*************** The ARRL Letter Vol. 23, No. 39 October 1, 2004 *************** IN THIS EDITION: * +North Carolina utility shuts down BPL trial * +Amateur Radio volunteers confront fourth hurricane in six weeks * +ARISS logs two firsts during school group contact * +ARRL member to head radiocommunication relief mission to Haiti * +Get ready for JOTA 2004 * +Federal employees can designate CFC pledges to ARRL * Solar Update * IN BRIEF: This weekend on the radio ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course registration +MARS members asked to assist in hurricane health-and-welfare traffic +Saudi Arabia's HZ1AB is history Amateur microsat model on display at Smithsonian Supreme Court case involves radio amateur but not amateur antennas Santa Clara Valley gets new Section Manager UK amateurs poised to get bigger 40-meter band +Available on ARRL Audio News =========================================================== NOTE: To accommodate travel schedules, The ARRL Letter and ARRL Audio News for Friday, October 8, will be distributed a day early. The Solar Update will be available via the ARRL Web site and as a W1AW bulletin. =========================================================== ==>NORTH CAROLINA UTILITY DECOMMISSIONING BPL FIELD TRIAL Progress Energy Corporation (PEC) this week shut down its BPL field trial in the Raleigh, North Carolina, area and began removing system hardware. The utility's action came just as local amateur Tom Brown, N4TAB, had filed a "Response and Further Complaint" about the system. His filing disputes an FCC determination this summer that PEC's BPL system complied with Part 15 rules--with notched BPL emissions averaging 24 dB below Part 15 emission limits--and that ham band notching was "effective." Brown, who has an extensive background in RF engineering, says the FCC's findings have nothing to do with defining--or excusing--harmful interference. "I can find no reference that states that equipment operating under Part 15 with an emission level below some specified value is defined as being 'non interfering,'" Brown told Bruce Franca of the FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology. Franca's July 22 report characterized the 24 dB average notch depths as "sufficient to eliminate any signals that would be deemed capable of causing harmful interference, including interference to amateur operations." Brown disagreed. "This is a subjective leap of judgment that is unsupported under Part 15 rules and without precedent," he responded. BPL proponents have touted the FCC's conclusions in the Progress Energy field trials to debunk findings by the ARRL and others that the technology can and does generate harmful interference. The ARRL also took issue with certain claims Franca made in his July 22 letter, but the Commission has yet to respond. Brown, who also asked the FCC to shut down the system, now has gotten his wish. The utility announced nearly two months ago that it had "successfully" completed Phase 2 of its BPL trial and would be terminatiing the operation. At the same time, Progress indicated that it "does not have plans for a large-scale commercial rollout of BPL in the company's service territories." PEC has since backed away from that statement and says it has not ruled out BPL. Speaking at the United Power Line Council (UPLC) BPL conference in mid-September, PEC's Matt Oja said that that while the utility had worked with local amateurs to successfully quell interference, the amateurs kept raising the bar until Progress had to put its foot down. Even after the FCC study that essentially gave the system a clean bill of health, Oja said, the amateurs still were unhappy. Oja suggested that radio amateurs would never be happy about BPL, and he advised utilities to simply move forward with their BPL programs. Responding to Oja's comments--as reported in the newsletter BPL Today--another amateur directly involved in the Progress Energy BPL field trials, Gary Pearce, KN4AQ, offered a somewhat different version of events. "The only bar Progress Energy and Amperion need to meet is the one set by Part 15," Pearce said. "No harmful interference to licensed services." Amperion, PEC's BPL partner, ultimately was only partially successful in "notching" amateur frequencies out of its BPL system, Pearce noted, and interfering signals remained even after Progress announced it was ending its BPL field trial. Pearce said the utility gave the amateur community "no confidence in their ability to get it right in any reasonable time frame." Amperion Marketing Vice President Jeff Tolnar told the same BPL conference that "all ARRL complaints have been mitigated and/or found to be invalid." Franca, who also addressed the UPLC BPL convention, was quoted this week in USA Today as saying that the FCC has tried to come up with rules to ensure BPL can be deployed and that licensed radio operators are protected. But, the article by Paul Davidson continued: "Banning power companies from ham-radio bands outright could reduce the download speeds of the high-speed Internet service or limit the number of customers who could be served, Franca says." A copy of Brown's filing also went to FCC Chairman Michael K Powell's Legal Assistant Sheryl Wilkerson, with whom ARRL officials met this week on the BPL proceeding, ET Docket 04-37. ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, said that one of Wilkerson's "many misconceptions" was that actions such as notching by BPL systems to resolve interference have been successful. The FCC is expected to consider a draft Report and Order in the BPL proceeding when the full Commission meets Thursday, October 14.--Anthony E. "Goody" Good, K3NG, provided information for this report ==>STORM-WEARY AMATEUR RADIO VOLUNTEERS CONFRONT HURRICANE'S AFTERMATH Amateur Radio this past week once again was part of a storm relief and recovery effort in the wake of Hurricane Jeanne--the fourth storm in six weeks to hit Florida. Jeanne made landfall September 25 some 5 miles southeast of Stuart--not far from where Hurricane Frances struck September 5. Authorities blamed the storm--a Category 3 hurricane with 120 MPH winds--for at least six deaths, and the state was declared a major disaster area. The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) <http://www.hwn.org/>--whose members tracked the storm up through the Caribbean--wrapped up three full days of communication support September 26. "Since the wind field was much larger than Frances', Jeanne knocked out recently restored power to much of east and central Florida quite early and easily," said HWN Assistant Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV. He noted that since debris cleaned up after Hurricane Frances had not yet been picked up, Hurricane Jeanne had an "abundance of projectiles" at her disposal. Other reports indicated that after Frances denuded much of the region's vegetation, Jeanne came along and tore off roofs, then dumped heavy rain into the vulnerable houses and buildings. The storm disrupted conventional telecommunications and left some 2.5 million homes without electrical power. Over the storm's course, HWN members received reports throughout the northwestern Bahamas and eastern and central Florida. Many areas of the Bahamas also were still recovering from Hurricane Frances. As Marti Brown, KF4TRG/C6A, reported to the HWN: "Let me tell you that this storm was virtual hell." During severe storms, the HWN works hand-in-hand with WX4NHC <http://www.wx4nhc.org/> at the National Hurricane Center in Miami to gather ground-level weather data and damage reports from Amateur Radio volunteers in a storm's path. The net relays these to forecasters via WX4NHC, which regularly checks into the net and also disseminates weather updates. Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers were at the ready before Hurricane Jeanne arrived, supplementing communication at emergency operations centers and shelters set up for evacuees. ARRL Southern Florida Section Emergency Coordinator Jim Goldsberry, KD4GR, said Indian River County appeared to be the hardest hit. ARES teams in Palm Beach, Martin, St Lucie, Brevard and Indian River counties also assisted American Red Cross and Salvation Army relief and damage assessment efforts. Northern Florida SEC Nils Millergren, WA4NDA, reported that operators handled shelter duty in Flagler, Orange, Seminole, Lake and Volusia counties. The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) on 14.265 MHz handled health-and-welfare traffic in the aftermath of the storm on the air and via its Web site. Special sessions of the Southern Florida ARES Net were called up on 7242 kHz. August and September have seen unprecedented activity, said the HWN's Graves, who thanked all stations that participated in the recent activation. Noting that four major tropical storms have not struck the same state in the same year since 1886, Grave said, "Let us hope and pray that record is not broken this year." ==>ARISS LOGS TWO "FIRSTS" IN AUSTRALIAN SCHOOL CONTACT The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program marked two "firsts" during a September 23 school group contact with students from an elementary school in Australia. The QSO with youngsters from Kilburn Primary School was the first using the ARISS Phase 2 radio gear aboard the ISS and the first in which an attempt was made to provide contact audio worldwide via IRLP (Internet Radio Linking Project) nodes. NASA ISS Science Officer Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, took the controls of the NA1SS Kenwood TS-D700 transceiver in the crew quarters for the occasion. Responding to one youngster's question, Fincke described an ultrasound experiment that he and Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, have been running during their tour of duty. "Ultrasound uses sound waves to look inside people's bodies," he explained, "and we can see how our bodies have changed because we've been exposed to this weightlessness--this microgravity--for a long time." Fincke said he and Padalka already have noted some changes. "By being able to tell how our bodies change in microgravity, we can figure out how to keep us healthy and strong, so that when we go to the moon and Mars, we'll be ready for it." Fincke also fielded questions about how the ISS gets its electrical power, sleeping in space, the ISS' onboard environment, space walks, how Earth and the moon look from space and--of course--space food. The Kilburn students were guests of the Investigator Science and Technology Centre in Adelaide for the occasion, and 13 of them got to ask Fincke questions about life in space before the ISS went out of range. Serving as the Earth station for the contact was Nancy Rocheleau, WH6PN, in Honolulu. An MCI-donated teleconferencing circuit provided two-way audio to the students. ARISS veteran Tony Hutchison, VK5ZAI, assisted at the Investigator Centre. Members of the Halifax Amateur Radio Club in Nova Scotia undertook the IRLP experiment, which had limited success. ARISS International Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, said he'd like the program to explore future opportunities to make ARISS school group contacts available to other schools and the general ham radio population. One major issue this time was the presence of timers on IRLP systems. ISS crews have used the Phase 1 Ericcson handheld VHF radio for the 146 previous ARISS school group contacts. The Phase 2 station was not expected to be used for a school group contact until the Expedition 10 crew arrives later this month. ARISS <http://www.rac.ca/ariss/> is an international educational outreach with US participation by ARRL, AMSAT and NASA. ==>RADIO AMATEUR TO SPEARHEAD DERA RELIEF MISSION TO HAITI An ARRL member from Florida, Catherine Lawhun, KG4UKI, is heading to Haiti with a small team to provide communication support for the relief effort in the flood-ravaged city of Gonaives. The Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response Association (DERA) <http://www.disasters.org/> is sponsoring the project. Lawhun says she recognizes that while storm-stricken communities in the US also need help in recovering, the need in Haiti is especially urgent. "Haiti is really in trouble," Lawhun said recounting DERA's rationale for making Haiti a priority. "The US is probably going to recover. We have the resources. Haiti might not." While plans remain in flux, Lawhun says she'll fly to Haiti October 5 with an Icom IC-706MkIIG HF/VHF/UHF transceiver to establish an HF link to the US from Gonaives. The project still needs donations of General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) portables--which Lawhun's small team will transport to Haiti--and Amateur Radio operators to serve as HF liaison stations in the US. Relief workers and medical personnel in the still-flooded city and at a newly opened health center will use the GMRS transceivers to keep in touch with her and with each other. The HF link will permit Lawhun to communicate back to the US regarding the situation and any equipment or supply needs. Doctors Without Borders is part of the relief effort in Haiti. "As many handheld devices as we can carry in can be given out to doctors on the ground in the affected city," Lawhun said in an appeal for both radios and cash donations on the DERA Special Projects Web site <http://www.manywaters.org/haiti.htm>. The page contains a link to a signup form for anyone wishing to volunteer for daily HF monitoring shifts. "The need is huge. Please get involved!" Many Waters Resource Network will provide free FedEx shipment of GMRS units and batteries, she said, and donors can email teams@many-waters.com to request the shipping information. The Special Projects Web site includes plan details and a "Make a Donation" button for cash contributions. Donors also may send checks to DERA c/o Haiti Relief Support, 11445 Honey Jordan Pt, Inglis, FL 34449. "When recovery is completed for the current disaster, the communications station will remain on the island," said Lawhun, a radio amateur for about five years. "This will give the entire island a leg up in the event of any future catastrophes and establish a working relationship between DERA and the entire network of missions currently active on the island." Lawhun, who edits DERA's newsletter, also is a member of The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) and serves as DERA's SATERN liaison. While the DERA project initially had hoped to use local Amateur Radio operators with VHF handhelds, Lawhun says she found few ham radio operators in Haiti who were willing to risk entering the city, which not only is ravaged by floodwaters but by disease and looting. She still hopes that Amateur Radio emergency communication resources can be developed in Haiti for future disasters. "I'm one of those people who has just enough faith to get me in trouble," Lawhun quipped. "So, I decided that I would pursue this as long as doors would open, and, lo and behold, they are, so here I am." A wall of water and mud resulting from then-Tropical Storm Jeanne inundated much of Gonaives September 18 as it lingered over the island of Hispaniola for more than a day, dumping heavy rain. The densely populated city of some 200,000 was the most severely affected region in Haiti. As of this week, the death toll was nearly 1300, and hundreds more are still missing. ==>JAMBOREE ON THE AIR (JOTA) 2004 IS OCTOBER 16-17 The 47th Jamboree On The Air (JOTA) takes place October 16-17. Details on JOTA also appear in September QST, page 104. JOTA is an annual event in which Boy and Girl Scouts and Guides from all over the world speak to each other via Amateur Radio to share experiences and ideas. Since 1958, when the first Jamboree On The Air was held, millions of Scouts have become acquainted through this event. Amateur Radio clubs and individual licensees make it possible for Scouts to get on the air, and your club is invited to be a part of JOTA 2004. If your club is planning a JOTA activity, register it on the ARRL Youth Skeds Database page <http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/youthskeds/>. There, youngsters and parents can search for scheduled on-the-air activities in which to participate. You also can contact your local Boy Scouts of America Council <http://www.scouting.org/nav/enter.jsp?s=xx&c=lc> and let it know that you're planning a JOTA activity. With assistance from ARRL HQ staff members, Education and Technology Program Coordinator Mark Spencer, WA8SME, will operate Maxim Memorial Station W1AW on Saturday, October 16, for JOTA. "This year the focus will be on achieving the radio merit badge," he noted. Spencer has set up a program that should allow Scouts participating at W1AW to walk away from the JOTA experience with the merit badge, "with some preparation and a little homework on the Scout's part," he added. ARRL staffer Larry Wolfgang, WR1B--a veteran Scout leader--will be setting up a station at the Mohegan District Fall Camporee at Waterford Beach in Connecticut. "We will be operating WA1BSA," Wolfgang said, adding that he's expecting some 400 to 500 Scouts to turn out for the campout. The ARRL New Hampshire Section, the New Hampshire Amateur Radio Service Club (WB1BSA) and the Lawrence L. Lee Scouting Museum <http://www.scoutingmuseum.org/> have announced that the Max I. Silber Memorial Station will be on the air during JOTA 2004 using special event call sign N1S--primarily using SSB and SSTV on 20 and 40 meters. Scouts and scouters worldwide also can participate in JOTA via Internet Radio Linking Project (IRLP) Reflector 9205. There's more information on the IRLP Web site <http://www.irlp.net/>. If you hear any participating JOTA stations on the air, be sure to make a contact--and don't forget to QSL. There's more information about JOTA on the Web <http://www.scouting.org/international/jota.html> and <http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/jota.html>. ==>FEDERAL EMPLOYEES CAN DONATE TO ARRL THROUGH COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN Employees of the US government can designate their Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) pledges to the ARRL. (The League is CFC No 9872.) Federal employees who participate in the CFC can donate all or part of their CFC contribution to the League to support ARRL's efforts on behalf of Amateur Radio. Some private-sector employers also match donations their employees make to ARRL, while others will donate to the League if you volunteer your time--as an Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteer, for example. "ExxonMobil gives ARRL a donation of $500 for every 25 hours that I volunteer for ARES activities, including training, exercises and preparation--with a max of $2000 per year," says ARRL member Alan Isaachsen, KB2WF. ARRL is a qualifying §501(c)(3) organization, and contributions may be tax deductible for both employer and employee. To learn how to donate to various ARRL funds, visit the Support Amateur Radio and ARRL Web page <http://www.arrl.org/development/#top>. For additional information, contact ARRL Chief Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH, mhobart@arrl.org; 860-594-0397; fax 860-594-0259.--thanks to Alan Isaachsen, KB2WF, and Walt Dubose, K5YFW ==>SOLAR UPDATE Sunspot seeker Tad "You Are My Sunshine" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports: The sun was quiet this week. Average daily sunspot numbers fell by more than 31 points to 20.9, and average daily solar flux declined by more than 11 points from last week to 89.7. Geomagnetic conditions were very stable, and conditions for the near term look the same, but with a slowly increasing solar flux and sunspot numbers: 90 is the predicted solar flux for October 1-2, 95 for October 3-4 and surpassing 200 around October 7. Quiet geomagnetic conditions should prevail over the next two days, with a rise to only slightly unsettled conditions for October 3-5. Sunspot numbers for September 23 through 29 were 19, 15, 24, 22, 22, 22 and 22, with a mean of 20.9. The 10.7 cm flux was 90.2, 89.4, 89.5, 89.5, 89.8, 89.9 and 89.8, with a mean of 89.7. Estimated planetary A indices were 12, 6, 5, 4, 5, 8 and 5, with a mean of 6.4. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 10, 5, 2, 2, 2, 5 and 3, with a mean of 4.1. __________________________________ ==>IN BRIEF: * This weekend on the radio: The TARA PSK Rumble, the Oceania DX Contest (SSB), the EU Autumn Sprint (SSB), the California QSO Party, the UBA ON Contest (SSB), the RSGB 21/28 MHz Contest (SSB) and the German Telegraphy Contest are the weekend of October 3-4. The ARS Spartan Sprint is October 5, the 432 MHz Fall Sprint is October 6 and the SARL 80-Meter QSO Party is October 7. JUST AHEAD: The Pennsylvania QSO Party, the YLRL Anniversary Party (CW), the Makrothen RTTY Contest, the Oceania DX Contest (CW), the EU Autumn Sprint (CW), the FISTS Fall Sprint, the North American Sprint (RTTY), the 10-10 International 10-10 Day Sprint and the UBA ON Contest (CW) are the weekend of October 9-10. The YLRL Anniversary Party (SSB) is October 13-15. See the ARRL Contest Branch page <http://www.arrl.org/contests/> and the WA7BNM Contest Calendar <http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/> for more info. * ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration: Registration for the ARRL RFI (EC-006) and Antenna Design and Construction (EC-009) courses remains open through Sunday, October 3. Classes begin Friday, October 15. Antenna Design and Construction students will, among other things, learn about basic dipoles and ground planes and how to assemble combinations of these into more complex antennas. Students also learn about transmission lines, standing wave ratio, phased arrays and Yagis. Students participating in the RFI course will learn to identify various interference sources. To learn more, visit the ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Web page <http://www.arrl.org/cce> or contact the ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Program Department <cce@arrl.org>. * Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course registration: Registration for the ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level I on-line course (EC-001) opens Monday, October 4, 1201 AM EDT, and remains open through the October 9-10 weekend or until all available seats have been filled. Class begins Friday, October 22. Radio amateurs over age 55 are strongly encouraged to participate. Thanks to our grant sponsors--the Corporation for National and Community Service and the United Technologies Corporation--the $45 registration fee paid upon enrollment will be reimbursed after successful completion of the course. During this registration period, seats are being offered to ARRL members on a first-come, first-served basis. To learn more, visit the ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Web page <http://www.arrl.org/cce>. For more information, contact Emergency Communications Course Manager Dan Miller, K3UFG, cce@arrl.org; 860-594-0340. * MARS members asked to assist in hurricane health-and-welfare traffic: Army MARS Eastern Area Coordinator Robert Hollister, AAA9E/N7INK, has asked Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS) stations and nets to assist in handling health-and-welfare traffic related to the recent hurricanes. "MARS stations in Florida and other affected areas should coordinate with ARES/RACES and local ham radio operators and see if MARS can help handle some of this workload for them," Hollister said in a message to MARS members in the Eastern US. "This is another opportunity for MARS to demonstrate our capabilities and provide a service to the people stricken by these storms." Hollister said that Army MARS stations not supporting the disaster response in the stricken areas should continue to monitor regional net frequencies and remain available to assist as needed in handling traffic. He also encouraged Army MARS members to work with their Air Force and Navy counterparts "to get the traffic out of the affected area." * Saudi Arabia's HZ1AB is history: The HZ1AB club station in Saudi Arabia now is history. Originally the United States Military Training Mission station and more recently known as the Dhahran Amateur Radio Club, HZ1AB was a well-known DX call sign for almost six decades. Club Secretary Thomas Carlsson, SM0CXU/AB5CQ, said this week that new station license requirements in Saudi Arabia made it necessary to shut down the station, and the call sign has been reissued to a Saudi national. QSL manager Leo Fry, K8PYD, has the HZ1AB logs to handle any late QSL requests. Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia licensed 18 new Amateur Radio operators. Details about licensing there are available on the Saudi Arabia Communications and Information Technology Commission Web site <http://www.citc.gov.sa/CITC/EN/SpectrumManagement/generalservices/?sm=9>. --The Daily DX <http://www.dailydx.com/> and Thomas Carlsson, SM0CXU/AB0CQ * Amateur microsat model on display at Smithsonian: AMSAT's Perry Klein, W3PK, reports that the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, has put the microsat mechanical test model on display, just in time for AMSAT's 35th anniversary celebration and its Symposium and Annual Meeting October 8-13. "They suspended it from the ceiling outside the NN3SI Smithsonian Amateur Radio Club station, located at 'The Information Age' exhibit on the first floor, west end of the American History Museum," Klein said. "It's been a number of years since an OSCAR satellite has been on continuous display at the Smithsonian." An OSCAR 1 model was in the Hall of Satellites at the National Air and Space Museum for several years, Klein notes, although it's now in storage. But, OSCAR 1 and PCSat models currently are being readied for display at the Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport. The center's space exhibit hangar is expected to open soon. * Supreme Court case involves radio amateur but not amateur antennas: The US Supreme Court this week agreed to hear a case that involves ARRL Life Member Mark J. Abrams, WA6DPB, of Rancho Palos Verdes, California. While the case does not involve Amateur Radio antennas, it got started several years ago when Abrams began diplexing his commercial Land Mobile Radio Service facilities into his Amateur Radio repeater antennas--something the city said he needed an additional permit to do. The city years earlier had okayed the 45-foot Amateur Radio antenna support structure at Abrams' residence, and its legality was never in question. The city denied him a conditional use permit for the commercial application, but the California Supreme Court eventually ruled that Abrams didn't need one anyway. In the meantime, Abrams filed suit in US District Court asserting the denial of the conditional use permit violated the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Again, Abrams prevailed, but the District Court denied Abrams monetary damages and attorneys' fees. The US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit reversed the US District Court, but the 3rd and 7th Circuits ruled otherwise. The City of Rancho Palos Verdes then took the case to the US Supreme Court on the issue of damages and attorneys' fees, and the high court agreed to hear the case because of the disparity in findings at the Circuit Court level. * Santa Clara Valley gets new Section Manager: Kit Blanke, WA6PWW, of Milpitas, California, has assumed the office of Santa Clara Valley Section Manager, effective October 1. He took over the reins from Glenn Thomas, WB6W, the SCV SM since March 1999, who has moved out of the section. “I’ve had a blast being SM!” Thomas said. “I’ll be seeing you all on the air.” Blanke is no stranger to the section’s top job. He headed up the Santa Clara Valley Section from 1995 until 1998 and still has his SM certificate from his earlier tenure on the wall of his ham shack. He’s served as the SCV Section’s Technical Coordinator since last December. Blanke is a self-employed RF engineering consultant involved in the design of Part 15 devices. * UK amateurs poised to get bigger 40-meter band: Amateur Radio operators in the United Kingdom hope to soon have a bigger 40 meter band. UK telecommunications regulator Ofcom has announced plans to extend 40 meters by an additional 100 kHz to 7000-7200 kHz for Foundation, Intermediate and Full Amateur Radio licensees in the UK. Ofcom says the band extension would be a secondary allocation to the Amateur Service on the basis that amateurs not cause interference to other services within or outside the UK. Allowable modes would include CW, phone, RTTY, data, facsimile and SSTV. Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) Spectrum Forum Chairman and HF Manager Colin Thomas, G3PSM, says that barring the unlikely event of an objection, the additional 100 kHz should become available to UK amateurs Sunday, October 31. Ofcom has invited comments on the proposal until October 23.--The Daily DX <http://www.dailydx.com/>; RSGB =========================================================== The ARRL Letter is published Fridays, 50 times each year, by the American Radio Relay League--The National Association For Amateur Radio--225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259; <http://www.arrl.org/>. Jim Haynie, W5JBP, President. The ARRL Letter offers a weekly e-mail digest of essential news of interest to active amateurs. The ARRL Letter strives to be timely, accurate, concise, and readable. Visit ARRLWeb <http://www.arrl.org/> for the latest news, updated as it happens. The ARRL Web site <http://www.arrl.org/> offers access to news, informative features and columns. ARRL Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> is a weekly "ham radio newscast" compiled from The ARRL Letter. 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