Volume 16, Number 44 (November 7, 1997)

ARRL Audio News from this edition is available at http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/ for two weeks after publication.

Address Changes: Kathy Capodicasa, N1GZO, e-mail kcapodicasa@arrl.org.

Editorial: Rick Lindquist, N1RL, e-mail elindquist@arrl.org.

IN THIS EDITION:

LITTLE LEOS NOT FARING WELL AT WRC-97

WRC-97 is nearing its halfway point with some issues moving toward settlement and others still very contentious. Here's a look at the issues important to Amateur Radio:

Little LEO (non-voice, non-geostationary mobile satellite) interests have had a difficult time at WRC-97. While nothing is firm, the conference appears to be moving toward agreement that the segments 146 to 148, 170 to 230, and 406.1 to 430 MHz are not open for consideration for Little LEO allocations at this time. There has been little support outside Region 2 for any new Little LEO allocations. Most of the Little LEOs' interest has focused on 401 to 406 and 450 to 470 MHz, with some possibility of future studies of possible compatibility with broadcasting at 470 to 862 MHz.

Thursday night, a compromise proposal from The Netherlands for a secondary allocation at 432 to 438 MHz for the Earth Exploration Satellite Service failed to gain sufficient support for adoption. Instead, it appears that a resolution will be proposed calling on the ITU-R to conduct urgent studies of the best band for such a satellite to operate in. For the satellite to perform its intended function of studying the rain forest, the frequency chosen must be in the general vicinity of 400 to 500 MHz. This makes the selection of an operating frequency that will not interfere with other services very difficult, because this spectrum is heavily used by a variety of services all over the world.

Earlier, it was agreed that the Earth Exploration Satellite Service would be upgraded at 1215 to 1300 MHz from a secondary to a primary allocation. At this order of frequency, the service has less potential for interference to the Amateur Service, and its presence reduces the possibility that other, less-compatible services might later be introduced into this band.

Wind profiler radar issues appear to be close to resolution, with amateur satellite segments protected from being mentioned as appropriate for wind profiler operations. What has been agreed at working group level is that--except for a worldwide primary allocation at 1270 to 1295 MHz--the only specific allocations for wind profiler radars are in Region 1, and those are on a secondary basis. For Region 2 amateurs the significant points are that administrations are urged to implement wind profilers in radiolocation bands at 440 to 450 MHz, 904 to 928 in Region 2 only (protecting the lower, weak-signal segment), 1270 to 1295 MHz (protecting amateur satellite and weak-signal), and 1300 to 1375 MHz. The bands 420 to 435 MHz or 438 to 440 MHz "could be considered for use . . .in case compatibility between wind profiler radars and other radio applications operating in the band 440-450 MHz or 470-494 MHz (only in some Region 1 countries) cannot be achieved." The amateur-satellite segment is protected.

Another amateur delegate on a national delegation has arrived. Oyekunle B. Ajayi, 5N0OBA, of the Nigerian Amateur Radio Society is on the Nigerian delegation and is taking an active part in the conference. The IARU reception was held Thursday night and was quite successful, attracting among, others ITU Secretary-General Tarjanne.

4U1ITU has been active using the special call sign 4U1WRC. Even 10 meters has been open to the US. Unfortunately, with meetings lasting well into the night, the many delegates who hold amateur licenses have little time to operate.

FCC SETS RF SAFETY EVALUATION THRESHOLD FOR REPEATERS

The FCC has released an erratum to its RF safety rules that sets 500 W ERP (effective radiated power) as the limit for most amateur repeaters before a routine RF safety evaluation would be required. This applies to repeater systems on all bands.

A routine RF safety evaluation would be required for all repeater systems with more than 500 W ERP and having either (1) a building-mounted antenna or (2) a non-building-mounted antenna with a height of less than 10 meters (approximately 33 feet) above ground level to lowest point of the antenna.

It's fairly simple to calculate ERP. Take the PEP input to the antenna and multiply it by the numerical equivalent of the antenna gain in dBd (dB relative to a halfwave dipole in free space). Gain relative to an isotropic radiator (a point source), dBi, can be converted to dBd by subtracting 2.15 dB from the dBi number. For example, say your repeater puts out 100 W and has 3 dB of feedline loss. Calculate: 100 × 0.5 = 50 W to the antenna. The antenna has 8.8 dBd of gain, or 7.59 as a decimal. So the ERP is 50 × 7.59 = 379.5 W.

For details, see "Second Erratum" (October 22, 1997) at http://www.fcc.gov/oet/dockets/et93-62/.

WORKING MODEL SPUTNIK IS ON THE AIR!

Sputnik 1 on RealAudio

A RealAudio clip of Sputnik 1 transmitting a beacon signal. Thanks to Mario Cajar, N1NYJ for the recording. RealNetworks RealPlayer and a 28.8kbit/s connection are needed to hear the beacon signal.

Reports from several places indicate the working model Sputnik PS2 satellite launched Monday, November 3, from the Russian Mir space station is beeping away on 145.82 MHz. The one-third scale Sputnik model was built by students in Russia and France to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the original Sputnik 1 satellite. Sputnik 1, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, was the first artificial Earth satellite. The original Sputnik 1 transmitted a beacon on approximately 20 MHz.

The Sputnik model was launched by hand from Mir during a space walk by Cosmonauts Pavel Vinogradov and Anatoly Solovyev, who turned on the transmitter and checked out reception aboard Mir before launch with help from US astronaut David Wolf, KC5VPF. The beacon is audible in either FM or SSB mode. The beacon transmitter runs approximately 250 mW. The 500 mm antennas are circularly polarized.

Among those reporting reception of the beacon was Ralph Wallio, W0RPK, near Des Moines, Iowa. He reports monitoring the Sputnik PS2 on November 3 from 1228 to 1238 UTC. He says the frequency was approximately 145.827 MHz at acquisition of signal (AOS) to 145.819 at loss of signal.

Mario Cajar, N1NYJ, of New Britain, Connecticut, also heard the Sputnik on November 4 at approximately 145.82 MHz. Both he and Wallio indicated that the Sputnik is following approximately the same orbit as Mir. Cajar reports he heard the beacon signal very well during a seven-minute pass using a 2-meter hand-held transceiver and a scanner antenna.

Ray Soifer, W2RS, in Glen Rock, New Jersey, said he heard the Sputnik model "loud and clear" on November 3. "It was 20 dB over S9 on my main station receiver, but also full quieting at times on a hand-held with a rubber duck," he said in an Internet posting to the SAREX group. "Congratulations to one and all."

Bob Gonsett, W6VR, reports hearing the mini-Sputnik from his QTH near San Diego on November 4. He reports a "fairly weak signal" on the near-horizon pass and "no QRM of any kind on 145.82 MHz during several hours of monitoring."

Trevor Smith in Melbourne, Australia, also heard the mini-Sputnik this week with a good signal.

On Reunion Island, a great cheer went up as hams, students, and teachers gathered to listen to the Sputnik model as it passed overhead on its initial orbit and heard the beacon signal from space for the first time. Students from the FR5KJ radio club at Jules Reydellet College in St Denis, Reunion Island, and at the Polytechnic Laboratory of Nalchik Kabardine in Russia cooperated in building the mini-Sputnik. The Russian students built the satellite body, while the French students fabricated the transmitter inside. Two working models of the Sputnik were assembled and transported to Mir, but only one was launched.

Reception reports go to FR5KJ, the club station at College Reydellet, 103 rue de la Republique, 97489 Saint Denis Cedex, Reunion Island. Miles Mann, WF1F, says reception reports also may be sent to Sergei Sambourov, PO Box 73, Kaliningrad-10 City, Moscow Area, 14070, Russia. Include an SASE and one IRC for a certificate.

Gerard Auvray, F6FAO, requests that those receiving the mini-Sputnik not forward .wav files as the project team has no time to analyze them. He requests reports include date, UTC and local time, frequency, and, optionally, the temperature (as determined from the conversion table--see below).

The frequency of the beacon indicates the satellite's internal temperature. The scale runs from 1361 Hz at 50 degrees C to 541 Hz at -40 degrees C. Auvray says the temperature has been relatively stable at between 27 and 32 degrees C for the past few days. Here's the scale:

Degs (C)Freq (Hz)
501361
301290
251261
101208
01131
-101040
-20891
-30724
-40541

FCC INITIATES UNIVERSAL LICENSING SYSTEM

As a first step in implementing its new Universal Licensing System (ULS), the FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau is attempting to "populate" the ULS by getting licensees to register. Ultimately, the ULS will give hams and other licensees on-line access to make license updates and renewals, eliminating the need for hardcopy forms like the venerable Form 610. An FCC Public Notice this week said the ULS is aimed at combining the 11 different licensing systems the Bureau now uses--including Amateur Radio--into a single system.

ULS registration requires supplying a Taxpayer Identification Number (for individuals, this is typically your Social Security Number) and "associated call signs." These could include your individual call sign plus any club station call signs for which you are the trustee.

The Public Notice said that in conjunction with the ULS, the FCC "must collect TIN information to correlate its licensees with any outstanding Federal debt that they might have incurred in other dealings with the Federal Government." All vanity call sign applicants must now supply a TIN as part of Form 159.

On-line registration via the Internet is available. In addition to providing basic name and address information, registration requires you to establish a password that you must use along with your TIN to re-enter the system to make future changes. The ULS also lets you check the status of a pending application. A spokesperson in the FCC's Technical Support Group said the FCC will verify all data supplied at the time of registration to ensure that it is valid before the data are entered into the FCC licensee database.

Using the TIN and the associated call sign(s), the ULS assigns a unique sequential number to each licensee. The WTB says that once it has registration information and has implemented the ULS, it will streamline and simplify the FCC's ability to handle future administrative changes (name and address changes, for example).

Licensees are invited to register electronically at http://www.fcc.gov/wtb/uls. Select ULS Registration. Licensees without access to the Internet may file a TIN registration form, FCC Form 60, from the FCC's fax-on-demand service at 202-418-0177 or by calling the FCC Forms Distribution Center, 800-418-3676. --FCC

ARIANE 502 NOT A TOTAL SUCCESS

While the European Space Agency's "new-generation" Ariane 5 rocket launch launched successfully October 30, the mission was not the unqualified success early reports had suggested. Subsequent flight analysis indicates the Ariane 5's second-stage engine may have shut down early, causing the payloads to go into lower than expected orbits. The Amateur Radio Phase 3D satellite had been on the Ariane 502 manifest until August, when it became clear that Phase 3D would not be able to meet new flight vibration and stress requirements in time.

The payloads aboard the Ariane 502 consisted of a pair of instrumented masses designed to simulate large communication satellites, plus the Teamsat technology satellite. Data collected during the flight indicate that the liquid-fueled core vehicle of the Ariane 5 rocket rolled in flight causing its main engine to shut down 10 to 20 seconds too soon. This meant that the upper stage booster and attached payloads did not attain the velocity they needed and went into a lower orbit than expected.

ESA officials are being quoted as saying that if actual communications satellites had been aboard, they might have been able to compensate for the lower orbit insertion by using onboard propulsion systems. However, this also could reduce the satellite's overall useful life.

It is unclear what effect, if any, the lower orbit will have on Teamsat--or might have had for Phase 3D.

In addition, ESA said that the liquid-fuel core vehicle fell to Earth 5000 miles from its projected impact site in the Pacific Ocean. As a result, aircraft scheduled to witness the reentry didn't reach the area in time.

AMSAT-DL (Germany) President and Phase 3D Project Leader Karl Meinzer, DJ4ZC, expressed confidence that the cause of this problem will be corrected prior to the Ariane 503 test flight.

Ariane 502 was the second Ariane 5 test flight after the failure of the maiden flight in June of 1996. The third qualification flight is set for next spring. --AMSAT News Service

NEW FCC CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS CONFIRMED

William Kennard is the new chairman of the FCC. Kennard, formerly the FCC's General Counsel, won confirmation October 28 on a 99-1 Senate vote. The vote followed expressions of dissatisfaction from several senators with the way the FCC has been implementing the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Kennard this week named John Nakahata as his chief of staff.

Confirmed on voice votes were FCC nominees Harold Furchtgott-Roth, Michael Powell, and Gloria Tristani.

Outgoing FCC Chairman Reed Hundt this week congratulated the four newly confirmed commissioners. All four new FCC members were scheduled to be sworn in November 3. Commissioner Susan Ness is the lone holdover from the Hundt FCC.

FCC SEQUENTIAL CALL SIGN UPDATE

The following is a list of FCC sequentially assigned call signs issued as of November 3, 1997. Note that the last available Group C (1x3) call sign, N3ZZZ, has been issued in District 3. Group D (2x3) call signs now will be issued to Tech Plus, Technician, General, and Novice licensees in District 3. The FCC has almost exhausted its supply of Group C call signs in District 1.

DistrictGroup A ExtraGroup B AdvancedGroup C Tech/GenGroup D Novice
0AB0GPKI0KL++KC0CDV
1AA1SWKE1ISN1ZUQKB1CFM
2AB2ELKG2MZ++KC2COJ
3AA3QKKF3ANN3ZZZKB3BVZ
4AF4GGKU4LU++KF4UNL
5AC5ODKM5MS++KD5COB
6AD6DQKQ6SX++KF6OFV
7AB7WTKK7KJ++KC7ZNS
8AB8BLKI8EH++KC8ISH
9AA9VCKG9LT++KB9RPV
N Mariana IslandNH0BAH0AYKH0GTWH0ABI
Guam++AH2DFKH2SQWH2ANV
HawaiiKH7JAH6PDKH7GZWH6DEJ
American SamoaAH8PAH8AHKH8DLWH8ABF
AlaskaAL0HAL7QVKL0KRWL7CUN
Virgin Islands++KP2CMNP2JVWP2AIJ
Puerto RicoNP3QKP3BCNP3RKWP4NNM

++ All call signs in this group have been issued in this district.

SOLAR UPDATE: A STRONG UPWARD TREND; MAJOR FLARES

Solar oracle Tad Cook, K7VVV, Seattle, Washington, reports: Solar Cycle 23 showed renewed activity this week, as solar flux values went well over 100. Average solar flux for the week was up about 19 points, and average daily sunspot numbers were up about 36 points. The average solar flux for the previous 90 days went up two points from 87 to 89 over the week, and daily values were above this average on every day, indicating a strong upward trend. Flux values are measured three times per day at an observatory in Penticton, British Columbia. The one reported here is the noon measurement at 2000 UTC, but the highest flux measured for the week was actually 120.6 at 2200 UTC on November 4.

As solar activity was rising, geomagnetic conditions were very quiet, especially on November 2 and 3, when K indices were at one or zero most of the time. This meant that absorption of radio waves in the upper latitudes and over polar paths was minimized, and conditions on higher HF bands improved. These conditions did not last, and as this bulletin is being written on Thursday evening, the K index is six, and a major geomagnetic storm is raging. This is from a major flare that burst from the solar surface at 0558 UTC on Tuesday. Protons from this flare are slow moving, so it takes a couple of days to affect Earth. There was another major flare on Thursday morning at 1155 UTC, so poor conditions may continue, although at this point it is uncertain if the new flare will hit Earth directly with protons or not.

In last week's bulletin, it was mentioned that active geomagnetic conditions created havoc in the recent CQ Worldwide DX Contest. Actually that was mostly true from a West Coast contester's perspective, since contest stations in that region use a polar path to reach Europe. The East Coast was not affected nearly as much, since that path to Europe is further to the east. It is mainly high latitude paths which are bothered during periods of geomagnetic activity.

For the short term, expect poor conditions until effects from these solar flares pass. If we are not affected by the latter flare, conditions may be back to normal by the middle of next week. Solar flux is expected to drop below 100 by November 11, below 90 two days later, and to the mid-80s after the middle of the month. It should rise above 90 again around November 23, and above right after Thanksgiving. Periods of unsettled to active geomagnetic conditions are forecast around November 20-23, a recurrence of the conditions during the recent DX contest.

For updates on the storm, check WWV at 18 minutes after the hour, or call 303-497-3235. Conditions should be back toward normal when the K index is three or less, although the ionosphere may take some time to recover. Some good sites on the web to check for alerts and information are Cary Oler's Solar Terrestrial Dispatch page at http://holly.cc.uleth.ca/solar/ or NOAA's Space Environment Center at http://solar.sec.noaa.gov.

Sunspot numbers for October 30 through November 5 were 51, 55, 62, 74, 66, 68 and 51 with a mean of 61. The 10.7 cm flux was 88.2, 90.5, 93, 97.8, 109.8, 117.9 and 113.8, with a mean of 101.6, and estimated planetary A indices were 10, 4, 8, 3, 3, 9, and 9, with a mean of 6.6.

FORMER EPA SCM WILLIAM G. "GERRY" MATHIS, W3GM, SK

Former Eastern Pennsylvania Section Communications Manager Gerry Mathis, W3GM, of Pennsburg, Pennsylvania, has died. He was 86. Atlantic Division Director Kay Craigie, WT3P, reports Mathis passed away in late October. As W3BES, the call sign he earned in 1930, Mathis was ARRL SCM for Eastern Pennsylvania from the late 1930s until 1951.

When the Ohio River flooded in 1937 and a detachment of Philadelphia police was sent to Louisville to help, W3BES acted as a relay station to keep Philadelphia in touch with Louisville. Some of his transmissions were broadcast over local radio station WFIL to keep the public informed about the disaster.

Mathis' professional life also revolved around electronics and radio. He was employed by a number of different radio-related companies. Many hams remember him from Consolidated Radio, where he built custom transmitters for various prominent Amateurs.

During World War II, he was active in the War Emergency Radio Services (WERS) and then went to the First Fighter Command to organize the air-to-ground communication.

He was a member of the Frankford Radio Club and constructed a multi-multi contest station where he trained many club members in the art of contesting. He also was a long-time ARRL member.

Upon hearing of Mathis' passing, Dave Pascoe, KM3T, said, "Gerry was a real gentleman and spent so many hours bringing new contesters into the hobby. His knowledge of radio and knack for "getting things working" were amazing. He was a true giver to the Amateur Radio community."

In 1991, the ARRL Atlantic Division honored Gerry Mathis with the Grand Ole Ham award. This award recognizes outstanding hams for a lifetime of service to others. --thanks to Kay Craigie, WT3P

IN BRIEF:

  • This weekend on the radio: The Worked All Europe Contest (RTTY) tops the list of operating events. Also on tap: The Japan International DX Contest (SSB), the OK/OM DX Contest, and the Peace Country Amateur Radio Club ARS Contest (CW).

  • ARRL/VEC test fee to rise: The ARRL/VEC test fee will be $6.35 in 1998--up from $6.25 in 1997. The announcement follows this week's FCC Public Notice announcing a 2.2% increase in the maximum fee reimbursement, to $6.39. Volunteer Examiners (VEs) and Volunteer Examiner coordinators (VECs) may charge examinees for out-of-pocket expenses incurred in preparing, processing, administering, or coordinating examinations for amateur operator licenses. The amount of any such reimbursement fee from any one examinee for any one examination session, regardless of the number of elements administered, must not exceed the maximum allowable fee. --Bart Jahnke, W9JJ/FCC

  • Vanity update: The FCC in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, reports it received 598 vanity call sign applications during the month of October, 435 electronic and 163 paper.

  • Radioville on the Radio: The Porter County Amateur Radio Club in Valparaiso, Indiana, generated some publicity for the hobby October 4 during its third annual special event operation from Radioville, a small town in Northwest Indiana. The club set up K9PC in an open field across the street from a busy state park and had two stations operating for about five hours. "We set up in a small, open field, next to a small restaurant that serves 'RF burgers' in our honor that day," the club says on its Web site. Several newspapers turned out to chronicle the event. A local TV station later presented a show on Amateur Radio and incorporated the footage into the show. The annual event was begun by club member August Flassig, W9HXO, and has grown each year. This year, K9PC offers a certificate to all stations that send in a QSL and a sase. QSL to PCARC, PO Box 1782, Valparaiso, IN. 46384. The club will send you a full-color certificate. For more information and some photos, see http://ww2.netnitco.net/users/w9dn. --Dave Nicolaus, W9DN

  • Ham hurt in hamfest explosion: Jose Martinez, WA4VUZ, of Pembroke, Florida, was seriously injured when his motor home exploded during the Palm Beach County Hamfest the weekend of October 18-19 in West Palm Beach. According to a report in the October 20 edition of the Sun Sentinel newspaper, the explosion was caused by a leaky propane gas tank. "Known for their prowess in helping victims of hurricanes and other natural disasters that destroy routine communications, Martinez's fellow radio enthusiasts rushed to confront a major emergency of their own," the report by staff writer Tim Collie said. Martinez reportedly suffered burns. He was helicoptered to a hospital in the wake of the early-morning blast and was reported in satisfactory condition. Another man also was injured. The newspaper said that hams at the gathering took up a collection for Martinez, a regular at the Palm Beach County Hamfest. --thanks to Mort Eisenberg, K3DG

  • Greenland on the air: From November 3 until December 1, OZ8AE will be QRV on CW from Groennedal in the Southwestern part of Greenland operating as OX/OZ8AE. QSL direct or via the bureau. OZ8AE will join OX3FV during the CQ WW CW Contest. --OZ8AE

  • RSGB VHF/UHF Handbook available: The RSGB's VHF/UHF Handbook, edited by Dick Biddulph, G8DPS, now is available from the ARRL. This 317-page book is the successor to the VHF/UHF Manual. It covers a broad array of topics for beginners and experts alike and includes information on specialized modes such as data and TV. The VHF/UHF Handbook is ARRL Order No. 6559. It's $35 plus $6 for UPS shipping. Call toll free, 888-277-5289, or visit the ARRLWeb site at http://www.arrl.org/catalog.--RSGB

  • Lewis and Clark and CW: Missy Hollenbeck, AA0OF, writes HQ to share some good news. "PBS contacted me to write for their project, Lewis and Clark: A Journey of the Corps of Discovery. They needed a teacher who could write language arts lessons plans that could be downloaded off the PBS online Web site following the Lewis and Clark special" that aired on PBS November 4 and 5. She says her job was to incorporate "as much technology as possible" into the lessons, and, naturally, she included ham radio. One activity is "If Lewis and Clark had only known Morse Code." The material includes links ARRL for more information regarding amateur radio activities in the classroom. The lessons can be found at http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/class/idx_les.html

  • Pacific Division 1997 Hams of the Year: Doug Hendricks, KI6DS, and Jim Cates, WA6GER, were named Pacific Division Hams of the Year for 1997 at Pacificon '97. Jim and Doug are the cofounders of the Northern California QRP Club (NorCal). Both thought that the club would attract only a handful of radio amateurs in the Northern California area when they formed it in 1993. Due to their leadership and team efforts the NorCal club now has more than 2500 members in all 50 states and some 60 countries and continues to grow. Congratulations, Doug and Jim! --ARRL Pacific Division Update

  • I wanna be elected! Jeff Reinhardt, AA6JR, PIC Santa Barbara Section and member of the League's national Public Relations Committee was elected to the Agoura Hills, California, City Council in the general election held on November 4. Fred Fowler, KE6EPM, won election to a seat on the Sunnyvale, California, City Council. Congratulations, Jeff and Fred (and any other hams who were successful at attaining elective office this past week)!

The ARRL Letter

The ARRL Letter is published by the American Radio Relay League, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259. Rodney J. Stafford, KB6ZV, President; David Sumner, K1ZZ, Executive Vice President.

Circulation, Kathy Capodicasa, N1GZO, e-mail kcapodicasa@arrl.org.

Editorial, Rick Lindquist, N1RL, e-mail elindquist@arrl.org.

Visit the ARRLWeb page at http://www.arrl.org.

The purpose of The ARRL Letter is to provide the essential news of interest to active, organizationally minded radio amateurs faster than it can be disseminated by our official journal, QST. We strive to be fast, accurate and readable in our reporting.

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How to Get The ARRL Letter:

The ARRL Letter is distributed directly from ARRL HQ only to elected League officials and certain ARRL appointees and to paid subscribers of the now-defunct hard-copy edition of The ARRL Letter . For members and nonmembers alike, The ARRL Letter is available free of charge from these sources:

  • The ARRLWeb page (http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/). This version of The ARRL Letter includes any photographs.

  • The HIRAM BBS: 860-594-0306.

  • The ARRL Technical Information Server (Info Server): Send an e-mail message to info@arrl.org. The subject line should be blank. In the message body, type send ltrmmdd.txt, where mm represents two digits for the month and dd represents two digits for the day (The ARRL Letter is published every Friday). For example, to request The ARRL Letter file for Friday, January 3, 1997, you'd type send ltr0103.txt. Then, on a separate line, type quit.

  • CompuServe and America Online subscribers, as a downloadable text file in the services' ham radio libraries

  • The Netcom server, run by the Boston Amateur Radio Club and Mike Ardai, N1IST: Send e-mail to listserv@netcom.com (no subject needed). The body of the message should say subscribe letter-list.