Note: The title of this bulletin has been changed to better reflect it's purpose. The title TPN/SB Bulletin may have implied this was a special interest bulletin geared to the Trans Provincial Net and the Sandbox Roundtable net. This was not the entent or purpose of this service. The bulletin provides Amateur Radio information for all Canadian Hams across the country.

Also this bulletin service has been moved to a newly formed server geared to serve all Canadian Amateur interests (hfradio.net) It is hoped this move will better serve the Amateur Radio community. Any sites linked to the original bulletin will be automaticly redirected.

Best Regards,
Jim Taylor VA3KU
Bulletin Editor

International

Amateur Radio assists in Iran earthquake relief

Turkey Amateur Radio Club President Aziz Sasa,TA1E, reports that three Amateur Radio operators joined the Turkish Relief Team that departed for the incident location--the city of Bam, some 600 miles south of Tehran--from Istanbul December 27 aboard a military aircraft. Local communications will be carried out on 2-meter simplex with HF operation on 14.270 MHz during the day and on 7092 kHz or 3777 kHz during hours of darkness. Soyhan Erim, TA2IJ, will handle HF operations at the Turkish Incident Command Post. He is part of the Ministry of Health team. Erdinç Sarimusaoglu, TA2RJ, is part of the AKUT Search and Rescue Team, while Mustafa Yuceturk, TA1CAN, is a member of the Istanbul Civil Defense Search-and-Rescue team. Also on site is Serdar Demirel, TA2NO, a member of the Ankara Civil Defense SAR team, who arrived earlier.

(ARRL News Service)

==========

Norwegian clubs experimenting on 60 meters

Norwegian Radio Relay League International Liaison Officer Ole Garpestad, LA2RR, reports that registered club stations there have enjoyed special permission to test on 5 MHz for the past three years. Almost all of these club stations have a one-letter call sign suffixes and, in some situations, they may use the LE prefix. The authorization is restricted for use in emergency communication or training, and Norwegian stations may not work stations outside of Norway on 5 MHz. Garpestad said Norway's elongated shape makes it impossible to communicate from one end of the country to the other on 80 meters, and 40 meters "has its shortcomings" during hours of darkness. "We are only allowed to use the two frequencies 5.410 and 5.420 MHz, all modes, 100 W," he said, "but only for communication between Norwegian club stations engaged in emergency communication or training for such communication, so this does not include any station outside of Norway."

(ARRL News Service)

==========

Papua New Guinea P29Z-prefix hams granted HF access

Rick Warnett, P29KFS, reports that the principal legal officer for PANGTEL, the telecommunications regulatory agency in Papua New Guinea--has authorized HF operation by those holding a Limited Amateur Operator's Certificate of Proficiency (P29Z-prefix call signs). The change is to become effective at 0000 PNG Time on December 31.

(ARRL News Service)

Greetings from VE1WG President, Radio Amateurs of Canada

On behalf of the Board and Executive Best Wishes to All during this Joyous Season.  Many thanks to those who have given so generously of their time, knowledge and talent in promoting and supporting the best interests of Radio Amateurs of Canada.

 It has been a special honor and privilege to serve as your President during the past two years.  To those who follow, may you have every success in furthering the worthy objectives of Canada’s national Amateur Radio organization.    A Happy New Year to All.

Bill Gillis, VE1WG
President, Radio Amateurs of Canada
December 23, 2003

============

RABC recommends 220-222 MHz be transferred to the Mobile service

Use it or lose it! We have all heard that story. Canadian Radio Amateurs make very little use of the two MHz at the bottom of the 220-225 MHz band. Industry Canada can monitor usage and is well aware of this fact. US Amateurs were forced to give up this spectrum in the early 1990s.

Spectrum in the VHF range is very congested outside the amateur bands, and mobile service users such as the RCMP and the Railway Association of Canada have well documented needs for this spectrum. Their justification is based on harmonization with the USA, with increased demands for public security communications, and on the unique propagation characteristics of the 220 MHz band. Other public safety bands in the 700-800 MHz range have entirely different propagation characteristics.

The Radio Advisory Board of Canada (RABC) has been studying the needs of various services over the past 18 months, and has decided to recommend to Industry Canada that:

1. The 220-222 MHz band be transferred from the amateur to the mobile service.

2. Amateur repeaters in this portion of the band be grandfathered to continue operation for a number of years, with the number to be decided by Industry Canada.

3. 150 kHz of spectrum in the 220-222 MHz band be designated as public service spectrum to be shared by amateur and mobile services for special public safety and disaster communications applications.

4. The band 219-220 MHz be allocated on a secondary basis to the Amateur service in Canada, which would be in harmony with a similar allocation in the USA.

5. The band from 222-225 MHz remain as a primary exclusive amateur allocation.

Following consultation with Canadian amateurs in a survey conducted in July 2002, RAC as a member of the RABC, has vigorously opposed these proposed changes without success. In a recent RABC ballot, RAC was the only dissenting voice.

Here are RAC’s comments to Industry Canada.

Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) does not approve the response of the RABC in this ballot. RAC understands the increased spectrum requirements of the services represented by the other RABC sponsor members in the VHF portion of the spectrum. However, the Amateur Service also has spectrum requirements for expansion, and its 220 -225 MHz band is the only primary allocation available to the amateur service between 148 MHz and 24 GHz. In addition to relieving the pressures on the congested 144-148 MHz (Primary) and 430-450 MHz (Secondary) amateur bands, the 220-225 MHz band would be used for amateur service emergency communications, particularly as its propagation characteristics bridge those provided by the 144 and 430 MHz bands. Development of the 220 MHz band is growing as equipment for the amateur service at 220 MHz increasingly is becoming available.

 This could be the first loss of amateur spectrum in Canada for many years. Canadian amateurs cannot complain. The spectrum is valuable, and we do not make good use of it. Those are the facts.  In spite of all the good work we do in emergency and disaster communications, our case for retention is weak.

 You’ve heard it before.   USE it or LOSE it !

 Maybe this RABC recommendation will make us take the saying more seriously.

(RAC News Service)

===============

Dec. 31 2003    Trans Provincial Net 2003 Report

Reflecting back over the past year brings to mind a diverse year on the TPN. In the spring of the year, we experienced interference on the net that went on for some time. Our thanks go out to our friends south of the border who assisted is resolving this problem, a full report can be found on the TPN website in the Stories & Projects Area.

An annual event on the TPN, Valentines Day the ladies hosted the net for the day and as usual they did a tremendous job, very popular with all of the OM’s, I'm sure all would agree.

As summer approached with marginal band conditions it was certainly a struggle to keep the net alive but it was a learning experience for many of us. In particular the electrical blackout which demonstrated that the TPN could come through with emergency communications, Jean VA3FW was at the helm on that occasion. The net also demonstrated its value during the Simulated Emergency Test (SET). Run by the members of ARES and NTS the TPN acted as a meeting point for many of the ARES groups across Ontario, indeed it was a very successful SET.

As we neared September band conditions started to return to normal and the net went back into full swing, busy as ever.  An annual tradition on the TPN, “Santa Claus on the air”, Santa was popular as ever this year with lots of young ones waiting patiently to talk to Santa on Amateur Radio a full report can be found on the website ( www.tpn7055.ca/santareport.html )

We now have a number of groups that have joined us on the frequency taking up net control spots on the net.

Sarnia White Cane Amateur Radio Club on Mondays at 1pm
The Clara Ladies Net on Tuesdays at 9am
QCWA Chapters 70 and 73 meet on the TPN the first Wednesday of the Month
Military Communications and Electronic Museum on Thursdays at 10am
White Cane Net on Fridays at 1pm

Saturdays have been reserved for Club activity day which was started off by the Niagara Peninsula Amateur Radio Club running the net from 9am to 6pm and we certainly kept them busy. Coming up in the New Year, we can look forward to other clubs and ARES groups continuing this fine project.

On the Website scene, there were many changes as well. The "Rogues’ Gallery" now has over 300 pictures of hams from all over Canada and the USA. So much news started flowing in from members a Notice Board had to be implemented to handle news items between weekly bulletins. Speaking of the Bulletin which now averages around 30 pages of Amateur Radio information every week. The coverage has tripled over the past year with over 1000 subscribers from all over the world receiving the bulletin every week.

The amount of information on the TPN website became so extensive it has been necessary to develop a new site (hfradio.net) to handle some of the load of information. The following areas will be moving to the new site.

Ontario Amateur Radio Service
Sandbox Roundtable Net
Sarnia White Cane Amateur Radio Club
Ontario Phone Net (NTS) (information page)
Open Line Net (NTS) (information page)
ARES Ontario HF Nets
RAC Ontario Section Newsletter
Canadian Amateur Radio Bulletin

The New Year also brings in some changes to the Net Management Team. With all the growth being experienced on the TPN, it has been necessary to bring on some extra help to manage the net.

Denny Wilkinson VE3EUI has moved on to the position of Net Liaison Officer, International Affairs to care for the interests of our net with our USA friends. Denny is very involved with the Michigan Section Staff as District Emergency Coordinator, an Assistant Section Traffic Manager, Denny will represent us well south of the border.

Jim Taylor VA3KU will be taking on the responsibility of Net Manager and will continue to care for the TPN Website Services.

New to the Management Team Wes Sawchuk VE3ADU will take on the post of Assistant Net Manager. Wes will care for the net control schedule and you will be hearing from Wes on a regular basis as he is Net Control at 11am daily, please drop by and say high to Wes on his hour.

Also new to the management team, Eric Olsen VE3GGO has taken on the new position as Awards Chairman. Eric is certainly not a new voice on the TPN as many of you know Eric is Net Control every Saturday and Sunday at 4pm with the bouncing ball hour, a tradition on the TPN for many years now. Eric will be caring for our newly developed TPN Towns and Cities Award, you can find out more in about this award program on the website.

There has been many changes in our net control team this year, we regret to have lost some of our old long standing Net Control Stations some moved away others off the air due to illness. It is gratifying to have many new hams come on board and support the net by committing to take on a net control spot. We are indebted to all the Net Control Stations who continue to keep the net running from 7am to 6pm everyday of the year.

With all these committed hams caring for the Trans Provincial Net I know we can look forward to a prosperous and successful New Year.

Happy New Year Everyone
Jim Taylor VA3KU
TPN Editor
www.tpn7055.ca

===============

Introducing a new service for Canadian Hams

A new service has been developed for Canadian Hams. "hfradio.net" is a information service geared to HF Radio in Canada

Goals:

1) To provide information about nets across Canada, times, freq., locations and website information.

2) To bring Canadian Hams the latest in Amateur Radio News on a weekly basis.

3) Provide web services for Amateur Radio Groups: Clubs, Net information Pages, or any Amateur Radio Group in need of Internet presence.

Full Details about this service can be found at: http://www.hfradio.net

===============

Jan. 01 2004  New on the TPN Website

New in the Free Software Area: EchoMac (EchoLink for Macintosh)

DXLab is a suite of interoperating applications designed to automate amateur radio DXing activities. Each application can be independently installed and utilized; when multiple applications are running, they sense each other's presence and interoperate appropriately. All DXLab applications are free, and contain no advertising; they run on Windows 95, 98, 98SE, NT, 2000, and XP. Commercial use is expressly forbidden.

To find out more about this fine software and many other resources please check the software area: www.tpn7055.ca/software.html

New, in the Rogues' Gallery

VA3AZ Paul , VE3PBU Paul ,  VE3TAF Lou and VE3JWS John

You can view this gentlemen and many more at:  www.tpn7055.ca/Gallery1.html

Atlantic Maritime Section

The Kings County Amateur Radio Club Meeting

The Kings County Amateur Radio Club meets regularly in Building 43, Kentville Agricultural Center, Kentville, Nova Scotia at 7:30 pm on the first Monday of every month, with the following exceptions; January - 2nd Monday, July - No Meeting, August - No Meeting, September - 2nd Monday.

The KCARC will be conducting an EMO Message Handling course at the Municipality of the County of Kings council chambers, for all interested local area amateur radio operators, as well as regional EMO Planning Committee members, under the direction of Moe VE1AEM, who will be introducing the new message handling forms.  The date and time for this course will be announced soon.

The next regular meeting of the KCARC will be held in Building 43, Kentville Research Station, on Monday, January 12, 2005, at 19 hours 30 minutes.

Club Website:  www.kcarc.ns.ca

============

Jan. 13 2004  The Loyalist City Amateur Radio Club Meeting

Meetings are held the second Tuesday of every month at 7:30 PM at The New Brunswick Community College (950 Grandview Avenue) in Saint John.

Club Website:  www.qsl.net/ve9lc
 

Jan. 19 2004  West Island Amateur Radio Club Meeting

Meetings are on the 3rd Monday of each month at 7pm (official start is 7:30). We meet at the Lakeside Heights Baptist Church , 275 Braebrook in Pointe-Claire (western end of the Island of Montreal). The club welcomes all visitors, so if you are going to be in Montreal and have some time, come down and join us.

Club Website:  http://shell.pubnix.net/~wiarc

Jan. 8 2004   Ontario Amateur Radio Service Anniversary

The Ontario Amateur Radio Service celebrates it's 32nd anniversary Jan.08, founded by Bruce Carveth VE3BC in 1972 ONTARS continues to be a very popular 80 net. An invitation is extended to all hams to join in the celebrations on 3.755Mhz Jan. 8 2004 from 7am to 6pm.

Shawn Gartley VE3PSV
Net Manager
www.hfradio.net/ontars

============

Kitchener Waterloo Amateur Radio Club....January Meeting

Staff Sergeant Ray Massicotte, head of WRPF Drug Branch, will talking to us on the emerging problems with drugs and Marijuana grow operations within Waterloo Region.

KWARC holds regular meetings September to June on the first Monday of each month. On those months where the first Monday is a Statutory Holiday, meeting are convened on the following Monday.

Meetings commence at 7:30PM in the 404 WING Club at the end of Dutton Drive in Waterloo. Dutton is North off Weber between Albert Street and the Railway overpass. The 404 Wing building provides ground level access for mobility challenged individuals. Our agenda will commence with a brief welcome followed by the featured speaker. The business session will follow a 20 minute coffee and donut "eye-ball" session.

Club Website: www.kwarc.org
 

Western Provinces

Jan. 17 2004   Basic Course for the Amateur Radio Operator Certificate

The North Shore Amateur Radio Club is pleased to offer a basic course for the Amateur Radio Operator Certificate. Starting on January 17 2004 at the North Shore Emergency Management Office (NSEMO)- 2nd floor 147 East 14th Street, North Vancouver, BC V7L 2N4 (East end of RCMP building)

Seven Saturdays mornings - January 17 to February 28/04 Time: 0900 to 1230 Students write the Industry Canada exam on Feb. 28th  Register through North Vancouver Continuing Education (NVCE). Course #PI 06-2, Fee: $115.00 including GST. To register, phone NVCE at 604-903-3333 using Visa or M/C or in person at Lucas Centre, 2132 Hamilton Ave., North Van.

1) Course fee includes the Kolody Study Notes and the Industry Canada Question Bank complete with answers, and other handouts.
2) Registration commences Dec. 15/03, when the NVCE Winter course book is distributed.
3) Register early. If class is not full, registrations will be accepted at the first session.

Chief Instructor, John White VA7JW, at 604-936-2367 or check NSARC's website at www.nsarc.ca or check the North Vancouver Continuing Education website at:  http://northshoreconted.com

Note: Do not park on E. 14th Street (only one hour parking). Free parking is available on surrounding streets (check the signs!). Pay parking at Safeway parking lot ($4 all day at the meter) or Lions Gate Hospital.

Club Website:  http://www.nsarc.ca

Propagation Report    (For the week of Dec. 28 2003)

America's

Jan. 02 2004   Propagation Forecast Bulletin 1 From Tad Cook, K7RA

This is the first propagation bulletin for 2004, and time to review averages from 2003 and compare them to previous years.  This is also the ninth propagation bulletin posted in the last six weeks in an effort to keep you well informed of HF conditions through the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

From the third quarter of 2002 through the last quarter of 2003, the average daily sunspot numbers were 193.5, 152.7, 120.3, 107.3, 110.2 and 99.2.  Average daily solar flux for the same six quarters were 178.1, 164.2, 134.3, 124.2, 120.8 and 137.4.

Average daily sunspot numbers for the years 1997 through 2003 were 30.7, 88.7, 136.3, 173, 170.3, 176.6 and 109.2.  Average daily solar flux for the same seven years was 81, 117.9, 153.7, 179.6, 181.6, 179.5 and 129.2.  We can sure see a decline in the solar cycle over the past few years by averaging the daily numbers annually.

Over the next week, expect solar flux numbers between 120-125.  A geomagnetic forecast for January 1 predicted planetary A index values for January 2-8 of 20, 15, 35, 30, 35, 35 and 25.  With the exception of this Saturday, January 3, those look like rough conditions with geomagnetic storms, especially when the A index is above 30.  This should be the result of a big blast of solar wind beginning on Sunday, January 4.  Remember that long winter nights are great for 160, 80, 60, 40 and 30 meters.  The noise of summertime is long gone and long hours of darkness are great for the lower frequencies, at least when there isn't a major geomagnetic storm.

We've featured links to U.S. and Canadian sites with information on space weather, but check http://www.ips.gov.au from Australia.  This is the web site for the Australian Space Weather Agency.  Click on Space Weather to get an update on geomagnetic indices and HF fadeout warnings.  Select HF Systems, and then look to the vertical field on the left and click on links to ionospheric maps for Australasia, Asia, North America, North Atlantic and Europe.

If you've ever been interested in plotting solar flux and sunspot numbers, in the past we've mentioned Scott Craig, WA4TTK and his free Solar Data Plotting Utility, which runs in Windows.  On New Year's Eve, I uploaded 15 years of data for his program to his web site.  This is nice if you haven't been running this program before and updating the data file.  The software can pull the data out of the bottom of this weekly bulletin and add it to the existing data file.  It can also grab the data via FTP from the ARRL.  However, if you have any gaps or are starting new with this program, the complete data file through December 31, 2003 can be quite handy. Download it if you need it, and you can add to it weekly or daily from here on.  Get it from [ www.craigcentral.com ] specifically at [ www.craigcentral.com/sol.asp ] Note that Scott has a chart showing that he has an MSDOS version of his program, and the Windows version runs on Windows 95 or NT4.  I've personally used his program with Win98, Win98 SE, Win2k Pro and WinXP Pro with no problems.

For more information about propagation and an explanation of the numbers used in this bulletin see the Propagation page on the ARRL Web site at: [ www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html ]
Sunspot numbers for December 25 through 31 were 58, 65, 47, 47, 56, 15 and 25 with a mean of 44.7. 10.7 cm flux was 139.1, 137.2, 161.5, 119, 114.5, 107.7 and 105.6, with a mean of 126.4. Estimated planetary A indices were 6, 9, 12, 12, 6, 8 and 17, with a mean of 10.

(W1AW)

Jan. 2 2004   Gilmour Academy - First ARISS contact of 2004

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station successfully contacted students at Gilmour Academy in Gates Miles, Ohio via the ARISS program (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station). Contact was made on Friday, January 2, 2004 at approximately 14:00 UTC via amateur radio equipment aboard the space station.

Gilmour Academy is a two-division private school with a Catholic tradition. Gilmour is located in the Village of Gates Mills, which is 25 miles east of the center of Metropolitan Cleveland, Ohio. The lower school is Montessori through 6th grade, and the upper school is 7th through 12th grades. The Academy has an amateur radio station, ND8GA, which is located in the upper school where our enrollment (Grades 7-12) is approximately 400 students.

During their brief adventure, students asked astronaut Mike Foale 12 questions.

Their were about 50 people in the audience. Also present were at least one newspaper and Fox TV.

Thanks to Dr. Foale and the ARISS team for the first ARISS contact of the new year!

Scott Lindsey-Stevens, N3ASA
ARISS Team Member

===========

K6DUE ISS Commemorative Event Certificates

Astronaut Mike Foale was active during a North America and Europe pass on Saturday December 6. Numerous ham radio operators in these parts of the world made contact with Mike Foale or heard the ISS downlink. Those who heard or worked the ISS qualify for a special ISS Commemorative Certificate.

Instructions on receiving an ISS special event certificate follows:

1) Please send an 9 inch by 12 inch (minimum) envelope for your certificate with adequate postage or IRCs included. Smaller envelopes will result in your certificate getting folded (not a pretty sight).

2) Include your name, callsign and whether you worked ISS or heard ISS.

3) Send your QSL/SWL information with the envelope to your ARISS QSL distributor in your area (Americas, Europe, Japan, or Russia). See the ARISS Web Page for more details: www.rac.ca/ariss

Please note that this process will take several weeks. The plan is to get a bulk listing of QSLs/SWLs so that the calls can be added to the certificate prior to printing. We will then bulk mail these certificates to the QSL distributors. The distributors will then mail the certificates to you.

It is not clear whether we will have another voice opportunity with Mike Foale next weekend. We will keep you informed as we get more details.

73, Frank Bauer, KA3HDO

===========

Two amateur satellites expected to launch in 2004

AMSAT-NA President Robin Haighton, VE3FRH, says he's looking forward to the 2004 launches of AMSAT-NA's ECHO satellite and AMSAT-India's VUsat (also known as "HAMSAT"). In his last President's Letter for 2003, Haighton reported that ECHO is passing final integration and testing with flying colors. "I am looking forward to the end of March, when we expect the ECHO launch to take place," he said. He also noted that with just over three months to launch, AMSAT-NA still needs to raise more than $70,000 for the launch campaign. Haighton said that VUsat experienced some problems in testing but these are being resolved. A VUsat launch could come as soon as late next summer. "An exciting year is ahead," said Haighton, who's already announced that he does not intend to seek another term at the AMSAT-NA helm when his current term expires next October. By then, he said, ECHO should be in orbit, but, paraphrasing Yogi Berra, he added, "It ain't up and working till it's up and working." www.amsat-india.org/official/vusat.htm

(ARRL News Service)

===========

AO-7 turns 30!

The oldest working satellite, AO-7, will mark its 30th year in space during 2004. The satellite, which came back to life in mid-2002, was launched November 15, 1974, and it remained operational until 1981, when it went dark due to battery failure. It remained dormant--and largely forgotten--until it suddenly and unexpectedly sprang back to life. AO-7 is in a 1460 km orbit, and AMSAT-NA considers the satellite "semi-operational." Jan King, W3GEY reports AO-7 is running solely off its solar panels, so it will only work when in sunlight. It has a Mode A uplink passband at 145.850 to 145.950 MHz and a downlink passband at 29.400 to 29.500 MHz (CW/USB). Beacons are at 29.502, 145.972, 435.1 and 2304.1 MHz. Ground controllers have only been able to activate some command functions. It also contains a Mode B transponder. To mark the satellite's 30th anniversary, AMSAT-NA will make available a special commemorative QSL card available. AMSAT-NA Board Member and Awards Manager Bruce Paige, KK5DO, reports additional information will be available on the AMSAT-NA Web site:  www.amsat.org/amsat/news/wsr.html

(ARRL News Service)
===========

Dec. 31 2003   NASA's Year of Sorrow, Recovery, Progress, and Success

NASA's plans for 2003 were abruptly changed February 1 with the sudden and tragic loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the brave crew of STS-107.

Even while mourning the loss of our courageous astronauts, NASA's civil service and contract workforce began the challenging task of finding the problem, fixing the problem, and preparing to return Space Shuttles to safe flight. With the Columbia Accident Investigation Board's report and NASA's Implementation Plan for Space Shuttle Return to Flight and Beyond as guides, the agency is striving to return to safe and efficient human space exploration.

The tragic Columbia accident did not disrupt NASA's quest for discovery. In the pursuit of our mission goals, we will continue to expand the International Space Station's remarkable capabilities, send robotic spacecraft to explore fascinating places throughout the solar system, use telescopes to find Earthlike planets orbiting nearby stars, and use satellites to help us better understand Earth's dynamic climate.

"The NASA family faced many tough challenges in 2003," said NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe. "The loss of Columbia's crew, and two pilots involved in debris recovery efforts in East Texas, deeply affected each of us. I can't express how proud and grateful I am for the efforts of NASA employees, our contractors, and the thousands of others involved in helping us recover from the accident. It has been even more impressive to witness the efforts of all involved, as we move forward toward return to flight," he said.

NASA is energetically approaching return to Shuttle flight operations, completion of the International Space Station and scientific exploration in a safe, milestone driven manner. NASA continues to strive to understand and protect the Earth; explore the universe; search for life; and inspire the next generation of explorers, as only NASA can.

We are facing the most critical and exciting time in NASA's 45 year history. The technical and cultural challenges, and changes the agency makes will guide the organization for the next decade. We will succeed and continue to lead the efforts to explore the universe through space-based research, " Administrator O'Keefe concluded.

HUGE EFFORT FOR COLUMBIA DEBRIS RECOVERY

The search for Columbia debris in East Texas and northwest Louisiana took three arduous months. More than 25,000 searchers combed approximately 1.2 million acres and found more than 84,900 pounds of debris. The effort helped determine the cause of the accident.

NASA SAFETY & ENGINEERING CENTER ESTABLISHED

In the wake of the Columbia accident, the agency created the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC). The NESC will coordinate and conduct robust engineering testing and safety assessments to support critical NASA projects and programs.

NEW AEROSPACE SAFETY ADVISORY PANEL (ASAP)

NASA reorganized ASAP and updated the charter of the independent review panel. ASAP acts as an independent body to advise the NASA Administrator on safety issues regarding operations, missions, and initiatives. The charter calls for recognized safety, management, and engineering experts from industry, academia, and other government agencies.

STAFFORD-COVEY RETURN TO FLIGHT TASK GROUP FORMED

NASA formed the group to ensure independent review of plans and processes for returning to Space Shuttle operations. Experts and industry professionals, from a wide range of disciplines, are reviewing NASA's implementation of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board recommendations.

SAFER INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION MARKS ANNIVERSARIES

In November, the Station observed the third anniversary of continuous human occupation and the fifth anniversary of the start of construction of the largest, most sophisticated spacecraft ever built. Russian Soyuz and Progress spacecraft were used exclusively for the first time to transfer Station crews and for re-supply. The Station program Continuing Flight Team (CFT) unveiled its first Implementation Plan. The CFT examined Columbia findings and recommendations and created a plan to help make the Space Station safer.

EXPENDABLE LAUNCH VEHICLES SUCCESSFUL

NASA's Expendable Launch Services successfully completed a busy year. Since January, eight spacecraft were deployed on seven expendable launch vehicles. These included the two Mars Exploration Rovers and the Space InfraRed Telescope Facility.

NEW NASA FACILITY HELPS PROTECT SPACE CREWS FROM RADIATION

To ensure the safety of spacecraft crews, scientists will perform key research at the new $34 million NASA Space Radiation Laboratory. Built in cooperation with the Department of Energy, it is one of the few labs that can simulate harsh space radiation environments.

SPACE INFRARED TELESCOPE FACILITY (SIRTF) OBTAINS STRIKING IMAGES

Images showed celestial objects viewed by ground-based telescopes and even the Hubble Space Telescope look quite different when viewed in infrared light. SIRTF, renamed the Lyman Spitzer Space Telescope, has a five-year mission to reveal previously hidden, dusty regions as well as cold and distant objects in the universe.

SPIRIT, OPPORTUNITY & STARDUST MEMORIES

NASA successfully launched the two largest, most sophisticated Mars Exploration Rovers last summer. The first rover, Spirit, is preparing to land on the mysterious and dangerous Martian surface on Jan. 3, 2004. Its twin, Opportunity, is schedule to land January 24. The Stardust spacecraft is on track for its rendezvous with comet Wild 2. Stardust will gather comet dust and debris and bring it back to Earth in January 2006.

BEST "BABY PICTURE OF THE UNIVERSE"

In one of the most important scientific discoveries of recent years, NASA released the best "baby picture" of the universe ever taken. The image contains stunning detail of the universe just after the big bang. Scientists using NASA's Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe, captured the afterglow of the big bang, called the cosmic microwave background. One of the biggest surprises revealed is the first generation of stars to shine in the universe ignited only 200 million years after the big bang, much earlier than many scientists expected.

NASA HELPS CELEBRATE 100 YEARS OF POWERED FLIGHT

NASA exhibits toured American cities creating an awareness of the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers historic flight on Dec. 17, 1903 near Kitty Hawk, N.C. Exhibits traced the history of powered flight, and the evolution of aircraft.

VOYAGER APPROACHING SOLAR SYSTEM FINAL FRONTIER

NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft is about to make history again. It is the first spacecraft to enter the solar system's final frontier, a wide boundary region, where wind from the sun blows hot against thin gas between the stars: interstellar space.

VALUABLE SCIENCE DATA GAINED DURING COLUMBIA'S FINAL MISSION

Approximately 30 percent of the data collected during Columbia's last mission was recovered and have already yielded exciting and novel findings. While nothing can compensate for the tragic loss of the crew, the devotion of the teams of investigators, students, and researchers to obtain the maximum amount of knowledge from their experiments serves as an enduring tribute to the research and crew of STS-107.

BLACK HOLES REVEAL SURPRISES

NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory detected sound waves, for the first time, from a super-massive black hole. The note was the deepest ever detected from an object in the universe. Using satellite and other observatories, scientists viewing the scene of a gamma ray burst, just after the explosion, witnessed the death of a gigantic star and the birth of something monstrous in its place, quite possibly a brand-new, spinning black hole. The burst was the most detailed ever observed.

MARS ODYSSEY POINTS TO CAUSE OF GULLIES

Images from the visible light camera on NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft, combined with images from the Mars Global Surveyor, suggest melting snow is the likely cause of the numerous eroded Martian gullies. The findings suggest the gullies may have been created by trickling water from melting snow packs, not underground springs or pressurized flows.

EDUCATOR ASTRONAUT PROGRAM DEBUTS

NASA created a unique program for teachers to join the agency's Educator Astronaut (EA) Program. EAs will serve as Mission Specialists on Space Shuttle and Space Station missions. They will also provide a direct connection between educators and students. The first EA class will be announced in February 2004.

HUBBLE CONTINUES AMAZING CAREER

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope measured the mass of the oldest known planet and closed a decade of speculation about the nature of this ancient world, which is 2.5 times the mass of Jupiter. Hubble snapped a stunning portrait of Mars within minutes of the planet's closest approach to Earth in nearly 60,000 years. The sharp, natural-color view revealed several prominent features, including the largest volcano in the solar system, a system of canyons and the southern polar ice cap. Hubble is seeing the conclusion of the cosmic epoch called the "Dark Ages," which occurred about a billion years after the big bang. Scientists can see back to when stars in young galaxies began to shine in significant numbers, concluding the cosmic "dark ages" about 13 billion years ago.

ICESAT & SORCE SATELLITES SUCCESSFUL

Among NASA successes this year were the launches of ICESat and SORCE, two new Earth-observing satellites. ICESat has revolutionary lasers that measure ice, clouds and land elevations. SORCE is studying the sun's influence on the Earth, measuring how it affects the ozone layer, atmospheric circulation, clouds, and oceans.

NASA'S VIEW FROM SPACE IMPROVES EARTH OBSERVATION

NASA joined other agencies at the first Earth Observation Summit to establish plans for an integrated Earth observing satellite system. NASA satellites offered unparalleled insight, only possible from space. Aqua satellite data helped improve weather forecasting models, and NASA data are helping researchers observe activities, which may have worldwide climactic impact. NASA satellites helped agencies track, fight and prevent wild fires, and provided important hurricane data and pictures to improve storm forecasting and tracking.

NASA WEB PORTAL A WINNER

The agency deployed the NASA Web Portal. More than a redesign, the portal restructured the way NASA communicates directly with the public. The portal was honored with a "Webby", the online equivalent of an Oscar, for the best government site of 2003. Users gave the portal the second-highest customer satisfaction rating of any government Web site.

NASA MAKES EDUCATION A PRIORITY...AND FUN!

NASA launched the Explorer Schools Program to bring science and math teachers "back to school" at NASA Centers to acquire new resources and technology tools to increase interest in science, math and technology related courses. NASA is hosting six national educational webcasts with the NASA Earth Crew, more than 50,000 students and family members. The Crew participates in fun, science based webcasts. NASA and education partners launched "Marsapalooza," an innovative, educational national tour. The tour is an effort to inform students, teachers and parents about Mars exploration and agency education programs.

(Nasa Press Release)

===========

Note: For information about Amateur Radio on the International Space Station "ARISS" visit the Radio Amateurs of Canada website:  www.rac.ca/ariss

Note: "Hams in Action" is a new area in the bulletin and is in need of articles and stories of events from your local club or ARES Group. Submission to Hams in Action:  TPN Editor: va3ku@rac.ca

===============

THE COUNTY OF ELGIN ONTARIO IS NOW COVERED EAST TO WEST BY ARES.

For membership please contact your respective Emergency Coordinator. The only requirement is a valid Ham License.

District Emergency Coordinator South-Western Ontario
Jim McCormick VE3ZJM
Home 519-243-1375 E-Mail ve3zjm@rac.ca

Assistant District Emergency Coordinator South-Western Ontario County of Elgin
Richard A. Girouard VE3GIR
Home 519-631-2507 Cell 519-317-6481 E-Mail ve3gir@rac.ca

Canadian Red Cross Liaison County of Elgin
Terry E. Hillier VE3TEH
Home 519-637-2032 Cell 519-319-2032 E-Mail ve3teh@rac.ca

Emergency Coordinator
Municipality of West Elgin, Municipality of Dutton / Dunwich
Archie Van De Velde VE3PTV
Home 519-289-5481 Bus. 519-685-8179 E-Mail archie@execulink.com

Emergency Coordinator
Township of Bayham
Trevor Taylor VE3TLT
Home 519-866-5144 Bus. 519-842-7311 E-Mail Taylorgroup4@aol.com

Emergency Coordinator
City of St. Thomas, Township of Southwold
Terry Hillier VE3TEH
Home 519-637-2032 Cell 519-319-2032 E-Mail ve3teh@rac.ca

Emergency Coordinator
Municipality of Central Elgin, Township of Malahide, Town of Aylmer
Richard A. Girouard VE3GIR
Home 519-631-2507 Cell 519-317-6481 E-MAIL ve3gir@rac.ca

Richard VE3GIR

===========

SATERN on standby for incidents

Specific to Threat Level Orange, National Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) Director Pat McPherson, WW9E, says SATERN will stand by on its national net frequency of 14.265 MHz New Year's Even in case a major incident occurs. Alternate frequencies are 7.265 and 3.920 MHz, depending upon propagation. Incidents notwithstanding, McPherson says, Boston area SATERN will run a net from its emergency operation center on New Year's Eve on 7265 MHz.

(ARRL News Service)
 

A map of Irish Lighthouses and Lightships is now available on EI8ICs website at:

http://www.qsl.net/ei8ic/maps/lighthouse.html When viewed with Internet Explorer, additional features are available, including identifier-boxes for each point on the map, and a sortable database that can be used off-line, with information on ARLHS number, county, position, light and tower details.

(Irish Radio Transmitters Society)

============

Boiled Owls announce 50th anniversary award

To mark the golden anniversary of the Order of Boiled Owls (OBO) of New York, the organization is offering its OBO 50 Award in 2004. Established in 1954, the OBO is dedicated to Amateur Radio HF contesting and DXing. To qualify, applicants have to accumulate five "contact credits" by working members of the OBO or the OBO's club stations (KW2O and W2OWL) during calendar year 2004. Club stations are worth two contact credits; members are worth one "contact credit." Members include N2GA, K2AW, W2AX, N2FF, K2DO, W2LK, N2QW, K2LE, W2YK, N2UN, K2SX, WM2V, NA2M and KS2G. DX portable operations by these stations count as separate call signs. An endorsement is offered for accumulating 10 contact credits. There's full information on the OBO Web site:  www.reallybig.com/obo

(ARRL News Service)

=============

Eimac power grid tubes book now available from the Web

Eimac's Care and Feeding of Power Grid Tubes handbook now is available for downloading in Adobe PDF format from the Eimac Web site. Each chapter is 1 to 2 MB in size. The Eimac Division of Communications and Power Industries (CPI) has made available PDF files of each chapter:  www.cpii.com/eimac/cf.htm

(ARRL News Service)

============

Radio brings faster Fast Food!

On the emerging technology front, fast food has gotten even faster in southern California thanks to the magic of radio. This as five McDonald's restaurants sign a deal with a communications company to allow motorists to zip through the drive-through line without having to stop and pay cash for their food.

The trick is utilizing the same technology that permits motorists to skip stops on toll roads.  A transponder will emit a signal to a
receiver at the food giant that will automatically calculate the food the fee, the motorist is then billed. The process is said to cut 15 seconds off the normal 131 second-wait for delivery at the payment window.

(Technology Corner)

Contest News

Jan 2004 N2CQ QRP CONTEST CALENDAR

40 METER FOXHUNT - Wednesday 0200z to 0400z (Tue eve USA)
Info: http://www.cqc.org
Truffle Hunt - 30 min before Fox Hunt
Info: http://fpqrp.com/pig_hunt.html

AGB NYSB -"New Year SnowBall" Contest (80M SSB/CW) ...QRP Category
Jan 1, 0000z to 0100z
Rules: http://www.qsl.net/eu1eu/agb_nysb.htm

AGCW Happy New Year Contest (CW)...QRP Category
Jan 1, 0900z to 1200z
Rules: http://www.agcw.de

The World QRP Federation (WQF) QRP Party (All) ... QRP Contest!
Jan 3, 0000z to 2400z
Rules: http://ruqrp.narod.ru/index_e.html

Adventure Radio Society - Spartan Sprint (CW) ... QRP Contest!
Jan 6, 0200z to 0400z (Monday Evening US/Canada)
Rules: http://www.arsqrp.com

UK DX Contest (SSB) ... QRP Category
Jan 10, 1200z to Jan 11, 1200z
Rules: http://www.srars.org/ukdxcruleseng.pdf

North American QSO Party (CW) (100w max. QRP Entries Noted)
Jan 10, 1800z to Jan 11, 0600z
Rules: http://www.ncjweb.com/naqprules.php

070 Club PSKFEST Contest ... QRP Category
Jan 17, 0000z to 2400z
Rules: http://www.podxs.com/html/pskfest.html

Michigan QRP Club Contest (CW) ... QRP Contest!
Jan 17, 1200z to Jan 18, 2359z
Rules: http://www.qsl.net/miqrpclub

LZ OPEN CONTEST (CW 80M/40M) ...QRP Category
Jan 17, 1200z to 2000z
Rules: http://www.qsl.net/lz1fw/lzopen/index.html

North American QSO Party (SSB) (100w max. QRP Entries Noted)
Jan 17, 1800z to Jan 18, 0600z
Rules: http://www.ncjweb.com/naqprules.php

Run For The Bacon (CW) *** QRP Contest ***
Jan 19, 0100z to 0300z
Rules: http://fpqrp.com

CQ WW 160-Meter DX Contest (CW) ... QRP Category
Jan 24, 0000z to Jan 25, 2359z
Rules: http://www.cq-amateur-radio.com/awards.html

UBA DX Contest (Belgian) (SSB) ... QRP Category
Jan 31, 1300z to Feb 1, 1300z
Rules: http://www.uba.be

Thanks to SM3CER, WA7BNM, N0AX(ARRL), WB3AAL and others for assistance in compiling this calendar.

Ken Newman - N2CQ

==============

SM3CER Contest Server

Jan. 3-4  ARRL RTTY Roundup Digital
[ www.sk3bg.se/contest/arrlryru.htm ]

Jan. 3-4  EUCW 160 m Contest CW
[ www.sk3bg.se/contest/eucw160.htm ]

Jan. 4  Kid’s Day Contest SSB
[ www.sk3bg.se/contest/kidsday.htm ]

Jan. 10-11  Hunting LIONS in the Air SSB
[ www.sk3bg.se/contest/lionsita.htm ]

Jan. 10  Midwinter Contest CW
[ www.sk3bg.se/contest/midwintc.htm ]

Jan. 10-11  Cray Valley SWL Contest CW SSB
[ www.sk3bg.se/contest/crvaswlc.htm ]

Jan. 10-11  North American QSO Party CW
[ www.sk3bg.se/contest/naqp.htm ]
 

Mayo Radio Experimenters Network

MREN will activate a special event station from Mayo to commemorate Irelands upcoming Presidency of the European Union. The Mayo Radio Experimenters Network will operate the special event station EI0EU for six months starting in January and running up to the end of June. The station will be active on all bands and a full program of events will be announced after the clubs January meeting.

At the AGM of the Mayo Radio Experimenters Network the new committee for 2003/04 was elected and is as follows: Chairperson is Jimmy Kelly EI2GCB, Secretary  is Brendan Minish EI6IZ, the treasurer is John McDonnell EI6IR and the P.R.O is Frances Taheny EI5J. Mike Clarke EI3IG continues as QSL Manager, and Padraic Baynes, EI9JA was returned as Rally Director.

The club extends Holiday wishes to amateurs and swl everywhere, and of course will be meeting again on Wed January 7th at 9 p.m. in Stenson's Lounge, Balyvary.

(Irish Radio Transmitters Society)

===============

Atkinson, NH: Atkinson Amateur Radio Club, K1D. 0501Z Dec 21-0500Z Jan 5. Celebrating Kid's Day and Amateur Radio Awareness. 28.380 21.380 14.280 7.230. QSL. Peter Schipelliti, 7 Dearborn Ridge Rd, Atkinson, NH 03811.

TO4E/TO4WW DXpedition racks up 34,000 Qs

Team member Dany Prevostat, F5CW, of the recent TO4E/TO4WW DXpedition to Europa Island reports the team arrived safely back home December 24. "TO4E/TO4WW is over!" he declared in a message posted on the DXpedition Web site       [ http://europa2003.free.fr ]. He suggested that while the team's 34,000 QSO total was below expectations, it was greater than sporadic operations to Europa over the years had been able to produce. "As you know we were very, very frustrated by the lack of power there," he added. As a result, he said, many operators were left waiting in vain for TO4E to show up on the low bands. The team also endured some severe weather from Tropical Storm Cela that took TO4E off the air early and damaged equipment and antennas. "Even in such uncomfortable conditions, we managed to be on air as much as possible, and few hours were made barefoot on battery--an old battery found there--and a candlelight upon the FT-100D." At one point, he said, team member Pascal Roha, F5PTM, managed to work a pileup with the power output meter sitting at zero--an estimated 100 mW! He said the Europa team had diesel generators but, because Europa is a wildlife preserve, available fuel supplies were limited. F5CW says QSL cards, additional information, photos and video will be ready in due course, and he called for patience. On-line logs for TO4E and TO4WW are available on the DXpedition's Web site. There's additional information on the Europa 2003 DXpedition Web site: http://europa2003.free.fr/searchlog.php

(ARRL News Service)

=============

Singapore Station on Antarctic Expedition

SARTS is pleased to announce that iDA have issued the special callsign 9VØA for use in the Antarctic by Alan, 9V1DX whilst he is on assignment there.  Alan will be working at a temporary base camp, deep in the Antarctic interior supporting scientists & a team of mountaineers climbing Mt. Vinson, the highest mountain in the Antarctic. He should be active from approximately 18th December to 10th January, 2004 as work permits. He will operate primarily CW & SSB. QSL direct to Alan, 9V1DX. See QRZ.com for further details.

=============

An Alaskan Amateur Radio Adventure

In August, 2005 the South-Eastern Wisconsin Chapter 162 of QCWA (K9AKG) will host the International QCWA (W2MM) 2005 Convention. The Convention will be held on a cruise to Alaska with options of joining a DX-Pedition to Fox Island or an extended pre-cruise land excursion.

The Alaskan Adventure is open to all Radio Amateurs and interested parties. You do not need to be a member of QCWA to take part. This is an excellent opportunity to get to know hams from around the world and also to BE THE DX.
There are several options available for this Alaskan Amateur Radio Adventure. The extended land excursion and the DX-pedition are both before the cruise. The hams in the family may wish to take part in the DX-Pedition while the other family members take an extended land excursion by rail.

(RAC News Service)

============

DXCC Desk okays credit for Johnston Island operation

The ARRL DXCC Desk has approved the Johnston Island KH3/KT6E operation from March to June 2003 for DXCC credit. Only authorized persons are allowed to land on Johnston Island. Proof of presence at certain DXCC entities is required. Representatives of most operations are most helpful and cooperative in providing the necessary proof of presence and/or operating authorization as required. A very small number are not. Although no one has provided any information regarding that status of KH3/KT6E, some research on our part indicates that DXCC requirements have been met. Therefore, KH3/KT6E is accepted for DXCC credit. For more information, contact the DXCC Desk: dxcc@arrl.org

(ARRL News Service)

============

Dec. 31 2003  ARLD053 DX News

This week's bulletin was made possible with information provided by LU1BCE, the OPDX Bulletin, The Daily DX, 425DXnews, DXNL, WA7BNM and Contest Corral from QST.  Thanks to all.

SOVEREIGN MILITARY ORDER OF MALTA, 1A0.  IK0FVC, I0JBL, IK0FTA and IK0PRG will be QRV as 1A0KM from January 2 to 5.  QSL this operation via IK0FTA.

JAMAICA, 6Y.  Martin, KN5G is QRV as 6Y5/KN5G until January 4.  He is running low power and active on 80 to 10 meters, including 17 and 12 meters.  QSL to home call.

BHUTAN, A5.  Dane, S57CQ is QRV as A52CQ until January 14.  He has been active on 40 meters around 1700z, 20 meters around 1200z and 10 meters after 0900z.  QSL via S57DX.

BAHAMAS, C6.  Brian, ND3F plans to be QRV as C6A/N3IQ from Treasure Cay, Abaco Island, from January 2 to 10.  This includes an entry in the ARRL RTTY Roundup.  Activity will be on 80 to 10 meters.  QSL to home call.

ITALY, I.  The Amateur Radio Group of RAI will be QRV as II9RAI from January 3 to 4 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first TV broadcast.  II0RAI will also be QRV from different call areas as well during the month of January.  QSL both calls via IK0ZRR.

US VIRGIN ISLANDS, KP2.  David, N4KZ and Mark, K4MCE are QRV as special event station N4Z from St. Croix until January 6.  Activity is on 160 to 6 meters using CW and SSB.  QSL via N4KZ.

ARGENTINA, LU.  Members of the Radio Club Argentina will participate in the 6th Andes Mountains Land Cross and be QRV as LS4M from January 4 to 15.  Activity will be on all HF bands using CW and SSB. QSL via LU4AA.

BANGLADESH, S2.  Bazlu, S21BR has been QRV on 20 meters around 1200z.

VENEZUELA, YV.  Jose, YV6BTF will be QRV as YV6BTF/p from Chimana Grande, IOTA SA-090, from January 3 and 4.  QSL to home call.

CAMBODIA, XU.  Hiroo, JA2EZD will be QRV as XU7AAA from January 2 to 7.  QSL via operator's instructions.

CAYMAN ISLANDS, ZF.  Pete, N2LM is QRV as ZF2PD from Grand Cayman Island, IOTA NA-016, until January 8.  Activity is on 80 to 6 meters using CW and SSB.  QSL to home call.

SOUTH AFRICA, ZS.  The Columbine Radio Club of the Western Cape will be QRV as ZS1BLO from January 2 to 4 to commemorate the Battle of Blaauwberg.  Activity will be on 160, 40, 20, 15 and 10 meters.  QSL via operators' instructions.

THIS WEEKEND ON THE RADIO.  ARRL Straight Key Night, New Years Snowball Contest, HA Happy New Year Contest and the SARTG New Year RTTY Contest are all scheduled for New Year's Day.  The ARRL RTTY Roundup, Kid's Day and the EU CW 160-Meter Contest are scheduled for January 3 and 4.  The Lighthouse Christmas Lights QSO Party runs until January 4, 2004.  The UBA-SWARL 365 Day Contest and the IOTA 40th Anniversary Awards Program run from January 1 to December 31. Please see January 2004 QST, page 98 and the ARRL and WA7BNM contest websites for details.

============

Jan. 3 2004  4 2 5  DX  News

The 425 DX News monthly edition  (December issue) and the  425 DX News  Index for 2003,  both  edited by  Maurizio  Bertolino  (I1-21171/IZ1CRR),  are  now available at http://www.425dxn.org/, as well as the results of the 2004 Most Wanted EU Survey (1001 voters).

1A0    - Francesco/IK0FVC along with  I0JBL, IK0FTA  and IK0PRG have been active as 1A0KM from  the Sovereign Military  Order of Malta  (SMOM) since 2 January. Operations will continue until 5 January. They have set up two stations, one will concentrate on 15 and 20 metres while the other should be active on the other bands (with an empahisis on the low  and WARC  bands). Logs are expected to be available at http://www.sixitalia.org/1a0km/1a0km2004.htm after the end of the activity. QSL via IK0FTA. I (Mauro, I1JQJ) am neither a pilot station nor a team member,  so please avoid inundating me with inquiries about operating schedules, etc. A special e-mail address (1a0km@sixitalia.org) has been activated: write your call  sign in the subject line, use ASCII format only,  do not send attachments of any sort, refrain from sending any particular band/mode activity requests and refrain from asking "am I in log?" until after on line logs are published.

3B9    - Robert/F5VHN and Eric/K3NA  have joined the Five Star  DXers Association's "Project Star  Reach", the  large-scale DXpedition to Rodrigues Island (AF-017) [425DXN 653]. A multinational team of  29 operators will be active on all  bands and modes with up to fifteen high-power HF  stations. Look  for 3B9C to be QRV by 20 March; a gradual breakdown will start on 12 April, with the team due to leave the island on the 14th. Project Star Reach is seeking contributions from sponsors to help defray the costs of this DXpedition. For further information please visit http://www.fsdxa.com/3b9c

5V     - Dany/F5CW, Franck/F4AJQ,  Pascal/F5TVG,  Pascal/F5JSD,  Romain/F8BUI and Guenther/F5VHQ (OE5TGL) will be active  as 5V7C from Lome, Togo on 6-12 March. They will operate on 160-6 metres CW, SSB and digital modes. QSL via F5TVG (Franck Savoldi,  P.O. Box 92, 94223 Charenton Cedex, France).  For further information please visit http://5v7c.free.fr/les_newsleng.htm or  e-mail  5v7c@free.fr  [TNX F5NQL]

9A     - Milan, 9A4KF plans to operate from different locations in the Pakleni Islands (EU-016) during the weekends in January. Further information is available at http://www.inet.hr/9a6aa [TNX 9A6AA]

BY     - Harri, OH6YF is in Beijing (BY1) until 12 January and plans to be active on the amateur radio bands. He says he will  post more information on his web site (http://www.oh6yf.com).

C6     - Brian, ND3F will be active (on 10-80 metres CW,  RTTY and SSB) as C6A/N3IQ from Abaco Island (NA-080), Bahamas on 2-10 January.  QSL via ND3F. [TNX The Daily DX]

FG     - Pierre, F6FXS will be active once again as FG/F6FXS from Guadeloupe (NA-102, DIFO FG-001) between 14 January and 13 February. He will operate on 40, 30 20, 15 and 10 metres CW only with 30 watts into a long wire antenna.  Look for him every day from 13 to 14 UTC and again from 22 to 24 UTC. QSL  via home call, direct or bureau.  [TNX F5NQL]

FO_aus - OH3JR, OH1AWW, OH6KN, OH9MDV, OH1RX and  OH1RX [425DXN 660] will be active from Tubuai (OC-152), Austral Islands  on 6-18 January. They will operate CW  (1822, 3503, 7008, 10108, 14008, 18068, 21008, 24898, 28008  kHz), SSB (1845, 3790,  7050, 14195, 18145, 21295, 24945, 28495 kHz) and some RTTY,  with an emphasis on the low bands and QSOs with Europe and US East Coast. Their equipment will include 1/2 element verticals for the low bands and yagis for the higher bands; plans are to have 2-3 stations active. QSL via OH9MDV, either direct (Kimmo Rautio, Sieppotie 10 as 1B,  90650 Oulu, Finland) or through the bureau.  The web site for the operation is at http://personal.inet.fi/private/pcf2004/ (on line logs will be available). [TNX OH6KN]

I      - Alfredo, IK7JWX  reports he will be signing IR7LH from various lighthouses during next weekend (3-4 January): Brindisi Lighthouse (WAIL PU-008, ARLHS ITA-107),  Punta Torre Canne (WAIL PU-009, ARLHS ITA-150) and Brindisi/Casale  (WAIL  PU-015, ARLHS ITA-069). QSL via IK7JWX, bureau or direct. [TNX IK7JWX]

OX     - Frank, DL2SWW and Ric, DL2VFR will be active as OX/homecalls from Maniitsoq (Sukkertoppen) Island  (NA-220) from around 18 UTC on 23 April to around 18 UTC on 5 May. They will operate CW and SSB on as many bands as possible depending on propagation (no 6m activity is planned). QSL via home calls, bureau or direct. Further information is available at http://www.iota-expedition.com, where on line logs will be posted after the expedition. [TNX DL2VFR]

PA     - ON6UM, ON4LO, ON4LN and ON4BAG will be active (SSB and digital modes) again from Schouwen Duiveland (EU-146) on 19 January.  [TNX ON6UM]

V3     - Gerd/DJ4KW and Gisela/DK9GG will be active on 10-160 metres as V31YN (CW) and V31GW (RTTY) from Belize from 10 January through the end of February. On 2-6 February they will operate as V31YN/P (10-40 metres CW only) from Lighthouse Reef (NA-123). QSL via home calls, direct or bureau. Logs  will be available at http://www.qsl.net/dj4kw and http://www.qsl.net/dk9gg [TNX The Daily DX]

XU     - Hiroo, XW2A will be active as  XU7AAA from Cambodia on 2-7  January. QSL direct to P.O. Box 10003, Vientiane, Laos. [TNX JI6KVR]

XU     - Peter, NO2R will be active as XU7ACY from Sihanoukville, Cambodia on 5-12 January. He will operate on 160, 80 and 40 metres exclusively. QSL via K2NJ. [TNX OPDX Bulletin]

SOUTH  SHETLANDS  --->  Dominik,  DL5EBE  reports  that  Oleg,  UA1PBA  from Bellingshausen Station (R1ANF)  has got verbal permission to operate again from the German Dallmann Laboratory on King George Island. Hopefully the call
sign he used in 2003 (DP1ANF)  will be issued again for an activity to take place in February-March. There are also plans to  operate from the Chilean Ardley  Refuge  (Ardley Island), which, according to  Dominik, "in some  listings appears as 'German Penguin Laboratory'". Actually this Antarctic refuge (originally  established by the former German Democratic Republic and taken over by the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research) was activated only once by DL7VTS as DP1KGI (January-February 1995) under the unofficial and fictitious name of "German  Penguin  Laboratory",  before  being  transferred  to the Chilean Antarctic Institute in February 1997 (see WABA Directory 2003 at http://www.ddxc.net). Further information on both the operations is  expected in due course.

Good to Know:

6M BEACON --->  Danny Ponce, WP4F reports that WP4F/B is active around the clock on 50091  kHz with 5  watts and a 5/8 vertical antenna. Danny is the Sysop of  "El Faro DX Cluster"  in San Juan,  Puerto Rico (telnet wp4f.dns2go.com port 23), as well as the QSL manager for WP4DX (ARRL 10 Meter Contest).

DXCC NEWS  ---> DXCC  Manager Bill Moore,  NC1L reports that BQ9P (Pratas Island, 9-16 September 2003) has been approved for DXCC credit.

GERMAN POSTAL RATES ---> Rolf,  DL6ZFG reports that effective 1 January the postage for a regular letter from Germany to extra-European countries is EUR 1.55 (it used to be 1.50), which is not loger covered by 1 US$.

QSL MANAGER SURVEY ---> This is a nomination process by DXers of the Top 5 QSL Managers with whom they have  had dealing with in 2003. "The purpose of this voting is to give at least a small 'thank you' to the work performed by QSL managers around the world", John, K1XN says. "They do not receive enough praise for the work they perform, nor are they respected enough by the DXers who benefit from their work". Please send the call signs of the 5 Best QSL Managers (in your opinion) for 2003 to golist@golist.net; the results of this survey will be given to N4AA  for inclusion in the QRZ-DX  bulletin.  The deadline for voting is 1 February. [TNX K1XN and The Golist]

QSL 1A0KM ---> The  new QSL manager  is IK0FTA (Sergio  Roca, P.O. Box  7132, 00162 Roma Nomentano - RM, Italy).  Requests without return postage, as well as those without a self-addressed envelope, will be processed, but cards will
be sent via the bureau. Please refrain from sending QSLs for QSOs made in different years in the same envelope. QSL requests via e-mail will be ignored.

QSL 9H1PF & P29KPH ---> Bill, K5YG is no longer the QSL manager for 9H1PF and P29KPH. Cards for 9H1PF should be  sent direct, for  P29KPH QSL per operator instructions. Bill has a few cards left for those QSLing direct with return postage or a green stamp. [TNX N5FG]

QSL 9K2MU ---> Alan, WA4JTK would like to remind everyone that 9K2MU does not have any cards. QSLs are to be sent direct only to WA4JTK, who processes the requests as soon as logs are recieved from  Kuwait. All cards are up to date as of 12 November 2003.

QSL 9K9A ---> There was some confusion before, but it  has been sorted out and, effective immediately,  Tim/N9NU will be  handling QSL duties for 9K9A (contest call for 9K2AI). Cards can be sent either direct (Tim Dickerson, 900 Vincent Drive, Sandwich, IL  60548, USA) or via the bureau.  Tim is the QSL manager also for KH6XT,  9K2AI,  A92GE  and YB0GJS  (on line logs at http://www.n9nu.net/logsearch/logsearch.php); he has two additional slots open if anyone needs a manger. [TNX N9NU]

QSL 9V0A & VP8PJ ---> Alan,  VK4AAR is receiving e-mails  and cards for 9V0A and VP8PJ simply because he is the manager for 9V1DX  (the same operator  in each case). Please note that the QSL routes for these operations have not been announced yet.  "I will hold any cards that come to me for either of these Antarctic operations", Alan says, "and  will honour them  if I get the job". 9V1DX  is expected to post  the QSL  information on his web page (http://www.geocities.com/vk0ld/1.html) when he returns to Singapore in a couple of weeks. [TNX VK4AAR]

QSL EU-166  --->  Alfio, IT9EJW reports that all of  the  direct  requests received so far for IT9EJW/P, IT9HLN/9 and IK8PGM/9 from Pietra di Patti (IIA ME-030, August 2003) have been processed and mailed.

QSL FO/IT9YRE --->  Nando, IT9YRE  reports that the direct cards for  Maria Island (OC-264) will be mailed  starting on 3 January, to let  island chasers receive them before the IOTA annual update deadline.

QSL TO4E & TO4WW ---> It will take a  while before the cards are printed,  so please be patient. Didier, F5OGL (the QSL manager for either TO4E and  TO4WW) is receiving countless e-mails concerning errors in the on-line logs.  Didier would like to assure the DX community worldwide that each QSL request will be scrutinized carefully and if gross logging  mistakes are detected, they  will be corrected. [TNX La Gazette du DX]

QSL VK4WWI/P --->  Johan, PA3EXX reports that the QSL cards for his recent operation from Cato Reef (OC-265) are  likely to be available in February.  A few pictures and on-line logs are available at http://home.tiscali.nl/~su042021/

QSL VIA LY2MM ---> Al, LY2MM  reports that effective immediately he will no longer be able to receive any 4L1AE,  4L1W and  4L5T bureau  cards, as  the Lithuanian ARS now makes a charge for QSL management.  "Direct QSLs are and
will be  processed promptly", he says, "but please,  do not send any card through the Lithuanian QSL bureau".

SURVEY ---> Jose, CT1EEB is carrying out an informal survey on the current band needs (160-6 metres) for Timor  Leste (4W), Angola (D2), Sao Tome (S9), Mozambique (C9),  India (VU). Let Jose know by e-mail (zemurtosa@mail.telepac.pt) what bands you still need for these DXCC Entities.

============

Jan. 2004   I.C.P.O. Bulletin Islands, Castles & Portable Operations - I.C.P.O.

31/12/2003:  Martin, KN5G, is QRV from Jamaica (NA-097) until January 4, 2004. He is running low power and active on 80 through 10 meters, including 17 and 12 meters. QSL via home call, direct or bureau. [Tnx ARRL DX News]

01/01/2004:  Jean-Louis, F6AGR, from AMSAT-France, reports that Sebastien, who got his ham license October 31st, will be active for one year (2004) on AO-40 (and LEOs) from Amsterdam Island (FT1Z, WW Loc. MF81TX, IOTA AF-002). He also plans to be active on 50 MHz, and on HF as soon as the French laws permit (he has a no-code license). AMSAT-France is actively preparing his SAT hardware (dish, 2.4 GHz converter, yagi, etc., which have to be as light as possible), providing training and will handle QSL cards. [Tnx OPDX]

01/01/2004:  Look for Piero, I2CZQ/p, to be QRV January 1st from the Torre di Nadro a Ceto (DCI reference BS-062, for the Italian Castles Award). Activity will be on 40 and 20 meter SSB, starting at approximately 10:00 UTC and ending at approximately 12:30 UTC. The Tower of Nadro is located in the Region of Lombardia, Province of Brescia (BS). QSL via home call, direct or bureau. [Tnx I2CZQ]

01/01/2004:  Sara, HA9SD, and Eli, HA9RE, will be active from Tuvalu (OC-015) between January 1st and 18th (callsign TBA) and from Tonga (OC-049) as A35RE from 20 January to 4 February. They plan to operate CW and SSB on 80, 40, 30, 20, 15 and 10 metres with two stations. QSL direct only via HA8IB ("against 2 new IRCs or 2 US"). [Tnx 425DXN]

01/01/2004:  W4UC is again going to operate from the Pensacola Lighthouse (ARLHS USA-592) on Naval Air Station Pensacola (Escambia county Florida, WW Loc. EM60ii) on January 1, 2004.  This will be the Five Flags Amateur Radio Associations 3rd annual event from the Lighthouse. FFARA, W4UC, broadcast the very first official Amateur station from inside the Lighthouse 3 years ago with assistance from the US Navy and US Coast Guard. January 1st marks a special day as it was on January 1st in 1859 that the light was first lit in the Pensacola Lighthouse. W4UC plans on having a minimum of 3 stations operating on 6, 10, 15, 20, 40 meters from 15:00 UTC to 22:00 UTC. For QSL Information, look up W4UC on QRZ.com. They will be using ARLHS member #844. QSL via operator's instructions. [Tnx ARLHS BeaconBot]

02/01/2004:  A team led by Francesco IK0FVC, will activate 1A0KM during January 2nd to 5th. Other team members will be I0JBL, IK0FTA and IK0PRG. Starting with this operation, the QSL manager for 1A0KM's activities will be Sergio, IK0FTA. For further information send an e-mail to 1a0km@sixitalia.org . [Tnx I1JQJ / 425DXN]

02/01/2004:  Brian, ND3F, plans to be QRV as C6A/N3IQ from Treasure Cay, Abaco Island (NA-080), between January 2nd to 10th. This includes an entry in the ARRL RTTY Roundup. Activity will be on 80 to 10 meters. QSL via home call, direct or bureau. [Tnx ARRL DX News]

02/01/2004:  Hiroo will once again be active as XU7AAA between January 2nd and 7th. QSL is direct only to P.O. Box 10,003 Vientiane Laos. [Tnx JI6KVR]

02/01/2004:  IZ8CCW (Antonio) and IZ8FWN (Pietro) will be active as either Z38M  or Z3/homecalls from Macedonia between January 2nd and 6th. They plan to operate SSB, CW and RTTY on all bands along with several members of Z37M. QSL via IZ8CCW. [Tnx 425DXN]

03/01/2004:  Look for Francois, F5JNE/p, to be QRV January 3rd from the Castle of Sermizelles (DFCF reference 89.252, for the French Castles Award) starting around 07:30 UTC. Activity will be on 40 meter SSB. The following references also count for this operation - Canton: Avallon 8903; Zip Code for the Ten millions award: 89200; Department: Yonne (89)
and Province: Burgundy. QSL direct or via the French REF bureau. SWL QSL cards are welcome. [Tnx F5NQL]

03/01/2004:  Jeffrey (KG0VL) and Justin (K9MU) will depart St. Paul, MN, at 11:30 am on January 1st. Beginning January 3rd, the two operators will activate Grids EO16 and EO26 for the next couple of weeks. Operators will sign VE4/K9MU (from EO16) and VE4/KG0VL (from EO26). Their activity will be on HF, 50, 144 and 903 MHz. Liaison frequency is 7268 kHz (Days) and 3958 kHz (Evenings). Because of increased traffic on 7268, they will also monitor 7265 kHz (+/-). Their interesting travel plans and planned operation details can be read on the following Web page at: http://www.qsl.net/k9mu/ArcticGridExpedition.html [Tnx OPDX]

03/01/2004:  Look for Jose, YV6BTF, to be QRV as YV6BTF/p from Chimana Grande (SA-090) between January 3rd and 4th. QSL via home call, direct prefered. [Tnx ARRL DX News]

04/01/2004:  The Radio Club Argentino will provide communications to the 300 participants in the 6th Andes Crossing between January 4th and 15th. Two HF stations will be active on all bands SSB and CW as LS4M (a prefix that has not been activated for nearly 20 years). QSL via LU4AA, direct or bureau. A special award will be issued for five QSOs (any mode, any band) with LS4M; further information can be requested at lu4aa@lu4aa.org [Tnx 425DXN]

05/01/2004:  Look for OH1AWW (Veko), OH1RX (Jouko), OH3JR (Henri), OH6KN (Veijo) and OH9MDV (Kimmo) to be QRV from the Austral Islands between January 5th and 19th. They plan to operate on all bands CW, SSB and digital modes, with an emphasis on the low bands. [Tnx 425DXN]

05/01/2004:  Peter, NO2R, has received his callsign/license and will be active as XU7ACY from Sihanoukville, January 5th to 12th. Activity will be on 160, 80 and 40 meters exclusively. QSL via K2NJ, direct. [Tnx OPDX]

06/01/2004:  OH9O (OH8K -VHF Group) will activate KP17WV between January 6th and 9th with operators OH6JW and OH9TT. They will use a 16 element yagi with 3cx800 amplifier, mainly on FSK. For skeds QRB over 2000km via oh6jw@sral.fi . QSL via operator's instructions. [Tnx F5NQL]

11/01/2004:  Look for Chris, GM3WOJ, to be active as ZL1CT/4 from Stewart Island (OC-203), 04:00 UTC January 11th to 10:00 UTC January 15th. Activity will be on 40 and 20 meter SSB only, using 400 watts to verticals. QSL via N3SL (QRZ.com). [Tnx OPDX]

12/01/2004:  Marco, CE6TBN, plans to be active as CE6TBN/8 from Riesco Island (IOTA SA-031, DICE ICE-804) January 12th through 15th and from Wellington Island (IOTA SA-032, DICE ICE-802) January 17th through 20th. Activity will be on 40, 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10 meter SSB, with monoband verticals antennas and TS-140. QSL via N1IBM (Morris E. Maze III, 847 Dolan St., Lanoka Harbor, New Jersey 08734, USA). [Tnx CE6TBN]

13/01/2004:  Bill, W4WX, will be QRV January 13th to 19th from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (NA-015) as KG4DX. Activity will be on HF and 6 meters. QSL direct to W4WX, or via LoTW. [Tnx 425DXN]

14/01/2004:  Look for Pierre F6FXS, to be active once again as FG/F6FXS, from Guadeloupe mainland (IOTA NA-102, DIFO FG-001) between January 14th and February 13th. Activity is planned on CW only and low power (30 watts) into a long wire antenna. The daily schedule will be 13:00 to 14:00 UTC and 22:00 to 24:00 UTC on 40, 30, 20, 15 and 10 meters. QSL via home call, direct or bureau. [Tnx F5NQL]

15/01/2004:  Martijn, PA3GFE, will be going back to Peru on January 15th for at least three months and will operate as OA7/PA3GFE in his spare time. His activity will be on 40 through 6 meters (hopefully also on 80 meters) CW and SSB, with the low and WARC bands as primary interests. QSL via home call, direct or bureau. [Tnx 425DXN]

15/01/2004:  Look for Emilio, PU5HAS, to be QRV January 15th to 17th from Mel Island (SA-047) as PY5/PU5HAS. Activity will be on 80 through 10 meters, SSB only. QSL via home call, direct or bureau. [Tnx 425DXN]

16/01/2004:  Andy, G0VUH, will be active from The Gambia as C56/G0VUH between January 16th and 30th. He is expected to be on every day and during the nights on all bands. He will have a big beam from 20-10 meters and two verticals that are combined for 80 meters. QSL via the home callsign G0VUH. [Tnx OPDX]

17/01/2004:  Marco, CE6TBN, plans to be active as CE6TBN/8 from Wellington Island (IOTA SA-032, DICE ICE-802) January 17th through 20th. Activity will be on 40, 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10 meter SSB, with monoband verticals antennas and TS-140. QSL via N1IBM (Morris E. Maze III, 847 Dolan St., Lanoka Harbor, New Jersey 08734, USA). [Tnx CE6TBN]

17/01/2004:  John, G4RCG, and Bruce, KI7VR, will be QRV from the Dominican Republic (NA-096) as G4RCG/HI9 and KI7VR/HI9 between 17 January and 31 January, 2004. Activity will be on all bands 160 through 10 meters. Look for G4RCG/HI9 to take part in the CQ WW 160 Meter CW Contest. QSL via home calls, direct or bureau. [Tnx 425DXN]

20/01/2004:  Sara, HA9SD, and Eli, HA9RE, will be active from Tonga (OC-049) as A35RE between January 20th and February 4th. They plan to operate CW and SSB on 80, 40, 30, 20, 15 and 10 metres with two stations. QSL direct only via HA8IB ("against 2 new IRCs or 2 US$"). [Tnx 425DXN]

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! - A HEALTY, HAPPY AND PEACEFUL YEAR 2004 TO EVERYONE!
73 and Good Hunting!
Dave Raycroft - VA3RJ

Home of ICPO: www.qsl.net/va3rj
Mirror: http://webhome.idirect.com/~va3rj
Join ICPO e-Group:  www.qsl.net/va3rj/icpo.html
E-mail: va3rj@rac.ca

===============

Note: A complete list of  Prefixes assigned by International Telecommunications Union can be found on the Trans Provincial Website:  www.tpn7055.ca/callsign.html

Jan. 1 2004    90th anniversary of the founding of the ARRL

This year we celebrate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the ARRL. Few other membership associations have survived for so long with their founders' vision still intact. That the ARRL has done so is testimony to the quality of that original vision as well as to the dedication of subsequent generations of members.

To say that we have remained true to the vision of our founders is not to say that nothing has changed in nine decades. Hiram Percy Maxim and Clarence Tuska would marvel at what radio amateurs have built upon the foundation they laid in 1914. The original impetus for the formation of a "radio relay league" was the difficulty that Mr. Maxim encountered in sending a message from Hartford to Springfield, a radio path we now traverse without a second thought. From those beginnings, amateurs have gone on to conquer countless obstacles and continue to do so with a regularity that would gratify "The Old Man."

Every one of those nine decades has seen its share of challenges and accomplishments.

The world went to war when the fledgling organization was just a few months old. In 1917 the United States entered the fray, amateurs were silenced (and enlisted in droves), and the ARRL suspended operations until early 1919. At that time QST, until then a private venture of Mr. Tuska's, was purchased using bonds sold to ARRL members who had no guarantee of ever being allowed back on the air. The rise of broadcast listening in the early 1920s led to interference problems that to some spelled "the end of Amateur Radio as we know it." The League celebrated its 10th anniversary with the discovery that if they picked the right "wavelength," amateurs could communicate worldwide.

The second decade, 1924-34, was surely a Golden Age for Amateur Radio. Using vacuum tubes "borrowed" from the family broadcast receiver, amateurs could and did build globe-girdling transmitters that brought the achievement of "Worked All Continents" within anyone's grasp. But the amateurs' discovery of the "short waves" came at a price. While Amateur Radio enjoyed the support of the U.S. government, commercial and government interests elsewhere pressed for dramatic reductions in our bands. New Year's Day 1929 saw the narrowing of the 160, 40 and 20 meter bands, forcing the ARRL to emphasize stability and selectivity in equipment designs.

Our third decade began in the depths of the Depression and ended in the throes of World War II. Amateur stations again went silent, but amateurs themselves put their skills and knowl­­- edge into service to their country. Thanks to the value of their contribution, this time there was no doubt that amateurs would be allowed back on the air as soon as possible after the war was won.

The ARRL remained in operation throughout World War II and provided important support to the war effort. Key QST advertisers such as Al Kahn, K4FW, then of Electro-Voice and still active today at age 97, helped keep the magazine in circulation and the organization afloat. Thanks, Al! The postwar flood of surplus equipment fueled a boom in operating activity, including VHF and microwave experimentation based on wartime advances in technology. A license restructuring controversy gave birth to the Novice and Technician licenses in 1951, at a time when television interference (TVI) was becoming the latest "end of Amateur Radio as we know it."

Decade #5, 1954-64, saw amateurs claim their rightful place in the Space Age with the first moonbounce contact in 1960 and launch of the first OSCAR in 1961. Amateur Radio boomed thanks to the Novice license, and VHF became popular thanks to the Technician license. Crowding in the HF phone bands accelerated the shift from AM to SSB. The ARRL's 50th anniversary was a gala affair, with a National Convention featuring a Presidential candidate (Senator Barry Goldwater, K7UGA) and a postage stamp honoring Amateur Radio.

Another license restructuring controversy came to a head in 1967 with the FCC's resumption of "incentive licensing" to encourage amateurs to upgrade their skills. Around the same time, ARRL instituted Life Membership and introduced Five Band DXCC to encourage amateurs to explore the DX potential of the 80 and 40 meter bands. AMSAT-OSCAR 6 ushered in the era of "permanent" amateur satellites in 1972, ultimately lasting 41/2 years. VHF operation shifted from AM to FM on a massive scale, with repeaters popping up like mushrooms and autopatches presaging cellular telephones.

In 1974, ARRL began a concerted worldwide effort to protect and expand amateur frequency allocations at an upcoming World Administrative Radio Conference. New bands at 10, 18 and 24 MHz and new amateur-satellite bands were among our WARC-79 achievements. Owen Garriott, W5LFL, became the first amateur to operate from space in 1983. Decade #7 ended with amateurs administering FCC examinations and embracing digital radio technology via packet radio and AMTOR.

Decades #8 and #9 are too recent to be considered history (and besides, we're running out of room) but it's worth noting that the FCC made a codeless amateur license available in 1991 and dropped the code speed for an HF license to 5 words per minute in 2000. It also bears mention that during this time ARRL members embraced the Internet and the World Wide Web not as a replacement for radio, but as tools to expand its use and enjoyment.

What does the last decade before ARRL's Centennial Year, 2014, hold in store? Will Broadband Over Power Lines be "the end of Amateur Radio as we know it" or a bit of forgotten technological trivia? Will digital voice revolutionize the ham bands the way SSB reshaped HF in the '60s and the way FM reshaped VHF in the '70s? Will software defined radios give us powerful new tools to "farm" the radio spectrum? The answers to these and countless other questions will be found right here-- in the pages of future issues of QST!

David Sumner, K1ZZ
ARRL Chief Executive Officer

(ARRL Website)

===============

Hamvention 2004 seeks award nominees

Nominations close January 31 for the Hamvention 2004 Radio Amateur of the Year, Technical Excellence and Special Achievement awards. The Radio Amateur of the Year is an individual with a long term commitment to the advancement of Amateur Radio--a well-rounded amateur who has contributed in an exceptional manner to Amateur Radio. The Technical Excellence award goes to an amateur who has made an outstanding technical contribution to advance Amateur Radio. This could include, but is not limited to, a revolutionary equipment design or operational mode that has positively influenced the day-to-day operation of many amateurs. The Special Achievement award honors an outstanding contribution to the advancement of Amateur Radio and typically recognizes an amateur who has spearheaded a significant project. All amateurs are eligible for any of these awards, and the Hamvention Awards Committee makes the final decision on recipients, based in part on the information submitted on the nominee's behalf (and not on the number of nominations). Nominations are due by midnight Eastern Time on January 31. Documentation to support a nomination is essential. This could be in the form of magazine articles, newsletters, newspaper clippings or videos. All materials become the property of Hamvention and will not be returned. Submit nominations by mail to Awards Committee, Hamvention 2004, PO Box 964, Dayton OH 45401, or complete the on-line Nominating Form on the Hamvention 2004 Web site (click on "Award Nominations"). In any case, nominees are responsible for submitting substantiating documentation via mail by January 31, 2004. Hamvention 2004 is May 14-16  www.hamvention.org

(ARRL News Service)

===========

Dec. 31 2003  Special Bulletin 11  ARLX011 Joe T. Knight, W5PDY, SK

Former ARRL New Mexico Section Manager Joe Knight, W5PDY, of Albuquerque died December 28. He was 76. Until he stepped down last July after his health began to fail, Knight had provided leadership to the New Mexico Section for nearly 27 years--longer than any of his peers. ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, called Knight an exemplary amateur and volunteer and said he was saddened to said to learn of his passing.

"You couldn't ask for anybody who was more dedicated to Amateur Radio and to the League than Joe Knight," Haynie said. "He was the consummate ham."

An ARRL Life Member, Knight had belonged to the League for 55 years. For several years through 2002, Knight was a regular participant at the New Section Manager workshops each fall, at which he would share the wealth of expertise derived from his many years of leadership experience.

Knight was the subject and chief narrator of an article, "The Luckiest Man Alive," which appeared in the January 2003 issue of
QST. It was during Knight's tenure as SM that New Mexico amateurs were able to convince state lawmakers to pass The Emergency Communication Preservation Act--an Amateur Radio antenna bill that was signed into law in 2002. Knight also was at the helm as amateurs in New Mexico assisted in response and relief efforts during devastating wildfires in 2000 and in 2002.

In July, the ARRL Board of Directors created the Knight Distinguished Service Award and named Knight as its inaugural
recipient. The award honors "exceptionally notable contributions" to the health and vitality of the League by an SM.

In addition to his lengthy service as New Mexico's SM, Knight was a past president and long-time member of the Upper Rio FM Society. He also belonged to the Albuquerque Amateur Radio Club, the Albuquerque DX Association and the A1 Operator Club, and he served on the board of the Duke City Hamfest.

Survivors include his wife, Lois, KC5CXO, who often accompanied Knight on his hamfest and convention visits and was a tireless recruiter for new ARRL members.

A family visitation will be held Thursday, January 1, 2-4 PM, at French Mortuary, University Boulevard, Albuquerque. A memorial service is set for January 2, 2 PM, Central United Methodist Church, 1615 Copper NE, Albuquerque.

The family has invited contributions in Knight's memory to the Knight Distinguished Service Award or to the ARRL Foundation
Scholarship Fund. Memorials may be made to either fund on the ARRL Memorial Gifts Web pag at, www.arrl.org/development/memorial.html, or to ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington CT 06111-1494.

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