VTARA

On Wednesday, November 25, the FCC issued a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) -- WT Docket No. 09-209 -- seeking to amend the Commission's Amateur Radio Service rules to clarify certain rules and codify existing procedures governing the vanity call sign system, as well as revise certain rules applicable to club stations.

This edition of the Solar Update will be brief. Since ARRL Headquarters is closed on Thanksgiving Day and the day after, I hope to have another bulletin out Monday morning to catch up with the sunspot, solar flux and geomagnetic data information.

ARRL is pleased to announce the availability of a new suite of Amateur Radio mobile software -- designed specifically for use with the Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch. The applications -- or "apps" -- are named ARRL Technician, ARRL General and ARRL Extra and function as an electronic version of practice exam flash cards.

Three incumbent Section Managers were re-elected in races that concluded on Tuesday, November 24. In Alabama, Jay Isbell, KA4KUN, received 513 votes; challenger Les Rayburn, N1LF, received 167 votes. Isbell, of Bessemer, will begin his second term as Section Manager on January 1, 2010. In the Alaska Section Manager election, Jim Larsen, AL7FS, of Anchorage, won his second two-year term of office when he received 176 votes; challenger David Stevens, KL7EB, received 65 votes. Ron Cowan, KB0DTI, of LaCygne, Kansas, will continue as Section Manager; he received 382 votes while challenger Joseph Plankinton, WD0DMV, received 175 votes. Cowan has been the Kansas Section Manager since 2003. The following incumbent ARRL Section Managers did not face opposition and were declared elected for their next terms of office beginning January 1, 2010: Jim Latham, AF6AQ (East Bay); Frank Filipkowski, AD3M (Delaware); Dale Williams, WA8EFK (Michigan); Don Wood, W5FHA (New Mexico); Glen Clayton, W4BDB (Tennessee); Robert Griffin, K6YR (Santa Barbara), and Ed Emco, W1KT (Western Massachusetts).

Some years ago when I took the ARECC (Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course), I discovered an aspect of the hobby of which I'd been unaware: Formal traffic. One of the exercises in the course said that I should compose a formal message and then send it to my ARRL Section Manager.

Ken Adams, K5KA, succumbed to cancer and passed away on Sunday, November 22. He was 64. Adams, an ARRL Life Member, served as the first-ever Contest Manager for the ARRL Sweepstakes, coming on board in 2005. "Ken was a 'get it done' kinda guy," recalled ARRL Contest Branch Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X. "He took on the task of Sweepstakes Manager with great enthusiasm, rolled up his sleeves and championed the event like nobody else I've ever seen."

On Friday, November 20, ARRL staff members started opening ballots for the Vice Director races in the Central and Roanoke Divisions. Southeastern Division Director Greg Sarratt, W4OZK; Rocky Mountain Division Director Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT, and ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ served as Tellers. A representative from an independent auditor was on hand, as well. Sarratt and Mileshosky are members of the League's Ethics and Elections Committee; Sarratt is Chairman of the committee. After all the ballots were counted, both the Central and Roanoke Divisions gained new Vice Directors, with their three-year terms beginning at noon on January 1, 2010.

I have been interested in island chasing ever since I can remember. After moving to Canada, I operated as VE3LYC and contacted 947 IOTA stations from the 1021 on the air. Why chase islands? Some of them are located so remotely, and are so difficult to access, that hams only rarely get there and for only very short periods of time. Under these conditions, it is more challenging to break the pileups and more rewarding to get into the log.

ARRL Headquarters will be closed November 26 and 27 in observance of Thanksgiving. There will be no W1AW bulletins or code practice transmissions those days. The ARRL Letter will be published a day early on Wednesday, November 25, but there will be no ARRL Audio News on Thursday, November 26. ARRL Headquarters will reopen Monday, November 30 at 8 AM Eastern Standard Time. We wish everyone a safe and bountiful Thanksgiving holiday.

Sunspot 1029 made its trip around the Sun and has re-emerged as sunspot 1032. A new sunspot 1033 has come over the Sun's eastern limb. This steady appearance of sunspots has raised the MUF over many paths, and 15 meters is beginning to open regularly.

This week, Surfin' revisits Radio Caroline and other pirate radio operations in the North Sea.

ARRL Audio News--OPEN--In this edition . . .; Is the End in Sight for ?Third Battle of Bull Run??; NCVEC to Release New Technician Question Pool in January; ARRL Audio News ID--Satellite Update--BREAK:; SKYWARN Recognition Day Set for December 5; Deadline Looming for Nominations for the Bill Leonard Professional Media Award and ARRL International Humanitarian Award; GAREC Returns to Region 2 for 2010; ARRL Audio News--News Briefs--CLOSE

ARRL Chief Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH reports that the ARRL has raised $126,828 toward the goal $310,000 for the 2009 Spectrum Defense Fund. "The messages I receive from the ARRL members and hams who contribute to this much needed fund are heartening," she said, "expressing appreciation for all the work ARRL does for the Amateur Radio community to protect our frequencies. And we can all be proud of the successes that have come from the work of ARRL leadership -- the Board and staff here at HQ. But there is always more to do." Hobart said that year after year, ARRL members tell her that the League's representation of radio operators -- both in Washington and on the international stage -- is one of, if not the most important activities that the ARRL does. "The cost of that representation at meetings in Washington, at IARU gatherings and working party meetings to prepare for world telecommunications conferences is the key to the continued success of our defense efforts," she said. "Spectrum Defense is one of those areas that is not covered completely by member dues. So we ask ARRL members to do what they can to help cover those expenses." Amateurs wishing to make a contribution may do so easily online, via postal mail or by calling the ARRL Development Office at (860) 594-0397.

ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, once termed the battle of Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) in Manassas, Virginia as the "Third Battle of Bull Run." While the war against harmful interference to Amateur Radio via BPL is not yet over, the battle in Manassas might soon be coming to an end.

George Badger, W6TC, of Portola Valley, California, passed away on Sunday, November 15. He was 84. Originally licensed in 1939 as W6RXW when he was 14, Badger was a member of the ARRL for 67 of his 69 year amateur career. After World War II service with the 89th Infantry Signal Company in Europe, he graduated from the University of California with a degree in electrical engineering. Badger held seven patents on microwave tube and circuit design and was Marketing Director for EIMAC, was President of Svetlana and consulted for CPII Econco. Badger published many technical articles professionally and in the amateur press. First published in QST in 1981, Badger's most recent article, "The Pileup Buster," was published in October 2008; his next article, "Easy to Make Four-to-One Coreless Baluns," is scheduled to be published for a spring 2010 issue. Badger was a Fellow in the Radio Club of America. His Amateur Radio interests included building equipment, antennas and working DX. Badger held DXCC Top of Honor Roll (Mixed), DXCC Honor Roll (both Phone and CW), 5BDXCC (with endorsements on 160, 30, 17 and 12 meters), DXCC on all bands (160-10) and 5BWAZ. He also exceeded 2500 points on the DXCC Challenge. Contributions in memory of Badger can be made to the Stanford University Medical Center, Department of Immunology, 2700 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park, CA 94025. Funeral arrangements are pending.

The Question Pool Committee (QPC) of the National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC) is due to release the new Technician class (Element 2) question pool to the 14 VECs on December 1, 2009; it will be released to the public in January 2010. Each question pool for the three Amateur Radio license classes -- Technician, General and Amateur Extra -- is reviewed on a four-year rotation. This new Technician class pool will become effective on July 1, 2010.

After a long bout with cancer, Harry Helms, W5HLH (ex-AA6FW), passed away Sunday, November 15. He was 57. Known for his witticism and geniality, Helms was known for his many books -- such as Shortwave Listening Guidebook: The Complete Guide to Hearing the World, All About Ham Radio, How to Tune the Secret Short Wave Spectrum and Handbook of Radio Communications Servicing and Maintenance -- and his monthly column "You Should Know: Interesting Thoughts and Ideas for Enjoying the Hobby" in Popular Communications.

The 2010 meeting of the Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Conference ( GAREC ) will take place October 11-12 on the Dutch island of Curacao in the Caribbean. The theme of the conference will be Learning through Practicing. According to GAREC 2010 Organizing Committee Chairman Seppo Sisatto, PhD, OH1VR, GAREC's mission is two-fold: To help Amateur Radio operators be better prepared for emergency communications and to create emergency communications exercises at both the national and international levels. Exchanging information and experiences among all Amateur Radio operators and groups that are interested in emergency communications helps to promote GAREC's vision of having regular worldwide cooperation and understanding between governments and the Amateur Radio Service in the field of emergency communications. GAREC 2010 is organized in cooperation with the Dutch Amateur Radio Emergency Service ( DARES ) and Club for Experimental Radio Examination Netherland Antilles ( VERONA ). Sisatto said that details on the upcoming conference will be announced as they become available.

Registration remains open through Sunday, December 27, 2009, for these online course sessions beginning on Friday, January 8, 2010: Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 1; Antenna Modeling; Radio Frequency Interference; Antenna Design and Construction; Ham Radio (Technician) License Course; Propagation; Analog Electronics, and Digital Electronics.