 May 31, 2012 John E. Ross, KD8IDJ, Editor
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There will be no ARRL Audio News on Thursday, May 31. The Audio News will return on Thursday, June 7. FCC News: FCC Expands Part 95 MedRadio Rules to Allow Devices in 2360-2400 MHz Band
In a First Report and Order and a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ET 08-59) released on May 24, the FCC decided to expand the Part 95 Personal Radio Service rules to allow medical devices to operate on a secondary basis in the 2360-2400 MHz band. These devices -- called Medical Body Area Networks (MBAN) -- provide a way for health care facilities to monitor their patients via wireless networks. Because use of these frequencies will be on a secondary basis, MBAN stations will not be allowed to cause interference to -- and must accept interference from -- primary services, including radio amateurs who operate on a primary basis in the 2390-2395 MHz and 2395-2400 MHz bands. Read more here. MARS: House Armed Services Committee "Urges" MARS Coordination
On May 18, the US House of Representatives approved HR 4310, The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013. This bill authorizes appropriations for military activities and prescribes military personnel strengths for Fiscal Year 2013. When the House Armed Services Committee sent the bill to the House, it included language in support of the Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) and called for the three MARS branches -- Army, Air Force and Navy/Marine Corps -- to be brought under one umbrella. Read more here. On the Air: Have Some Fun in the 2012 ARRL June VHF QSO Party
There will be lots of RF generated on 6 meters and up the weekend of June 9-11 during the 2012 ARRL June VHF QSO Party. While many amateurs think of the VHF+ bands as a "local" band for public service, emergency communications or even a bit of fun on FM repeaters, weak-signal VHF+ enthusiasts know better. Even with a modest station, it's possible to work hundreds -- or even thousands -- of miles on the VHF bands during a good opening. ARRL Contest Branch Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X, is a big VHF enthusiast. "In more than 25 years of Amateur Radio, weak-signal work on 6 and 2 meters remains the most fun and intriguing activity I do," he said. "There is nothing like a good VHF opening -- with interesting propagation characteristics like Sporadic-E, tropospheric ducting, aurora and even meteor scatter and moonbounce -- VHF offers QSO opportunities that HF can never satisfy." Read more here. Amateur Radio Fun: Announcing the Winners of the 2012 QST Video Contest The votes have been tallied for the 2012 QST video contest and the winners chosen!
You can watch the winning videos in the digital edition of the July issue of QST when it becomes available in a few weeks. If you can't wait, enjoy the videos right now on the web. Solar Update
Tad "All spheres, grown, ungrown, small, large, Suns, moons, planets" Cook, K7RA, reports: The average daily sunspot numbers sank more than 28 points this week (nearly 26 percent) to 81.9, while the average daily solar flux declined more than 16 points to 111.6. No new sunspots appeared since May 25. The short term outlook is for lower solar activity, with the solar flux peaking around 120 on June 5-15 and July 1-12. The latest prediction has solar flux at 110 on May 31-June 2, 115 on June 3-4, 120 on June 5-15, then 115 on June 16-18, 110 on June 19-26 and 105 on June 27-28. The predicted planetary A index is 5 on May 31-June 2, then 10, 15, 18, 15 and 8 on June 3-7, 5 on June 8-11, 8 on June 12-13, 5 on June 14-17, and 15, 12 and 8 on June 18-20, and then back down to 5 on June 21-25. Look for more on the ARRL website on Friday, June 1. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information Service Propagation page. This week's "Tad Cookism" is brought to you by Ralph Vaughan Williams' A Sea Symphony (II On the Beach at Night Alone), taken from Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass (Book XIX, verse 8). This Week in Radiosport This week:
Next week:
All dates, unless otherwise stated, are UTC. See the ARRL Contest Branch page, the ARRL Contest Update and the WA7BNM Contest Calendar for more information. Looking for a Special Event station? Be sure to check out the ARRL Special Event Stations web page. Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events
To find a convention or hamfest near you, click here. ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for Amateur Radio News and Information Join or Renew Today! ARRL membership includes QST, Amateur Radio's most popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox each month. Subscribe to NCJ -- the National Contest Journal. Published bi-monthly, features articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO Parties. Subscribe to QEX -- A Forum for Communications Experimenters. Published bi-monthly, features technical articles, construction projects, columns and other items of interest to radio amateurs and communications professionals. Free of charge to ARRL members: Subscribe to the ARES E-Letter (monthly public service and emergency communications news), the ARRL Contest Update (bi-weekly contest newsletter), Division and Section news alerts -- and much more! Find us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. ARRL offers a wide array of products to enhance your enjoyment of Amateur Radio Donate to the fund of your choice -- support programs not funded by member dues! Click here to advertise in this newsletter. | ||||||
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