The National Association of Amateur Radio

• ARRL Continuing Education Online Course Registration

  Registration remains open through Sunday, August 3, 2008 for these online course sessions beginning on Friday, August 15, 2008: Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 2 (EC-002); Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 3 (EC-003R2); Antenna Modeling (EC-004); HF Digital Communications (EC-005); VHF/UHF -- Life Beyond the Repeater (EC-008), and Radio Frequency Propagation (EC-011). Each online course has been developed in segments -- learning units with objectives, informative text, student activities and quizzes. Courses are interactive, and some include direct communications with a Mentor/Instructor. Students register for a particular session that may be 8, 12 or...

• FCC Issues Citation to Georgia Company for Selling, Importing Unauthorized RF Devices

  On July 21, the Federal Communications Commission issued a Citation to the owner of a Georgia company for selling unauthorized radio frequency devices (specifically wireless video transmitters) and importing radio frequency devices without filing the proper FCC forms with the US Customs office and the US Border Patrol.

• In Virginia, ARES® = RACES

  On July 3, Virginia officials, along with representatives from that state's ARES® and RACES groups, signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), uniting the three groups. State Coordinator, Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) Michael M. Cline; State RACES Officer Mac McNeer, K4YEF; ARRL Virginia Section Manager Carl Clements, W4CAC, and ARRL Virginia Section Emergency Coordinator Ron Sokol, K4KHZ, signed what ARRL Emergency and Preparedness Manager Dennis Dura, K2DCD, called a "precedent setting" document.

• Tropical Storm Dolly Expected to Reach Hurricane Status Today; WX4NHC Activated

  According to reports from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Tropical Storm Dolly is expected to become a hurricane within the next 12-24 hours and track toward the Texas/Mexico border. With this in mind WX4NHC, the Amateur Radio station at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, activated its HF and EchoLink/IRLP station on Tuesday, July 22, 2008 at 2 PM EDT (1800 UTC).

• Hiram Percy Maxim's Telegraph Key Returns to ARRL HQ

  At the ARRL Board of Director's meeting this past weekend, the telegraph key that once belonged to Hiram Percy Maxim, W1AW, was returned to ARRL Headquarters. According to ARRL First Vice President Kay Craigie, N3KN, the key had been in the collection of the Antique Wireless Association's Electronic Communication Museum near Rochester, New York for more than 20 years.

• AMSAT-UK Colloquium to Take Place Later this Month

  The 23rd Annual AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium will be held July 25-27 at the University of Surrey in Guildford, about an hour's drive from London. The Colloquium is a chance to talk to satellite designers and builders, as well as a place to discover how to use Amateur Radio satellites. A beginner's session on satellites is held prior to the formal opening on the first day of the event,

• Foundation for Amateur Radio Announces 2008 Scholarship Winners

  The Foundation for Amateur Radio (FAR) has announced the 2008 winners of the 55 scholarships it administers. The scholarships were open to all licensed radio amateurs who met the qualification and residence requirements of the various sponsors.

• ARRL Board of Directors Meets July 18-19 in Connecticut

  The ARRL Board of Directors holds their second meeting of 2008 July 18-19 in Windsor, Connecticut, with Directors, Vice Directors and ARRL Board officers in attendance. The meeting, which begins today and continues through Saturday, was preceded on Thursday with meetings of the Administration and Finance Committee and the Programs and Services Committee.

• New 70 cm Coordination Agreement Reached for New England

  In the next step of developing a long-term procedure to mitigate interference to the Air Force PAVE PAWS radar site at Cape Cod Air Force Station in Massachusetts, the ARRL has brokered a deal that will allow new coordinations to be considered by the New England Spectrum Management Council (NESMC) on the 70 cm band.

• The K7RA Solar Update

  If today is like yesterday and the day before that, it will be the 26th consecutive day with no sunspots. Think this is bad? At the last solar minimum, there were only four days showing any sunspots between September 5 and October 24, 2006.