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http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2016-05-12

The ARRL Letter

May 12, 2016
Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME

 *  ARRL Ham Aid Gear Shipped to Ecuador to Support Earthquake Relief,
    Recovery
 *  Missouri Radio Amateur Petitions FCC to Designate "Symbol Communication"
    Subbands
 *  Rare de Forest Audion Donated to ARRL, Mated with Vintage Radio for
    Museum Display
 *  Canadian Radio Amateurs Went on Alert to Assist in Alberta Wildfire
    Emergency, Evacuations
 *  The Doctor Will See You Now!
 *  National Parks on the Air Update
 *  Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park Opens for NPOTA
    Activity During Hamvention
 *  ARRL DX Log Archive Invites Submissions at Dayton Hamvention(R)
 *  OTH Radars, Fishery and Taxi Traffic, Buoys, and Broadcasters Continue
    to Mar Ham Bands
 *  Philip J. McGan Memorial Silver Antenna Award Nominations Due by May 20
 *  ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference Issues 2016 Call for Papers
 *  Former Alpha/Power President, Researcher John Brosnahan, W0UN, SK
 *  In Brief...
 *  Getting It Right!
 *  The K7RA Solar Update
 *  Just Ahead in Radiosport
 *  Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions


ARRL Ham Aid Gear Shipped to Ecuador to Support Earthquake Relief, Recovery

Five boxes of Ham Aid Amateur Radio equipment -- some 400 pounds in all -- left
ARRL Headquarters on May 4, bound for the Guayaquil Radio Club (HC2GRC) in
Ecuador. The radio equipment will help to support relief and recovery efforts
under way in the wake of a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck the South
American nation on April 16. Valued at more than $7500, the equipment will
provide reliable communication in areas where the telecommunication
infrastructure suffered damaged.

"As we've seen before -- in Haiti and Nepal -- an earthquake can cause
long-term disruptions in infrastructure," said ARRL Emergency Preparedness
Manager Mike Corey, KI1U. "An Amateur Radio network fills the communications
gaps. It can be deployed anywhere, run on solar power, and can function without
the Internet or traditional telecommunication infrastructure."

Corey said the recovery process can be lengthy, and radio amateurs in the
affected area need repeaters, antennas, antenna supports, and many other things
to be able to help those disrupted by disaster. "This is what Ham Aid is for --
to enable amateurs to effectively respond following a disaster to help their
communities through the recovery process," he said.

Most earthquake damage occurred in the Guayaquil (HC2) and Portoviejo/Manta
(HC4) areas. Some structures in Portoviejo and Manta suffered severe damage,
with many victims buried in the rubble of collapsed buildings and homes. In the
immediate aftermath of the disaster, electrical power and commercial
telecommunication systems were either destroyed or disrupted, and many roads
were rendered impassable because of earthquake rubble.

Corey noted that while most Ham Aid deployments have been stateside, the
opportunity arose for the ARRL to assist with this international disaster
relief effort through the Guayaquil Radio Club.

ARRL CEO Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, said, "For more than 100 years, when there is a
need, we use our communication and electronics expertise to give back. Amateur
Radio answers the call when and where needed."


Missouri Radio Amateur Petitions FCC to Designate "Symbol Communication"
Subbands

James E. Whedbee, N0ECN, of Gladstone, Missouri, has petitioned the FCC to
designate Morse (radiotelegraphy) Amateur Radio band segments as "symbol
communication" subbands. The FCC has invited comments on his Petition for Rule
Making (RM-11769), filed on May 2. Arguing that retaining the current regime of
"legacy" CW subbands has proven "grossly inefficient," Whedbee said he'd like
to see the FCC delete all privilege restrictions that limit any part of the
Amateur Radio spectrum to Morse code to the exclusion of other modes.

"Nostalgia for retention of Morse code telegraphy-only subbands is also an
insufficient reason to avoid moving forward to [the] elimination of such
subbands, because nothing about this Petition suggests the elimination of the
mode itself, only that it not be the sole authorized mode in the subject
subbands," Whedbee told the FCC.

Whedbee characterized CW-only subbands as "an excessive regulatory constraint,
as well as a poor use of the spectrum concerned." He proposed that the FCC's
Part 97 rules reflect the "ultimate form of communication reproduced at the
receiving end." As he explained it, his regulatory scheme would break down
modes into three categories: "Symbol communication mode" -- for CW, digital,
and other emission modes that reproduce a discrete symbol on the receiving end;
"voice mode," and "image mode."

"[C]ontinuing regulation by specific emission designator is proving to be
onerous with changes to the state of the art," Whedbee said. "Accordingly, to
continue developing the state of the art in radiocommunications, Amateur Radio
needs to clearly get away from regulating in that fashion and return to
consideration of what the receiving end of the communication reproduces."
Commenters have 30 days to respond to Whedbee's Petition.


Rare de Forest Audion Donated to ARRL, Mated with Vintage Radio for Museum
Display

An ARRL member from Virginia has donated a rare de Forest "round bulb" Audion
vacuum tube to the League, which has paired the groundbreaking triode with a de
Forest receiver of similar vintage. Walt Bain, W4LTU, recently wrote ARRL
Headquarters to see if the League would give the antique tube a home. Radio
pioneer Lee de Forest filed his first patent for the Audion in 1907, describing
it as a detector of sound, and he is generally credited with having invented
the vacuum tube. First used as the detector in the de Forest Audion Receiver,
the Audion subsequently was heralded as the world's first electronic amplifying
device. Bain, who is 86, said he inherited the Audion from his father, George
Bain, a graduate of Wesleyan University in Connecticut in the 1920s, who went
on to work for Westinghouse.

"In the 1930s he was chief engineer at Ken-Rad Tube and Lamp Company," Bain
told ARRL. "He would have met de Forest anytime during college, at
Westinghouse, or Ken-Rad." This particular Audion likely dates back to the
early 1910s and appears to be a somewhat later version of the device that de
Forest had submitted on his patent application a few years earlier. An intact
Audion such as this one is considered extremely rare.

ARRL Lab Test Engineer Bob Allison, WB1GCM, who curates the League's museum
collection, accepted the Audion and had it installed on the League's own de
Forest Audion Receiver, which lacked a tube. "Each year, we have about 2000
visitors to the Lab; they will get to see that tube," Allison said. The
League's Audion Receiver bears the patents of de Forest's Radio Telephone and
Telegraph Company.

The Audion's three elements are clearly visible within the blown-glass
envelope. Connections to the Audion's rectangular plate and squiggly grid were
made via wires exiting one end of the bulb. The other end features a
candelabra-style lamp base, which screws into a socket, providing the filament
connection. The Audion is mounted with the lamp base up, to prevent the
filament from sagging and touching the tube's other two elements.

In developing the Audion, de Forest had built on the work of John Ambrose
Fleming, who invented a two-element vacuum tube in 1905. De Forest discovered
that applying a radio signal to a grid instead of to the filament, or cathode,
would yield a more sensitive RF detector. De Forest came up with the idea of
using a series of Audions to enhance their amplifying capabilities, an
attribute American Telephone & Telegraph company capitalized upon, after
securing de Forest's patents.

In time, vacuum tubes supplanted solid-state mineral detectors in radio
receivers, although in a "what goes around, comes around" turn of events,
solid-state devices called "transistors" replaced the vacuum tube in the 1950s
and 1960s. Today's iPhones have the equivalent of 2 billion transistors packed
inside.


Canadian Radio Amateurs Went on Alert to Assist in Alberta Wildfire Emergency,
Evacuations

A wildfire in Alberta, Canada, that began unremarkably on May 1 as "MWF-009"
soon ballooned into a major, fast-moving conflagration, owing to hot, dry
weather, high winds, and low humidity, creating a disaster of historic
proportions. The flames caused extensive property damage and led to the
evacuation of the entire population of Fort McMurray, in the heart of Canada's
oil sands country. While the wildfire emergency never became a "communications
event," prompting an ARES activation, Radio Amateurs of Canada said, radio
amateurs on the ground helped other organizations such as the Red Cross.

Alberta Section Manager Garry Jacobs, VE6CIA/VE6OW, reported on May 5 that
Alberta ARES went on standby "to provide VHF/UHF linking," although there was
no HF activity due to the fact that Fort McMurray had been evacuated.

According to the Amateur Radio Coalition, a national ham radio "fan page" on
Facebook, PERCS (Provincial Emergency Radio Communications Service) was put on
standby to staff the radio room and to establish communication into Fort
McMurray, and the club in Fort McMurray was staffing its local emergency
communications center in case communications fail. PERCS Alberta Assistant
Coordinator Curtis Bidulock, VE6AEW, said the organization directly supports
the Alberta Emergency Management Agency and assists all Alberta Amateur Radio
clubs with provincial coordination of resources and communication links, as
requested.

By the end of the first week, some 80,000 residents had been evacuated from
Fort McMurray.


The Doctor Will See You Now!

"Open Wire Feed Lines" is the topic of the current (May 5) episode of the "ARRL
The Doctor is In" podcast. Listen...and learn! Coming up on May 19: "Hunting
Down Interference."

Sponsored by DX Engineering, "ARRL The Doctor is In" is an informative
discussion of all things technical. Listen on your computer, tablet, or
smartphone -- whenever and wherever you like!

Every 2 weeks, your host, QST Editor in Chief Steve Ford, WB8IMY, and the
Doctor himself, Joel Hallas, W1ZR, will discuss a broad range of technical
topics. You can also e-mail your questions to doctor@arrl.org, and the Doctor
may answer them in a future podcast.

Enjoy "ARRL The Doctor is In" on Apple iTunes, or by using your iPhone or iPad
podcast app (just search for "ARRL The Doctor is In"). You can also listen
online at Blubrry, or at Stitcher (free registration required, or browse the
site as a guest) and through the free Stitcher app for iOS, Kindle, or Android
devices.

If you've never listened to a podcast before, download our beginner's guide.


National Parks on the Air Update

Congratulations to Larry Burke, K5RK, the first radio amateur to confirm 400 of
the 484 eligible NPS units for National Parks on the Air (NPOTA)! As of May 11,
Larry had 402 units confirmed. Five other NPOTA participants have more than 390
confirmed, and 18 hams have more than 350 units confirmed. There now have been
more than 5100 activations of NPS units in 2016, resulting in 333,000 contacts.

There will be plenty of NPOTA-themed activity at Dayton Hamvention May 20-22.
Look for the NPOTA booth in the ARRL EXPO area, attend the NPOTA forum on
Saturday at 9:15AM, and visit the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical
Park in downtown Dayton, where two stations will be available to operate (see
below).

Thirty NPOTA activations are on the calendar from May 12-19, including Oregon
Caves National Monument is Oregon, and the Whitman Mission National Historic
Site in Washington. Details about these and other upcoming activations can be
found on the NPOTA Activations calendar.

Keep up with the latest NPOTA news on Facebook. Follow NPOTA on Twitter
(@ARRL_NPOTA).


Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park Opens for NPOTA Activity
During Hamvention

ARRL has an opportunity for those traveling to Dayton Hamvention(R) who want to
activate an NPS unit for National Parks on the Air (NPOTA)! The League has
secured an operating permit with the Dayton Aviation Heritage National
Historical Park in downtown Dayton. The special NPOTA activity will be
available for visiting operators to enjoy activating an NPOTA unit without
having to bring their own gear. The event will run from Friday, May 20, until
Sunday, May 22, at the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center. Operations will run
from 9 AM until 5 PM on Friday and Saturday, and 9 AM until noon on Sunday.

"Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park is excited to partner with
ARRL for a National Parks on the Air event during Dayton Hamvention 2016," said
Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park Ranger Ryan Qualls. "ARRL's
legacy of experimentation, education, and public service is in concert with the
National Park Service's mission. We hope that Hamvention attendees visit
the park during their stay in Dayton and learn how Orville and Wilbur Wright,
two bicycle mechanics from Ohio, changed the world through their experiments in
aviation."

ARRL Ohio Section Affiliated Club Coordinator John Myers, KD8MQ, is
coordinating on-site operations for the event. He is looking for volunteers on
Friday and Saturday who would be able to help visiting operators and/or explain
NPOTA and Amateur Radio to non-ham park visitors. Even an hour or two of time
as a volunteer would be helpful. Contact him to volunteer or to sign up for a
15-minute operating slot. All slots are available on a first-come, first-served
basis, and all operators are limited to one slot, to make this opportunity
available to as many visitors as possible.

"I'm really looking forward to working with the National Park Service and the
League to make this location available during Hamvention week," Myers said.

Vibroplex is donating antennas mast and hardware to the effort, and ARRL is
providing the equipment. The Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center is located at 16
South Williams Street in downtown Dayton.


ARRL DX Log Archive Invites Submissions at Dayton Hamvention(R)

The ARRL DX Log Archive has invited anyone planning to attend Dayton
Hamvention(R) to submit hard copy DX logbooks for inclusion in the archive. A
major donation from noted DXer Kan Mizoguchi, JA1BK, to the ARRL Second Century
Campaign is supporting "The DX Log Archive Endowed by JA1BK," as it's
officially known. Earnings from his generous gift funded creation and
management of the DX Log Archive, which will serve as a repository of paper DX
logs of rare and significant DXpeditions that took place prior to the advent of
computer logging, as well as of certain other DXpedition artifacts. Pre-1990
logs are the most sought after. The archive is also seeking paper logs from
stations whose operators resided in interesting and/or "rare" places, as well
as any pre-1930 logs.

"We have listed the first logs that we have in our possession," ARRL Field
Services and Radiosport Manager Dave Patton, NN1N, said. "If anyone wants to
bring old, interesting logs to Dayton, we will be happy to take them, if they
satisfy the program guidelines." Contact the program administrator with any
questions or with information about an available log -- or one known to be
available -- and the administrator will make a determination.

Logs accepted for the archive will be inventoried, preserved, stored, and made
available to confirm those long-ago contacts and for use in research projects.
The archive also welcomes DXpedition artifacts or documents, such as licenses,
landing permits, ship logs, and blank QSL cards.

A few logs are now available in the archive database.


OTH Radars, Fishery and Taxi Traffic, Buoys, and Broadcasters Continue to Mar
Ham Bands

The International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 Monitoring System (IARUMS) April
newsletter chronicles a plethora of intruding signals heard on exclusive
Amateur Radio allocations in Europe and Africa, many of these also affecting
the bands in IARU Regions 1 and 3. The most significant interfering signals
originate from over-the-horizon (OTH) radars in China and Russia and affect 40,
30, 20, and 15 meters.

The newsletter also recounts monitoring stations' reports of voice traffic on
several bands from fishing operations in various parts of the world, telemetry
from marine buoys, and persistent taxi
dispatching traffic from Russia on 10 meters. Other interference has stemmed
from broadcasters -- harmonic-challenged and otherwise -- as well as from
jamming signals attempting to prevent broadcasts from reaching their intended
audiences. Pirate (ie, unlicensed) stations have been reported on 80 meters and
elsewhere, and Russian digital military traffic has been monitored on 40 and 20
meters.

OTH radar interference prevails, however. IARUMS Region 1 Coordinator Wolf
Hadel, DK2OM, documented a Chinese OTH radar occupying considerable swaths of
spectrum on several bands.

IARU Region 1 maintains the world's most active network of volunteer intruder
monitors.


Philip J. McGan Memorial Silver Antenna Award Nominations Due by May 20

The deadline to submit nominations for the 2016 Philip J. McGan Memorial Silver
Antenna Award is Friday, May 20. Honoring the memory of Phil McGan, WA2MBQ, the
first chairman of the ARRL Public Relations Committee, the award recognizes the
promotion of Amateur Radio to the general public.

Each year, ARRL public information coordinators, public information officers,
and other public relations volunteers strive to keep Amateur Radio visible in
their communities by publicizing special events, writing media releases,
creating media for radio and television, and maintaining good relations with
local media -- among many other valuable activities.

If you know someone who has achieved public relations success on behalf of
Amateur Radio, consider nominating that individual for the McGan Award. The
award will recognize a radio amateur who has demonstrated success in Amateur
Radio public relations and who best exemplifies the volunteer spirit of Phil
McGan.

Nominees must be full ARRL members in good standing, may not be compensated for
any public relations work involving Amateur Radio, and may not be current ARRL
officers, Directors, Vice Directors, paid staff members, or members of the
selection committee. Anyone may make a nomination.

Nominations must be on an official entry form. Nominations must be received at
ARRL Headquarters by the close of business on May 20, 2016. Mail nominations
and any supporting documentation to Philip J. McGan Memorial Silver Antenna
Award, PR Department, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111.

The ARRL Public Relations Committee will review all nominations and forward its
recommendation to the Programs and Services Committee of the ARRL Board of
Directors. The Board will make a final determination at its July meeting.

For more information, contact ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Sean
Kutzko, KX9X.


ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference Issues 2016 Call for Papers

Technical Papers are being solicited for presentation at the 35th Annual
ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference (DCC), September 16-18 in St
Petersburg, Florida. Papers will also be published in the Conference
Proceedings. Authors do not need to attend the conference to have their papers
included in the Proceedings. The submission deadline is July 31, 2016.

The ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference is an international forum for
technically minded radio amateurs to meet and present new ideas and techniques.
Paper/presentation topic areas include -- but are not limited to -- software
defined radio (SDR), digital voice, digital satellite communication, digital
signal processing (DSP), HF digital modes, adapting IEEE 802.11 systems for
Amateur Radio, Global Positioning System (GPS), Automatic Position Reporting
System (APRS), Linux in Amateur Radio, AX.25 updates, and Internet operability
with Amateur Radio networks.

Submit papers via e-mail or via US mail to Maty Weinberg, KB1EIB, ARRL, 225
Main St, Newington, CT 06111. Papers will be published exactly as submitted,
and authors will retain all rights.


Former Alpha/Power President, Researcher John Brosnahan, W0UN, SK

Former Alpha/Power President and Technical Director John Brosnahan, W0UN, of
Vanderpool, Texas, died on May 4 after suffering an apparent stroke. He was 71
and an ARRL Life Member.

"John was a great family man, a first-rate contester, a DXer, builder, problem
solver, businessman, and a help to all who knew him," said Alan Applegate,
K0BG, his friend of many years. "He was also one of the most personable people
I have ever known."

An active contester, Brosnahan was a contributor to National Contest Journal
(NCJ) and to the ARRL Contest Update, as well as to various technical forums.
He stepped down from Alpha/Power in 2000 citing a combination of health issues
and family obligations.

Brosnahan, who relocated from Colorado to Texas about 10 years ago, was a
research physicist and developer of atmospheric remote-sensing tools for
clients such as the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA). Applegate said Brosnahan did a lot of the equipment design and
installation for the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP)
ionospheric research facility in Alaska.

Brosnahan founded Signal Hill Research, Tycho Technologies, and LaSalle
Research. He contributed technical papers to such journals as Radio Science.



In Brief...

Digital Storage Oscilloscopes for Ham Radio Now Available as E-Book: The ARRL's
newest e-book is Digital Storage Oscilloscopes for Ham Radio, by Eric Nichols,
KL7AJ. This rapidly developing instrument is finding its way into the Amateur
Radio station in many useful and interesting ways. "Recent developments in
technology have brought the price of this marvelous class of instruments into
the range of every radio amateur's budget," Nichols said. "A limitless variety
of routine and exotic tasks in the ham shack can be performed with the aid of
the DSO." Digital Storage Oscilloscopes for Ham Radio is an introduction to the
capabilities of the DSO. It will help guide you as you consider making your
first purchase, which as we will demonstrate, will probably not be your last.
To order, download the e-book in the Kindle format from Amazon.


VOA Museum to Host Hamvention Amateur Radio Reception: The National Voice of
America Museum of Broadcasting, located at the former VOA Bethany, Ohio, Relay
Station, will host a reception for radio
amateurs on Saturday, May 21, 6:30-9 PM, for Dayton Hamvention(R) attendees.
The museum will be open for tours, and West Chester Amateur Radio Club station
WC8VOA -- located in the original VOA control room -- will be available for
operation. The museum displays a collection of R.L. Drake equipment as well as
the Collins 821A 250 kW shortwave transmitter that was used at the site.
Admission is $5. Refreshments will be offered. The museum is located south of
Dayton off I-75. Exit at Tylersville Road, and turn left at the top of the
ramp. The museum is about 1 mile east on the left (north) side of Tylersville
Road. -- Thanks to Jay Adrick, K8CJY, via QRZ.com


Classic Radio Buff John Dilks, K2TQN, to offer "Old Transmissions and Voices of
the Past" at Hamvention: Antique radio aficionado John Dilks, K2TQN, who edited
"Vintage Radio" in QST for 15 years, will moderate a forum, "Old Transmissions
and Voices of the Past" at Hamvention(R) on Friday, May 20, 2:30-3:30, in Room
5. His presentation will include photos, graphics, and the actual voices of
several wireless pioneers relating their personal accounts, including Guglielmo
Marconi, Lee de Forest, Hugo Gernsback, Major Edwin Armstrong, and Clarence
Tuska, who will describe the start of QST in 1915.


Armed Forces Day Military/Amateur Radio Cross-Band Communications Test is May
14: The US Army, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard will cosponsor the Armed
Forces Day Military/Amateur Radio Cross-Band Communications Test on Saturday,
May 14, 2016. The event gets under way at 1200 UTC, with activity continuing
throughout the day. Some military stations may not operate for the entire
period. Read more.


Getting It Right!

The article "Carole Perry, WB2MGP, to Moderate Hamvention(R) Forums" in the May
5 edition of The ARRL Letter incorrectly indicated that ARRL is the sponsor of
the Hamvention Instructors' Forum on Friday, May 20. The ARRL was among the
many Amateur Radio businesses and organizations contributing prizes for the
forum, but is not a sponsor.


The K7RA Solar Update

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: A whopper of a geomagnetic storm occurred on
Mother's Day, May 8, when the planetary A index reached 70. In Alaska, the
college A index was 117. Aurora was visible in North America well south of the
northern tier of states.

The latest prediction has planetary A index at 8 on May 12; 5 on May 13-14; 8,
14, 10, 6, 12, 15, and 12 on May 15-21; 5 on May 22-23; 10 on May 24; 5 on May
25-27; 10, 25, and 10 on May 28-30; 5 on May 31-June 1; 12 on June 2-3; 30, 32,
25, 15, and 8 on June 4-8, and 5 on June 9-10. The planetary A index then rises
to 25 on June 25.

Predicted solar flux is 97 on May 12; 100 on May 13-14; 102, 105, 99, 93, and
85 on May 15-19; 82 on May 20-22; 85 on May 23-25; 90 on May 26-30; 88 on May
31-June 2; 85 on June 3-6; 90 on June 7-9; 95 on June 10-11; 90 and 85 on June
12-13; 82 on June 14-18, and 85 on June 19.

Average daily sunspot number dropped 15.6 points to 59.1 over the past week,
and average daily solar flux declined 3.1 points to 88.8. Average daily
planetary A index over the same period doubled from 11.3 to 22.6, and average
daily mid-latitude A index rose 3.9 points to 14.6.

Sunspot numbers for May 5 through May 11 were 55, 56, 51, 42, 68, 70, and 72,
with a mean of 59.1. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 87.1, 89.6, 88, 85.6, 88.5,
88.7, and 93.9, with a mean of 88.8. Estimated planetary A indices were 8, 15,
10, 70, 33, 16, and 6, with a mean of 22.6. Estimated mid-latitude A indices
were 7, 12, 9, 32, 21, 15, and 6, with a mean of 14.6.

In Friday's bulletin look for an updated forecast as well as comments and
questions from readers, plus a review of our moving average of sunspot numbers.

Send me your reports and observations.

____________________________________________________________________________


Just Ahead in Radiosport

 *  May 12 -- NAQCC CW Sprint
 *  May 14 -- FISTS Spring Unlimited Sprint (CW)
 *  May 14-15 -- HPC World Wide DX Contest (Digital)
 *  May 14-15 -- CQ-M International DX Contest (CW, phone)
 *  May 14-15 -- VOLTA WW RTTY Contest
 *  May 14-15 -- Arkansas QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
 *  May 14-15 -- MARAC USA QSO Party (CW)
 *  May 14 -15 -- Portuguese Navy Day Contest (CW, phone)
 *  May 14-15 -- 50 MHz Spring Sprint (CW, phone, digital)
 *  May 15 -- WAB 7 MHz Phone
 *  May 15 -- UA2 QSO Party (CW, phone)
 *  May 16 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW)
 *  May 19 -- RSGB 80 Meter Club Championship (CW)

____________________________________________________________________________


Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions

 *  May 13-15 -- Rocky Mountain Division Convention, Keystone, Colorado
 *  May 14 -- Iowa State Convention, Boone, Iowa
 *  May 20-22 -- Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, Ohio
 *  June 3-5 -- Northwestern Division Convention, Seaside, Oregon
 *  June 4 -- Georgia Section Convention, Marietta, Georgia
 *  June 5 -- Western Pennsylvania Section Convention, Prospect,
    Pennsylvania
 *  June 10-11 -- West Gulf Division Convention, Irving, Texas
 *  June 18 -- Tennessee State Convention, Knoxville, Tennessee
 *  July 2 -- Eastern Pennsylvania Section Convention, Harrisburg,
    Pennsylvania
 *  July 8-9 -- Northern Florida Section Convention, Milton, Florida
 *  July 8-9 -- Utah State Convention, Sandy, Utah
 *  July 22-23 -- Oklahoma Section Convention, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
 *  July 29-31 -- Central States VHF Conference, Rochester, Minnesota

Find conventions and hamfests in your area.

____________________________________________________________________________


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