Richard Crouch, N6RC, grandson of the third ARRL President,
George Bailey W1KH/W2KH," she announced. Bailey served as the League's
president from 1940 until 1952. Crouch, an ARRL Life Member, is from
Campbell, California. "I am honored to be in the company of these people,"
she added.
League Co-Founder Hiram Percy Maxim, W1AW, dons the headphones of a
shipboard station while on overseas travel.
The Convention features a full schedule of Thursday Training Track classes
and Friday and Saturday forums. Craigie said she believes that League
co-founder Hiram Percy Maxim would be "delighted" to see these on the
Centennial Convention program. "Coming from a family of inventors, he was
devoted to cutting-edge technology of the early 20th century, not only in
radio but also other areas such as in cinema and automobiles," she said.
"Technology has advanced so much in the years following his lifetime that he
wouldn't know what most of our presenters are talking about, but he'd figure
out that we are moving confidently straight ahead into the future."
That would please not only HPM but "the other visionary radio amateurs who
began the history we're honoring this weekend," Craigie speculated. "He
would also see that the ARRL is still the relentless advocate for Amateur
Radio that it was in his day. I think that would put the biggest smile of
all on the face of the original W1AW.
ARRL Chief Operating Officer and Convention Co-Chair Harold Kramer, WJ1B,
will preside at the official Centennial Convention opening ceremony at 8:30
AM on Friday, in the Pre-Function Area in from of the ARRL Centennial
Ballroom on Level 6. Kramer and President Craigie will welcome the
anticipated 500 to 1000 attendees. CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, Convention
Co-Chair and ARRL New England Division Vice Director Mike Raisbeck, K1TWF,
Convention Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, and ARRL New England Division
Director Tom Frenaye, K1KI, also will be present.
Introducing the Centennial Terrace
A special donor reception on Thursday, July 17, will precede the unveiling
of the new Centennial Terrace at ARRL Headquarters. The invitation-only
event gets underway at 6 PM. ARRL Development Director Mary Hobart, K1MMH,
will serve as master of ceremonies.
"The Terrace includes three vertical granite pillars that bear the names of
the campaign committee and donors who contributed or pledged at least
$10,000 to the ARRL Second Century Campaign," Hobart explained. "The Terrace
also has six granite benches, a bronze Second Century Campaign medallion,
and more than 75 inscribed bricks placed by donors to the campaign."
Hobart said the Centennial Terrace will expand the physical space in front
of the ARRL Headquarters building that also includes the Diamond Terrace.
"It is a pleasure to recognize the generosity of radio amateurs who honor
their call signs and those of others who have had a significant impact on
Amateur Radio," Hobart said.
ARRL Second Century Campaign Chairman David Brandenburg, K5QR, President
Craigie, and CEO Sumner are expected to make brief remarks at the reception.
Amateur Radio History on Display
A fresh display of vintage Amateur Radio equipment and artifacts will greet
Convention visitors who also take the opportunity to tour ARRL Headquarters
and the Maxim Memorial Station W1AW in nearby Newington. The ARRL Board of
Directors' Historical Committee is responsible for the exhibit, "The
Progression of Amateur Radio History and Technology." Bob Allison, WB1GCM,
of the ARRL Laboratory and Mike Marinaro, WN1M, are the exhibit curators.
Some of the vintage gear in "The Progression of Amateur Radio History and
Technology" display. [Bob Allison, WB1GCM, photo]
The display concept is to illustrate the progress of Amateur Radio
technology from the inception of radio to the present. The exhibit will use
equipment items that are typical of each era to highlight some major
milestones in that historical arc.
The exhibits in the ARRL lobby will be arranged in chronological order,
displaying the development of Amateur radio in 11 stages. Some key pieces on
display include a 1907 spark transmitter/crystal detector set, a Collins 4A
crystal controlled transmitter from 1935, a Russian-made BC-348 receiver, a
Cosmophone 35 SSB transceiver from 1959, a TEN-TEC Century 22 solid state CW
transceiver from 1983, and a modern -- and working -- software defined
transceiver. Guides will answer questions and provide additional information
on each item displayed. The ARRL Laboratory, one of the stops on the ARRL
Headquarters Tour, includes additional items of historical interest, as part
of the Lab's permanent exhibit, "The Evolution of Amateur Radio Equipment"
Breakfast, Luncheon, Hors d'Oeuvres, and Banquet
An estimated 750 visitors will attend the opening-day luncheon in the
Convention Center Ballroom -- the ARRL Centennial Ballroom on Level 6. It
gets underway at noon, with ARRL Rocky Mountain Division Director Brian
Mileshosky, N5ZGT, serving as master of ceremonies. ARRL First Vice
President Rick Roderick, K5UR, will be the keynote speaker.
An International Guest Welcome Reception will begin at 5 PM (continuing
until 7 PM) at the Convention Center Pre-Function Space on Level 6. Some 700
are expected at the event to socialize and enjoy hors d'oeuvres and
beverages. ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, will be the master of ceremonies.
Speakers will include ARRL international Affairs Vice President Jay Bellows,
K0QB, and IARU President Tim Ellam, VE6SH.
Some 800 diners are expected at the Centennial Banquet, Friday, 6:30 until
9:30 PM. ARRL Centennial Convention Steering Committee Chair and Hudson
Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, will be the master of ceremonies. The
keynote speaker will be FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, KK4INZ. Other
speakers and presentations will follow the banquet.
President Craigie will be at the head of the table as well as the keynote
speaker for the Presidents Breakfast on Saturday, 7:30 until 9 AM, in the
Centennial Ballroom on Level 6. ARRL Second Vice President Jim Fenstermaker,
K9JF, will be the master of ceremonies. Craigie will introduce and honor the
past presidents of the ARRL.
ARRL President Issues Call to Action to Gain Support for HR.4969, the
Amateur Radio Parity Act!
In a video, ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, has issued an urgent call to
action to all radio amateurs to get behind a grassroots campaign to promote
co-sponsorship of HR.4969, "The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2014." HR.4969
would require the FCC to extend PRB-1 coverage to restrictive covenants. It
was introduced in the US House with bipartisan support on June 25 at the
request of the ARRL, which worked with House staffers to draft the
legislation. The measure would require the FCC to apply the "reasonable
accommodation" three-part test of the PRB-1 federal pre-emption policy to
private land-use restrictions regarding antennas. The bill's primary sponsor
is Rep Adam Kinzinger (R-IL). It had initial co-sponsorship from Rep Joe
Courtney (D-CT).
President Craigie also exhorted all radio amateurs regarding support for
HR.4969 in remarks appearing in the The ARRL Legislative Update Newsletter.
Craigie stressed in the Newsletter that the legislation stands to benefit
not just today's radio amateurs but those in the future.
"Chances are, those Americans of the future will grow up in communities
having private land use restrictions," she said "That is the way the country
is going, and it is very bad for Amateur Radio. How can Amateur Radio
thrive, if more and more Americans cannot have reasonable antennas at home?
You and I have to stand for the Amateurs of the second century."
If the measure passes the 113th Congress, it would require the FCC to amend
the Part 97 Amateur Service rules to apply PRB-1 coverage to include
homeowners' association regulations and deed restrictions, often referred to
as "covenants, conditions, and restrictions" (CC&Rs). At present, PRB-1 only
applies to state and local zoning laws and ordinances.
An HR.4969 page now is open on the ARRL website. It contains information and
resources for clubs and individuals wishing to support efforts to gain
co-sponsors for the measure by contacting their members of Congress.
ARRL Board of Directors to Meet July 21-22 in Hartford
The ARRL Board of Directors will meet Monday and Tuesday, July 21-22, in
Hartford, Connecticut, The slightly altered scheduling of the July meeting
takes advantage of the fact that most Board members will already be in town
for the ARRL National Centennial Convention July 17-19.
International guests at the gathering will include IARU Vice President Ole
Garpestad, LA2RR, and Radio Amateurs of Canada President Geoff Bawden,
VE4BAW.
The Board will hear reports from ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, and from
other League officers. This will be the final Board meeting that ARRL Chief
Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH, will attend in her official
capacity. Hobart has announced her retirement, effective July 31. She has
served the League for 13 years and was behind the creation of The Diamond
Club, The Diamond Terrace, The Maxim Society, and the Second Century
Campaign, among other initiatives.
"During Hurricane Katrina, she virtually single handedly created the Ham Aid
Program that provides new gear to amateurs who have lost their equipment in
disasters," ARRL Chief Operating Officer Harold Kramer, WJ1B, said in the
August issue of QST. "Because of her efforts and those of her staff, she has
raised millions of dollars for the ARRL and, ultimately, for the benefit of
Amateur Radio."
ARRL Chief Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH.
Kramer pointed out that Hobart also was one of the founders of the
successful Teachers Institutes for Wireless Technology. Funded by voluntary
contributions, the annual summer workshops help to better acquaint classroom
teachers and educators with wireless technology and the science behind it.
At its meeting, the Board will receive reports from ARRL officers as well as
committee and coordinator reports. The agenda also calls for proposals for
amendments to the Articles of Association and Bylaws.
Individual ARRL Directors will also have an opportunity to speak and to
submit motions.
Board committees will be meeting on Sunday, July 20, and that the full Board
will consider their recommendations over the course of its meeting.
Ad
It's Official: N6MJ and KL9A Take WRTC-2014 Gold, Slovak and German Teams
Win Silver and Bronze
After considerable deliberation over which team placed third in the 2014
World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC-2014), it's now official. At the
awards ceremony July 14 concluding the international Amateur Radio
contesting competition, the US team of Dan Craig,
The WRTC-2014 Top three (L-R): Rastislav Hrnko, OM3BH, and Jozef Lang, OM3GI
(silver); Dan Craig, N6MJ, and Chris Hurlbut, KL9A (gold); Stefan von Baltz,
DL1IAO, and Manfred Wolf, DJ5MW (bronze). [WRTC-2014 photo by Bob Wilson,
N6TV]
N6MJ, and Chris Hurlbut, KL9A, operating as K1A, took home the gold for
their winning team effort. There was little suspense about the top spot;
Craig and Hurlbut had led the international pack of 59 competing teams
literally from the start. Craig, 33, of Rancho Cucamonga, California, comes
from a ham radio family and got his license when he was just 8 years old. He
had competed in the last three WRTCs, finishing fourth in 2002, second in
2006 (with N2NL), and third in 2010 with KL9A. Hurlbut, 31, of Bozeman,
Montana, became a ham when he was 10 and began contesting 4 years later.
Walking away with the silver was the Slovak team of Rastislav Hrnko, OM3BH,
and Jozef Lang, OM3GI, who operated as W1L. Hrnko, 46, got into ham radio
when he was about 10. He took part in WRTC-2000 and WRTC-2010. Lang, who's
54, was licensed at 15. He also
The WRTC-2014 "Parade of Nations" prior to the competition. [Bob
Inderbitzen, NQ1R, photo]
competed at WRTC-2000 and WRTC-2010. Both have been active members of the
OM8A contest team.
Determining who landed in third place was not so simple, but in the final
analysis, the W1P team of Manfred Wolf, DJ5MW, and Stefan von Baltz, DL1IAO,
won the bronze medal. The duo had ranked fifth in the "raw, unchecked
claimed scores."
Wolf, 42, was competing at his second WRTC. He took part in WRTC-2000 in
Slovenia. Von Baltz, 38, was a competitor at WRTC-96 and WRTC-2000.They
edged out fourth-place finishers Kevin Stockton, N5DX, and Steve London,
N2IC, who operated as W1Z.
Chief Judge David Sumner, K1ZZ, who was master of ceremonies for the awards
presentations, said there was "a lot of pressure" on the judges to get it
right, and they had to carefully scrutinize the logs of those placing the
third, fourth, and fifth in the claimed scores.
"Because the skills of the operators were so high, the judges had a very,
very difficult time resolving the position for number 3," Sumner told the
gathering. "We went to extraordinary lengths, given the time that we had
available, checking logs. As a matter of fact, had we not checked to the
depth that we did, the error rate at W1P would actually have been a bit
lower."
"In the end," Sumner said, "there were 8000 points separating number 4 from
number 3. That's six-tenths of a multiplier."
Wolf and von Baltz edged out fourth-place finishers Kevin Stockton, N5DX,
and Steve London, N2IC, who operated as W1Z.
Sumner said this week that given the high skill level of the operators and
the equivalent locations of the stations, it was "inevitable that some
scores would differ by less than the precision that log-checking can
achieve." He said the judging team had a database of 3400 IARU HF
Championship participants' logs and was able to cross-check 60 percent of
the contacts.
"The difference in the final scores of W1P and W1Z is very small and the
N5DX/N2IC result is every bit as exceptional as that of the bronze medal
recipients, but in the end, one number was ever so slightly larger than the
other," he said.
WRTC-2014 has posted the final results on its website. Video of the closing
ceremony also is available. Read more.
HAARP Closing Delayed, But Facility Being Dismantled Piecemeal
The US Air Force has given the High Frequency Active Auroral Research
Program (HAARP) facility in Gakona, Alaska, a death row reprieve of sorts.
The Secretary of the Air Force told Alaska Sen Lisa Murkowski July 2 that it
is "willing to slow the closure process and defer irreversible dismantling
of the transmitter site" until May 2015. Those pushing for HAARP to remain
open as a scientific research facility include several radio amateurs. HAARP
proponents claim, however, that despite the delay, the Air Force has been
picking the plant apart piece by piece, and that critical research
instruments already have been taken off site.
The HAARP antenna field, looking down a row of transmitter shelters. [Chris
Fallen, KL3WX, photo]
University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Professor Chris Fallen, KL3WX, who has
conducted research at HAARP, told ARRL that it was his "unofficial
understanding" that the Air Force has already rendered HAARP reversibly
inoperable through the removal or relocation of critical diagnostic
instruments, instrument shelters, office furniture, and even tubes for the
multiple transmitters. HAARP's transmitters are capable of generating more
than 3 gigawatts of RF in the HF spectrum, which its 180 antennas can direct
upward to the ionosphere.
Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James told Murkowski that the Air
Force "will proceed with removal of government property not essential to
operations and will seek to reduce maintenance costs through additional
storage of equipment and winterization; however, we will retain critical
hardware to maximize the potential to reactivate the site, should it be
transferred to another federal government agency or a private entity next
year."
In May Murkowski raised questions in Congress about the impending HAARP
closure, and she took some credit for the shutdown delay. Murkowski had
questioned why the Pentagon was planning to demolish HAARP, "asking whether
it was fiscally sound to destroy an approximately $300 million facility when
it costs less than one percent of that amount to operate it each year," a
news release from her office said. She said she supports handing control of
HAARP over to the University of Alaska or another research entity to "keep
the world-class facility open and running."
HAARP Control Room [HAARP photo]
"The [news release] states that the Air Force is in the process of removing
'non-critical' equipment, which essentially means anything not bolted to the
floor such as generators, amplifiers, antennae, and control systems," Fallen
asserted. "While I would consider the diagnostic instruments as 'critical'
to an ionosphere modification observatory, this apparently is not a
universal interpretation." He said HAARP's diagnostic instruments, including
the riometer and ionosonde, have not been available since June 2013 and are
in immediate danger of being removed. Hams in Alaska have used data from
both instruments in conducting their own ionospheric investigations.
UAF has been engaged in discussions with the Air Force with an eye toward
taking over HAARP, although it's not clear that these have gained any
serious traction. Read more.
Attendance at Friedrichshafen "Ham Radio" 2014 Tops Last Year's
Attendance at Germany's annual international "Ham Radio" exhibition on June
27-29 -- the Continent's biggest Amateur Radio event -- was 17,100 this
year, up from 15,300 visitors last year. This year's Ham Radio teamed with
the Maker World create-it-yourself event. The gathering attracted some 200
exhibitors from 34 countries plus 300 flea marketers. Ham Radio 2014 placed
an emphasis on youth-oriented themes and activities and also honored one of
2013's major DXpedtions. "Creative Amateur Radio -- Build It Yourself" was
the theme for this year's show.
Alex Banbury, KE7WUD, and Gerrit Herzig, DH8GHH. [Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R,
photo]
The third International Youth Meeting took place at Friedrichshafen on June
28, sponsored by the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 1 and
the Deutscher Amateur Radio Club (DARC), Germany's national Amateur Radio
society. The gathering included presentations from many young radio amateurs
and adult leaders. Among the presenters was 16-year-old ARRL member Alex
Banbury, KE7WUD, and Gerrit Herzig, DH8GHH. Herzig, who organizes activities
for youth in Braunschweig, Germany, spoke about ways to interest young
people in Amateur Radio, particularly students interested in science and
technology. Herzig was also involved with a team of students and youth
leaders who launched a tropospheric balloon from the convention grounds on
the convention's second day. The balloon carried student-built ham radio
payloads including an APRS beacon and telemetry transmitter, video camera,
and numerous scientific sensors.
Some 300 flea market vendors turned out for Ham Radio 2014. [Ham Radio
photo]
Banbury told one forum how he started a radio club at his high school on
Washington's Mercer Island. He explained that promoting the public service
aspect of Amateur Radio has been particularly successful for recruiting
other students -- and because the island's infrastructure is uniquely
susceptible to natural or man-made disaster. Banbury, who earned his ham
radio ticket at age 10, spends summers in Germany with his family. He
attended the convention in Friedrichshafen with his father, ARRL Life Member
John Banbury, AG7N.
ARRL Marketing Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, said the convention included
many youth-organized exhibits. "A ham youth camp had participation from 100
young people up to the age of 27," he said. "The young hams spent 3 nights
meeting with one another and having fun." Their activities included building
various projects and getting on the air from different stations. A hidden
transmitter "fox hunt" was held on Sunday morning in a forest near the
fairgrounds. Read more.
W1AW Centennial Operations Head to South Carolina
The ARRL Centennial W1AW WAS operations taking place throughout 2014 from
each of the 50 states and now on hiatus will resume at 0000 UTC on
Wednesday, July 16 (the evening of July 15 in US time zones), from South
Carolina (W1AW/4). There will be only one state this week. During 2014 W1AW
will be on the air from every state (at least twice) and most US
territories, and it will be easy to work all states solely by contacting
W1AW portable operations.
The ARRL Centennial QSO Party kicked off January 1 for a year-long operating
event in which participants can accumulate points and win awards. The event
is open to all, although only ARRL members and appointees, elected
officials, HQ staff and W1AW are worth ARRL Centennial QSO Party points.
Working W1AW/x from each state is worth 5 points per mode/contact, even when
working the same state during its second week of activity. If you worked any
of the 59 WRTC-2014 competitor stations with 1 x 1 call signs this past
weekend, those contacts also are worth 5 points apiece.
To earn the "Worked all States with W1AW Award," work W1AW operating
portable from all 50 states. (Working W1AW or W100AW in Connecticut does not
count for Connecticut, however. For award credit, participants must work
W1AW/1 in Connecticut.) A W1AW WAS certificate and plaque will be available.
The ARRL has posted an ARRL Centennial QSO Party leader board that
participants can use to determine how many points they have accumulated in
the Centennial QSO Party and in the W1AW WAS operations. Log in using your
Logbook of The World (LoTW) user name and password, and your position will
appear at the top of the leader boards. Results are updated daily, based on
contacts entered into LoTW.
New Ham Radio Regulations in Place in Thailand, Germany Gets 4 Meters
Briefly
Thailand's 247,000 radio amateurs have new Amateur Radio regulations that
provide significant new privileges The Radio Amateur Society of Thailand
(RAST) has reported that the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications
Commission (NBTC) has been working on the new regulations for nearly 3
years. They will permit operation on 6 meters, will expand the 2 meter band
by 500 kHz (to 146.5 MHz), and will activate the Advanced class with
privileges permitting running up to 1 kW. Restrictions on HF radios that
include 6 meters will be removed and type-approval restrictions eased, so
that Thai radio amateurs will be able to purchase transceiver models.
Additional spectrum is being authorized for 160 and 80 meters too.
Among other changes, more club stations and contest call signs will be
issued, those not holding a ham ticket may operate under supervision at a
club station, an 8 WPM Morse code receiving test will remain as a component
of the Intermediate and Advanced class examination, and the entry-level
Basic (Novice) license now may run 60 W on 144 MHz and 100 W on 28 MHz. The
NBTC has posted a new allocation table.
Meanwhile, German telecommunications authorities have approved the use of
70.000 to 70.030 MHz by Class A radio amateurs from July 2 until August 31,
2014. The DARC report the restrictions are similar to those for the 50 MHz
band: 25 W EIRP, all modes, maximum bandwidth 12 kHz, horizontal antenna
polarization. This band has not been available to radio amateurs in Germany
since 1957. The UK also has access to 4 meters. The DARC has said it is
working toward permanent access to 4 meters. -- Thanks to Southgate ARC
ICE Spacecraft Recovery Effort Appears at an Impasse
According to a July 10 National Public Radio (NPR) "Morning Edition" report,
the effort to recover the venerable International Sun-Earth Explorer 3
spacecraft (ISEE-3) -- later repurposed, redirected, and renamed the
International Cometary Explorer (ICE) -- has run into problems and may have
reached a dead end. The ISEE-3 Reboot Project has been trying since July 8
to fire the engines of the 36-year-old space traveler without apparent
success. The spacecraft is some 2.65 million miles from Earth. The team,
which includes several Amateur Radio operators, has been transmitting
control signals from the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico and listening
for spacecraft telemetry at the Bochum Observatory in Germany. The
pessimistic NPR report featured team member Keith Cowing, a former NASA
engineer.
"Our first series of burns, we thought went okay," Cowing told reporter Nell
Greenfieldboyce. "And then when we went to the second set, pretty much
nothing happened. And we tried it again, and nothing happened." The group
has conjectured that the nitrogen tanks needed to pressurize the hydrazine
fuel on the spacecraft may be empty, meaning that the engines are dead, and
the team will not be able to redirect ICE into an orbit that is closer to
Earth, instead of letting it fly past the planet.
"At this point, we're sort of scratching our heads," Cowing said. "We may
take one last run at the spacecraft, but this may be it for an attempt to
bring it back to Earth." ICE has been in a solar orbit for most of its life,
following its 1978 launch.
In late May, Dennis Wingo, KD4ETA, a project team member and the CEO of
California-based Skycorp Incorporated, reported that the team was able to
command one of the spacecraft's transponders on 2.042 GHz by radio.
The group has been hoping to place ICE into a gravitationally stable spot
some 930,000 miles from Earth -- essentially its original orbit -- where it
could again study the effects of solar weather on Earth's magnetosphere (the
project's slogan is "Make me do science again!"). The private group had to
obtain NASA's approval to communicate with the satellite.
Cowing said in a July 15 update that the team's next window of opportunity
would be July 16 at Arecibo. "During that opportunity we intend to attempt a
deep space plumbing repair on board ISEE-3 and then fire its engines," he
said. "Based on the number of thruster firings we achieve during that
plumbing repair session we'll need to do some additional firings -- possibly
over the course of several days -- all of which will constitute the
[trajectory correction maneuver].
"We have most certainly not given up on this spacecraft yet," Cowing said
July 10.
Astronauts Andy Thomas, VK5MIR, and Dave Leestma, N5QWC, Retire from NASA
Astronauts Andy Thomas, VK5MIR/ex-KD5CHF, and Dave Leestma, N5WQC, have
announced their retirements from NASA. Both operated on ham radio from
space, and Thomas, as the last US astronaut to complete a duty tour onboard
the Russian Mir space station, conducted several contacts with students on
Earth as part of the SAREX program, the predecessor of ARISS.
Andy Thomas, VK5MIR. [NASA photo]
A native of Australia, Thomas, 62, became an astronaut in 1993. He leaves
the space agency after 22 years of service. His most recent work with NASA
involved leading design teams for projects that include a return visit to
the moon and a Mars mission. Thomas's spaceflight experience includes a 1996
mission on the shuttle Endeavour, about 6 months onboard Mir, and a 1998
trip on the shuttle Discovery, to deliver the Expedition 2 International
Space Station crew, and the 2005 Discovery "Return to Flight" mission
following the Columbia disaster to continue construction of the ISS.
Dave Leestma, N5WQC. [NASA photo]
Thomas was active on the air during his stint aboard Mir and from NA1SS
during his brief 2005 ISS stay. Thomas and his wife, Shannon Walker, KD5DXB,
will live on the couple's 40 acre ranch in central Texas. Walker, who's
still active with NASA, is hoping for at least one more spaceflight.
Thomas's US Amateur Radio license has expired.
Leestma, 65, is a veteran of three shuttle missions. He leaves NASA after
more than 44 years of government service. Leestma was selected to join the
astronaut corps in 1980. After flying in space, Leestma held multiple
technical and leadership assignments at NASA, including director of Flight
Crew Operations. He is a graduate of the US Naval Academy and the Naval
Postgraduate School. In 1992 he completed the Worked All Continents (WAC)
award from space by working Antarctica.
A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL
This week, we'll look at the 1950s. Danny Weil, VP2VB, began his well-known
series of Yasme DXpeditions around the world in 1955, putting some rare
countries on the air. That series lasted until 1963, and it gave thousands
of DXers the opportunity to work some new ones.
In the mid-1950s, The FCC ran out of 1 × 3 call signs with W and K prefixes
and began reissuing lapsed W and K call signs. When those ran out, they went
on to 2 × 3 call signs with WA (and, later, WB) prefixes.
The log periodic antenna -- a new and very useful concept -- was introduced
to hams in the late 1950s. It had been developed by D.E. Isbell at the
University of Illinois.
Late in 1958, hams lost the shared use of 11 meters, which then became the
Class D Citizens Band.
A CONELRAD information poster from the 1950s, advising citizens where to
tune "for official information."
During the late 1950s, amateurs continued to push the limits of VHF and
higher bands. W6NLZ and KH6UK ran regular schedules on VHF and succeeded in
making two-way contact on 144 MHz in 1957, and on 220 MHz in 1959.
Another Amateur Radio first took place in 1960, when the first EME
(moonbounce) contact was made on 1296 MHz between W6HB in California and
W1BU in Massachusetts.
During the 1950s and 1960s, The USSR and the US were in the midst of the
so-called "Cold War." Fearing that Soviet bombers could home in on radio
signals to find their targets, the CONELRAD (CONtrol of ELectromagnetic
RADiation) system went into effect from 1957 to 1962. For their part hams
were required to (1) monitor an AM broadcast station at least every 10
minutes to be sure it was still on the air; and (2) shut down, if broadcast
stations went off the air. In the event of such an emergency, key 50 kW AM
stations would move to either 640 or 1240 kHz to broadcast emergency
information. The stations on each of thopcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events
July 17-19 -- ARRL National Centennial Convention, Hartford, Connecticut
July 18-19 -- Arizona State Convention, Williams, Arizona
July 18-20 -- Montana State Convention, East Glacier, Montana
July 24-27 -- Central States VHF Society Conference, Austin, Texas
July 25-26 -- Oklahoma State Convention, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
August 1-2 -- Texas State Convention, Austin, Texas
August 7-9 -- Young Ladies Radio League Convention, Vancouver, Washington
August 8-10 -- Rocky Mountain Division Convention, Albuquerque, New Mexico
August 16-17 -- Southeastern Division Convention, Regional ARRL Centennial
Event, Huntsville, Alabama
August 17 -- Kansas State Convention, Salina, Kansas
August 23 -- West Virginia State Convention, Weston, West Virginia
August 23-24 -- JARL Ham Fair, Tokyo, Japan
August 24 -- Western Pennsylvania Section Convention, New Kensington,
Pennsylvania
August 30-31 -- North Carolina State Convention (Shelby Hamfest), Shelby,
North Carolina
September 5-7 -- ARRL-TAPR Digital Communications Conference (Austin, Texas)
September 6 -- Kentucky State Convention (Shepherdsville, Kentucky)
September 6 -- Virginia Section Convention (Virginia Beach, Virginia)
September 12-14 -- Southwestern Division Convention (San Diego, California)
September 19-20 -- W9DXCC Convention (Schaumburg, Illinois)
Find conventions and hamfests in your area.
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