Compiled by S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA
ARRL News Editor
k1sfa@arrl.org

This feature -- including convenient Web links to useful information -- is a concise monthly update of some of the things ARRL is doing on behalf of its members. This installment covers the month of October.

The ARRL announced its third Homebrew Challenge. Participants can choose to build a single band 25 W SSB and CW transceiver for 10 or 6 meters and/or a 25 W SSB and CW transceiver that can be switched between 10 and 6 meters, using one or two switches.

The ARRL filed a Reply with the FCC to a Wireless Services Opposition filing, the latest in an ongoing series of exchanges regarding the FCC’s proposal to allow mobile broadband services, in addition to fixed services, to operate in parts of the 2.3 GHz band.

Logbook of The World -- the ARRL’s online program to confirm two-way contacts to be used as credit toward various awards such as DXCC and Triple Play -- now has more than 300 million QSOs recorded.

The ARRL VEC helped put together an exam session via video feed between ARRL HQ and the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station.

The ARRL’s Executive Committee met in St Louis, Missouri.

ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, International Affairs Vice President Jay Bellows, K0QB, and Executive Vice President David Sumner, K1ZZ, represented the ARRL at the 17th IARU Region 2 General Assembly in El Salvador.

ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, attended the 2010 meeting of the IARU Administrative Council and served as its recording secretary.

ARRL Chief Technology Officer Brennan Price, N4QX, represented the ARRL at the 2010 AMSAT-NA Space Symposium and Annual Meeting.

ARRL Emergency Preparedness and Response Manager Mike Corey, W5MPC, represented the ARRL at the 2010 Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Conference.

ARRL Marketing Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, represented the ARRL at the National Hamfest in the United Kingdom.

The ARRL marked its 27th consecutive year in hosting the Amateur Radio Administration Course, sponsored by the United States Telecommunications Training Institute.

The dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles on October 10 caused four new entities to be added to the DXCC List: Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, and Saba and St Eustatius.

W1AW was on the air for the 53rd Annual Jamboree on the Air.

The ARRL Development Office released the second edition of Spectrum Defense Matters, a newsletter focusing on the protection of the Amateur Radio spectrum.

Dr Hamadoun Touré, HB9EHT, was re-elected to a second four-year term as Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union.

ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, made the final QSO to VK100WIA, the special event station call sign that celebrated the Wireless Institute of Australia’s centenary. WIA President Michael Owen, VK3KI, was at the other end of the mic.

Dewey Rykard II, KI4RGD, joined the ARRL HQ staff as the Instruction and Resource Coordinator.

W1AW received its autumn tower and antenna inspection. A rotor on top of the 120 foot tower was replaced, and the R139 turnstile antenna on the north tower was removed for testing.

The Official Observer Desk received and acted on several complaints, including reports of over-the-horizon radars on 7.054 and 7.142 MHz, interference to a repeater in Nashville, Tennessee and interference from a Mexican beacon to a 12 meter NCDXF beacon.

Nominations are open for the 2010 ARRL International Humanitarian Award. The award is conferred upon an amateur or amateurs who demonstrate devotion to human welfare, peace and international understanding through Amateur Radio. The nomination deadline is December 31, 2010.

DXCC News: The ARRL’s DXCC Desk approved the following operations in October: Democratic Republic of Congo (all operations for club station 9Q50AR and the 2010 9Q50ON operation), Afghanistan (T6MB), Bhutan (A51A) and Burundi (9U1RSI, 9U4T, 9U1KI and 9U1VO).

The ARRL is now shipping three new titles: The 2011 ARRL Handbook with BONUS Offer, Antenna Towers for Radio Amateurs by professional tower climber Don Daso, K4ZA, and ARRL’s PIC Programming for Beginners Revised First Edition, by ARRL Education and Technology Coordinator Mark Spencer, WA8SME.

Two new ARRL kits are now available in the ARRL Online Store: A Morse code oscillator and a PIC programming lab and project, intended to be used with ARRL’s PIC Programming for Beginners book.

The ARRL Facebook page now has more than 13,130 fans, gaining more than 1500 fans in the month of October alone.

The November issue of QST arrived in mailboxes. The November/December issues of NCJ and QEX, the December issue of QST, as well as three new books -- Ham Radio Licensing Manual, second edition, Antenna Compendium Volume 8 and The ARRL Guide to Antenna Tuners -- were sent to the printer.

The winner of the QST Cover Plaque Award for October is David W. Cripe, NM0S, for his article “Homebrew Challenge II Co-Winner -- The Lowest Cost Entry.”