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.

• WRC-97 concludes Week 3
• Hams pitch in during snow emergency
• Radio Coaches -- a new twist on Elmering
• Hamvention inks hara deal through 2003
• AT&T funds Kentucky repeaters
• Alabama hams get ham radio antenna exclusion
• Solar update
• Bruce L. Kelley, W2ICE, SK
• Mae Burke, W3CUL, SK
• In Brief: This weekend on the radio; Sputnik PS2 QSL information; Ooops! Correction; Vanity update; Amateur Radio calendars available from ARRL! Bogus bulbs? Microwave Update 97

The third week of the four-week 1997 World Radiocommunication Conference in Geneva drew to a close with no unpleasant surprises for Amateur Radio. The Allocations Committee, Committee 5, has not yet completed its work on matters relating to "Little LEOs" as advocates of the service continue to look for support, but the focus of discussion is not on the amateur bands.

Next week, the committees must finish their work early so that their recommendations can be taken up in plenary meetings. Conference decisions are firm only after second reading in plenary. Delegates will be spending long hours examining long documents in great detail to make sure nothing slips by unnoticed.

4U1WRC has been more active this past week. Amateurs interested in WRC-97 may wish to visit the Web site maintained by the International Amateur Radio Club at http://www.itu/int/radioclub/. From there, links will take you to more information on 4U1WRC, 4U1ITU, and WRC-97.

Late October brought unseasonably early and extremely heavy snowfall to the Rocky Mountain states and the Great Plains. Hams volunteered to help, providing emergency communications and other logistical support as residents in some cases found themselves without power, telephone service, or transportation.

Mike Proctor, KB0IAP, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, reports that the Pikes Peak District 14 ARES (PPARES) actually began its activities by tracking the storm before it arrived, then ramped up its activities accordingly as the weather situation went from bad to worse. After the National Weather Service issued the blizzard warning, PPARES used its severe weather page over the 146.97 repeater for the first time.

PPARES was called in to support the Colorado Springs Police Operations Center to help with staffing and transportation. As the storm became too much even for many 4x4 vehicles, the US Army sent in Humvees, and some hams were assigned to these for communications. Humvees were used to rescue stranded travelers and for emergency transport. By the third day of the storm, El Paso RACES requested PPARES to staff El Paso County Search and Rescue as RACES had exhausted its resources. At one point in the middle of the weather emergency, telephone circuits became overloaded. "We were very fortunate that power failures did not occur," Proctor said.

In all, Proctor reports 85 hams took part, including PPARES, District 24 ARES and El Paso County RACES. "PPARES and its members performed admirably, exceeding mission requirements and receiving strong praise from our served agencies," he said in a lengthy report. Even snowbound hams helped with net control, dispatch, map lookups, mission coordination and telephone calls.

In Nebraska, many residents found themselves without power for up to a week as heavy, wet snow downed trees and power lines in the Cornhusker State. Hams volunteered to help transport stranded emergency workers in the city of Lincoln, Joe Eisenberg, WA0WRI, told Newsline. Hams also helped transport Red Cross workers and equipment to and from shelters.

Midlands ARES Assistant EC Mary Joseph, N0TRK, of Omaha, says ARES pitched to help coordinate the cleanup effort in the week or so following the storm. She reports that ARES worked with the Nebraska National Guard to support communications. Joseph says she and her husband Pat, N0HPP, set up a station in the Guard command center, "right next to their communications people."

At one point, mobile ATV units were able to send back video of the troops in action and scenes of just how bad the situation was--a capability that Joseph says impressed the Guard commanders. Once the Guard commanders and ARES folks felt more comfortable with each other, the military came to call more often on the hams' capability. "Soon, it became obvious that ARES-relayed traffic was more reliable from all areas and faster than cellular phones," Joseph says. "Amateur Radio was mentioned as a positive by one commander, and everyone agreed that ARES made their job easier, getting the message through fast and accurately."

Hams also were assigned to work with Guard troops in vehicles to keep lines of communication open. Overall, 30 ARES members from Midlands ARES, Sarpy County ARES and Cass County ARES logged nearly 560 hours of volunteer service to support the cleanup mission of the Nebraska Army National Guard between November 1 and November 7. "During that time, Midlands ARES was always able to get the message through," Joseph says. This was critical in those situations where the Guard's radios or cellular telephone service were unable to perform.

Over the years in the pages of QST, countless letters and articles have been written about Elmers, those patient, inspired souls who thoroughly enjoy bringing newcomers into the world of Amateur Radio. Now, the ARRL's new Radio Coaches program takes Elmering to new levels. Through the Radio Coaches program, you and your fellow club members can become part of a national effort to better the lives of youth using Amateur Radio. And we'll provide the game plan!

Radio Coaches stems from the kickoff of America's Promise, the Alliance for Youth, a national campaign to improve the lives of the nation's young people and put them on paths for brighter, more productive futures. As a result, the ARRL Board of Directors authorized the creation of the "Radio Coaches" program as Amateur Radio's commitment to youth.

The mission will be to give young people an ongoing relationship with a caring adult and a marketable skill through effective education. Amateur Radio will be our chief tool. How does it work? From day one, we supply information to help your Affiliated or Special Service Club form a "coaching team." Your team will build a relationship with a local school, community organization or other institution from which you will recruit your "athletes." You will coach young people in your community on the basic elements of electronics and the magic of radio communication through exposure to Amateur Radio. In addition, you may arrange field trips to technology museums, radio conventions and hamfests. Or you may choose to introduce students to local businesses that use radio and electronics technology. Your job as a coach will be to make every member of your team more aware of how these experiences can lead to career opportunities in telecommunications.

The ARRL will support this effort by providing clubs with fliers to help recruit youngsters, curriculum materials and other informational resources. While supplies last, the ARRL will provide 1997 ARRL Handbooks to participating clubs who want to use them with students and later donate them to school libraries or youth groups. The League also will provide youth packages with handouts to accompany the curriculum materials. Basically, we'll supply the strategy, and you'll supply the energy and imagination.

Through Radio Coaches, we want to reinforce the idea that Amateur Radio is a "sport for the brain." Ham radio provides not only a lifetime of enjoyment, but also, potentially, a lifetime career.

For more information on how you can get involved in the Radio Coaches program, contact Radio Coaches, c/o Field Services Department, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington CT, 06111; or e-mail coaches@arrl.org. -- Jennifer Gagne, N1TDY

The Dayton Hamvention will be staying put for at least a few more years, and definitely through the year 2000, when it will be the site of the ARRL National Convention. Hamvention and Hara Arena officials this week announced a five-year contract to keep the Hamvention in Dayton. That's the longest contract in their business relationship. According to a report by Angela Townsend in the Dayton Daily News, there had been talk that the Hamvention might leave Dayton for Columbus, Indianapolis, or even Atlanta after its current contract expired in one year.

Hara Arena President Johnny Walker estimated that the Hamvention brings in $7 million in revenue each year to the Dayton area. Approximately 28,000 attended the 1997 Hamvention. The 1998 Dayton Hamvention will be held May 15-17. Advance tickets are on sale now for $15. Write Hara Arena Conference Center, 1001 Shiloh Springs Rd, Trotwood, OH 45415. -- thanks to Bev Priest, N8VZV

There was a silver lining to the clouds that brought heavy flooding to Northern Kentucky earlier this year. Ham radio's role in providing emergency communication in the flooding's wake has resulted in a windfall for that region's hams -- courtesy of AT&T. Seventh District Emergency Coordinator John Meyers, N4GNL, of Covington, Kentucky, says AT&T has agreed to spend some $100,000 to set up a VHF repeater, a UHF repeater, antennas, and a shack with air conditioning and heat at one of its cellular telephone sites. Other sites will be equipped as receive-only sites and tied back to the repeater. As part of the deal, the Northern Kentucky Amateur Radio Club agreed to cover the electricity and phone bills. Meyers says he's already gotten four Northern Kentucky counties (Campbell, Boon, Kenton and Pendelton) plus the City of Falmouth to pitch in for the utilities at the sites.

Meyers says ham radio was the only means of communication for the first four days of the floods. Many of the club's members remained on duty to help out during the flood recovery. Hams' efforts during the flooding attracted the attention and respect of local governmental officials and of AT&T, which saw the possibility of a mutually beneficial arrangement. AT&T had been hoping to gain access to several possible cellular telephone antenna sites that had been off-limits. With the ham equipment on board, however, the cellular sites gained emergency communication status--just what was needed to get the moratorium lifted on their use by AT&T. "The marriage came together really good," Meyers said this week. "AT&T needed some sites, and hams needed the coverage."

In addition to the Kentucky repeater, AT&T also plans to set up a similar emergency system for hams in Southwestern Ohio, which also suffered from this year's flooding. Meyers says AT&T's total commitment is in the area of $300,000. When it's all in place, Meyers says, a huge region in Northern Kentucky, Southwestern Ohio and Southern Indiana will be accessible using a 2 W hand-held transceiver.

If all goes as planned, Meyers hopes to throw the switch on the first new repeater site in Edgewood, Kentucky, by year's end. Great Lakes Director George Race, WB8BGY, has been invited to take part.

Ham radio antennas have been specifically excluded from a recently passed Communication and Telecommunication Facilities ordinance in Dothan, Alabama. Working with information provided by the League's Regulatory Information Branch, members of the ARRL-affiliated Wiregrass Amateur Radio Club turned out at the Planning and Zoning Board meeting in Dothan last month to ensure that the new ordinance did not adversely impact ham radio. Roy Dancy, N4AN, reports a dozen hams showed up at the meeting--somewhat to the surprise of Board members.

Alabama Section Manager Tom Moore, KL7Q, congratulated the club members on their success.

Sun watcher Tad Cook, K7VVV, Seattle, Washington, reports: Last week's major geomagnetic storm was really confined to Friday, when the global A index went clear to 45, and global K indices went as high as seven. This was from the Tuesday, November 4 solar flare, and the later flare on Thursday didn't seem to have an effect, indicating that the energy was probably aimed away from Earth. Protons from these disturbances produce an effect a few days later, and the Thursday event didn't seem to bother conditions over the weekend. On Saturday the global K index dropped down to 0.

Solar flux backed off also, and was soon below 90. It perked up again to the low 90s on Tuesday. Watch for solar flux to rise to 92 or 94 this weekend, then above 100 around November 26, above 110 by month's end, and below 100 by December 4. Unstable geomagnetic conditions may return around November 20-23 and December 3 and 4. This is based on the last solar rotation, and can change at any time. For instance, the last 27 day outlook from NOAA released on November 11 showed flux values around 80 from November 14-20, but then new regions 8106, 8107, and 8108 appeared on the solar surface, and now forecasts are looking up.

Expect good conditions during the ARRL Phone Sweepstakes this weekend.

Sunspot numbers for November 6 through 12 were 60, 60, 61, 40, 28, 28 and 26 with a mean of 43.3. The 10.7-cm flux was 105.3, 94.4, 89.6, 86.4, 89.4, 91.5 and 87.2, with a mean of 92, and estimated planetary A indices were 12, 45, 4, 9, 10, 6, and 3, with a mean of 12.7.

Here are some projections for domestic paths for ARRL Sweepstakes this weekend.

From the West Coast to the Northeast: Check 80 meters 2330-1300 UTC, 40 meters 2200-0100 UTC and 0500-0930 UTC and 1130-1500 UTC, 20 meters 1500-2100 UTC, and possibly 15 meters around 1800-1900 UTC.

From the Southeast to the West Coast: Check 80 meters 2330- 1300 UTC, 40 meters around the clock, with the strongest signals from 0030-0200 UTC and 0600-1000 UTC, 20 meters 1530-2130 UTC and possibly 15 meters 1800-1900 UTC.

From Ohio to Texas: Check 80 meters 2100-1430 UTC, 40 meters very strong around the clock with the strongest signals from 2330-0100 UTC and 0600-0900 UTC. Check 20 meters 1430-2130 UTC. 15 meters may open around 1800 UTC.

From the Northwest to the Midwest: Check 80 meters 2230-1530 UTC, 40 meters around the clock, with strongest signals 0030-0300 UTC and 0700-1330 UTC, and 20 meters 1600-2330 UTC. 15 meters may open 1800- 2130 UTC and looks promising around 1930 UTC, and 10 meters might open 1900-2000 UTC.

From the Midwest to the Pacific (Hawaii): Check 80 meters 0300-1430 UTC, 40 meters 0200-1530 UTC, 20 meters around 1600-2330 UTC and 0130-0230 UTC. 15 meters looks very good 1730-2330 UTC, and 10 meters from 1900-2030 UTC.

Antique Wireless Association cofounder and AWA Museum curator emeritus Bruce Kelley, W2ICE, of Holcomb, New York, died November 6, 1997. He was 82.

Kelley, along with George Batterson, W2GB, and Linc Cundall, W2LC, founded the AWA in 1952. The museum stemmed from one that Kelley had set up in his barn in the late 1940s. Kelley had just recently stepped down as curator of the AWA museum in Bloomfield because of ill health. An April 1991 QST article about the AWA Museum called Kelley the "guiding light" of the museum.

Bruce Kelley was very well known as a radio historian and among vintage radio collectors. He was a frequent contributor to the AWA journal, The Old Timer's Bulletin and was co-author of "Hams Span the Atlantic on Shortwave!" that appeared in the December 1996 issue of QST and won the QST Cover Plaque Award for that month. Kelley assisted in the preparation of Ken Burns' TV documentary "Empire of the Air," some of which was filmed at the AWA Museum. Kelley also produced the video, "The Trans-Atlantic Tests and Station 1BCG," available from the ARRL. He also was club historian for the Rochester Amateur Radio Association.

Kelley was first licensed as W8ACY in 1929 and had been a continuous member of the ARRL since then. He was retired from the engineering department of Eastman Kodak.

Ed Gable, K2MP, who recently succeeded Kelley as museum curator, said, "The world has lost a true radio historian and a great radio amateur."

AWA President Bill Fizette, W2DGB, recalls he first met Kelley in the 1970s, after he was introduced to the AWA. "Even at that time, Bruce Kelley was somewhat of a legend among the members. He seemed to be everywhere and do everything, from building a museum of early wireless apparatus, now one of the best in the world, to editing and producing the club bulletin, to officiating at the conferences, to maintaining an extensive outreach program--the list goes on," he wrote. "I thank Bruce Kelley for the inspiration and opportunity he gave to us. He was a leader and a very unique person, and he will be missed."

Survivors include his wife, Helen. Services were November 13 in Bloomfield, New York.

Champion NTS traffic handler Mae Burke, W3CUL, of Seminole, Florida, died November 5, 1997. She was 86. Mae Burke was a member of the ARRL and of the A1 Operator's Club. She won the fifth Edison Radio Amateur Award for public service for 1956 (see QST, Apr 1957, p 68). At that time, she was operating daily in six CW nets and handled some 312,000 messages between 1949 and 1957.

Her husband, Alfred Burke, W3VR, survives. --thanks to Michael Wacker, N3HR

• This weekend on the radio: CQ SS, CQ SS! It's the ARRL November Sweepstakes SSB weekend! Also this weekend: the North American Collegiate ARC Championship (SSB) which runs concurrently with Sweepstakes and uses Sweepstakes rules (more information is available at http://www.jbj.org/~pk/clubs/cc.html); the ARRL International EME Competition; and the IARU Region 1 160-Meter Contest (US participation is welcome).

• Sputnik PS2 QSL information: Here's what we believe to be the most reliable information to obtain a QSL if you've received the beacon signal from the mini-Sputnik satellite on 145.82 MHz. The satellite has been heard all around the world. Reception reports go to The Radio Club of Jules Reydellet school on Reunion Island. Those whose reports are confirmed will receive an approximately 6x9-inch color certificate on high-quality paper with number identification and the radio club stamp. Requests for these certificates should be made only by letter with an SASE (6x9 inch) and two (2) IRCs. Do not send requests via e-mail! The mailing address is FR5KJ Radio Club, 103 Rue de la Republique, 97 489 Saint Denis Cedex, Reunion Island. Requests will be processed after the satellite has expired.

• Ooops! Correction: ARRL Lab Supervisor Ed Hare, W1RFI, made a mathematical error in our report "FCC Sets RF Safety Evaluation Threshold for Repeaters" in The ARRL Letter, Vol 16, No 44 (he really does know better!). Here is the correct calculation for determining ERP: 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 x 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 x 7.59 = 379.5 W. --Ed Hare, W1RFI

• Vanity update: The FCC in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, reports it has processed all vanity applications and work in process (WIPs) through October 17, 1997. In all, 52 applications were granted, 42 went into the WIPs stack. The FCC begins accepting applications for vanity Gate 4 on December 2.

• Amateur Radio calendars available from ARRL! CQ Amateur Radio Calendar: 15 Month 1998/99 calendar, with beautiful color photos of stations, antennas, and well-known amateur radio personalities. Calendar detail includes notable contests, phases of the moon (and perigees/apogees), meteor showers, and holidays. ARRL Order #6516 $9.95, plus $3 shipping (UPS). CQ Radio Classics Calendar: The rigs of yesteryear are remembered on the pages of this 15 Month 1998/99 calendar. Beautifully photographed vintage ham equipment introduces each new month. Calendar detail includes notable contests, phases of the moon (and perigees/apogees), meteor showers, and holidays. ARRL Order #6532 $9.95, plus $3 shipping (UPS). These calendars and other new products can be quickly ordered via ARRL's New Products Web page, http://www.arrl.org/catalog/new.html or call toll-free 888-277-5289, Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 9 PM Eastern time.

• Bogus bulbs? Merit Arnold, W6NQ, of RF Parts in San Marcos, California, asks in an Internet posting if anyone has encountered counterfeit high-power transmitting tubes (eg, 3-500Z, 3-500ZG, 4-400 series) at flea markets or through overseas suppliers. He says that since Eimac left the glass tube business, he's learned of instances where Eimac and Amperex logos and cleverly copied markings or labels have been applied to tubes manufactured in China which are then packaged in yellow Eimac-style or Amperex boxes. Arnold says that recent-issue Eimac 3-500Z/ZG tubes will have the Eimac logo imprinted on the grid shroud. Also, he says, Eimac will usually have the serial number engraved with vibrating pencil on the shroud. On the other hand, the counterfeit overseas tubes will have the date code and serial number stamped along the edge or on top of shroud (first two digits indicating year of manufacture). Counterfeit 4-400 series "Amperex" tubes use a "slip-on" anode terminal with a set screw. Genuine Amperex tubes have the terminal fused through the glass. W6NQ would like to hear from anyone who has run into these bogus tubes. E-mail him at rfp@rfparts.com. --thanks to Marv Gonsior, W6FR

• Microwave Update 97: Proceedings are available from the ARRL for $15, plus shipping. Order Item Number 6389. Contents include "Make Any Car Into a Ten Band Rover," by Jim Mitzlaff, WB9SNR; "Parabolic Dish Feeds--Performance Analysis," by Paul Wade, N1BWT; "Care and Feeding of a SETI Dish," by Paul Shuch, N6TX, and much more.

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.

Material from The ARRL Letter may be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form, including photoreproduction and electronic databanks, provided that credit is given to The ARRL Letter and The American Radio Relay League.

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.