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On Thursday, September 10, the Federal Communications Commission authorized those US citizens who hold an FCC-issued General, Advanced or Amateur Extra class Amateur Radio license "to utilize temporarily an amateur station in a European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) country that has implemented certain recommendations with respect to the United States," subject to the regulations in that country.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski announced on September 9 that he has appointed P. Michele Ellison as Chief of the Enforcement Bureau. Ellison will take the helm of the Enforcement Bureau starting on September 28, 2009. "Protecting and empowering consumers through effective and timely enforcement of the Commission's rules and policies is a top priority for the FCC," said Chairman Genachowski. "Michele is a talented leader with vast communications experience and sound legal judgment, and I look forward to working with her in her new capacity."

This month, Oregon ARES® members will complete the state-wide installation of Winlink, thanks to a $250,000 grant from Governor Ted Kulongoski. In 2007, the governor was impressed by the hams' ability to handle emergency communications when severe winter storms wreaked havoc on Oregon's North Coast and flooded the City of Vernonia, knocking out 911 services, Internet and phone service for an extended period of time. The Oregon Office of Emergency Management said that during the storms, the radio operators were "tireless in their efforts to keep the systems connected." When even state police had difficulty reaching some of their own troops, ham radio worked, setting up networks so emergency officials could communicate and relaying lists of supplies needed in stricken areas.

Officials from the IARU and all three IARU regions, national IARU Member-Societies and specialized Amateur Radio emergency communications groups from around the globe gathered in Tokyo on August 24-25 for the Fifth Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Conference (GAREC 2009). Hosted by the Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL), GAREC was held in conjunction with Ham Fair. More than 30 participants considered the statements from past GAREC conferences -- GAREC 05 (Tampere, Finland), GAREC 06 (Tampere, Finland), GAREC 07 (Huntsville, Alabama, USA) and GAREC 08 (Friedrichshafen, Germany) -- discussing the progress made on the implementation of the recommendations, and looking at recent experiences from exercises and actual emergency operations.

His real name was Alfred Powell Morgan, but Peter Pan might have been a better moniker for the man who led many a lost boy into the Neverland of radio and electronics through much of the 20th Century.

ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, attended Ham Fair in Tokyo, Japan, August 22-23, at the invitation of Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL) President Shozo Hara, JA1AN. "Ham Fair is by far the largest event of its kind in Asia. It is generally regarded as one of the 'Big Three' internationally, the other two being Dayton and Friedrichshafen," Sumner said. "It is held at Big Sight, a very large and modern exhibition facility on Tokyo Bay. Most attendees come by train or subway." According to JARL, more than 31,000 people attended the two-day event, with more than 20,000 coming on the first day. The 2009 Global Amateur Radio Emergency Conference (GAREC) was held in conjunction with the event.

Registration remains open through Sunday, September 20, 2009, for these online course sessions beginning on Friday, October 2, 2009: Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 1; Antenna Modeling; Radio Frequency Interference; Antenna Design and Construction; Ham Radio (Technician) License Course; Propagation; Analog Electronics, and Digital Electronics.

Every section has them -- Assistant Section Managers whose goal is to help the Section Manager whenever possible. Their job is to have an ear for the members to talk to and fill in wherever the SM can't. But some Sections have gone even further and created another position aimed at representing the youth in Amateur Radio, and the idea has spread from where it was first conceived in the Deep South.

ARRL Audio News--OPEN--In this edition . . .; Get SET for the 2009 Simulated Emergency Test; ARES Awaits Activation for LA-area Wildfires, Tropical Storms; ARRL Audio News ID--Satellite Update--BREAK; The Doctor Is IN the ARRL Audio News; Get Ready for the Upcoming ARRL September VHF QSO Party; Happy Birthday, Hiram!; ARRL Audio News--News Briefs--CLOSE

This week we saw another one of those fast-disappearing sunspots -- it lasted just two days, over the last day of August and the first of September. No other sunspots were observed during the month of August. Sunspot numbers for August 27-September 2 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 12, 12 and 0 with a mean of 3.4. The 10.7 cm flux was 67.7, 67.9, 68, 67.2, 68.3, 69.1 and 68.2 with a mean of 68.1. The estimated planetary A indices were 5, 2, 2, 19, 5, 4 and 3 with a mean of 5.7. The estimated mid-latitude A indices were 4, 2, 2, 12, 5, 2 and 2 with a mean of 4.1.

This week, Surfin' visits a Web site that remembers the component that shrunk the radio.

Even as the Station fire threatens Los Angeles' communications infrastructure atop Mt Wilson and Tropical Storm Erika and Hurricane Jimena die down in the tropics, emergency officials in the affected areas have not requested assistance from any Amateur Radio groups, including ARES®.

The first president of Tucson Amateur Packet Radio (TAPR) Den Connors, KD2S, of Pepperell, Massachusetts, passed away September 3 from lymphoma. He was 58. Connors, an ARRL Life Member, conducted the first amateur packet radio contact with all-American hardware and software, using the Tucson Amateur Packet Radio Terminal Node Controller (TNC) with Lyle Johnson, WA7GXD (now KK7P), at 9:12 PM (PST) on June 25, 1982. The tests were conducted at 146.55MHz, with both stations sending plain-text ASCII messages. "Den was instrumental in the early PACSAT work, and as TAPR's first president, led that organization from a local club he co-founded into an international organization," Johnson said in an e-mail. "His was a very cheerful, positive, can-do influence."

The first president of Tucson Amateur Packet Radio (TAPR) Den Connors, KD2S, of Pepperell, Massachusetts, passed away September 3 from lymphoma. He was 58. Connors, an ARRL Life Member, conducted the first amateur packet radio contact with all-American hardware and software, using the Tucson Amateur Packet Radio Terminal Node Controller (TNC) with Lyle Johnson, WA7GXD (now KK7P), at 9:12 PM (PST) on June 25, 1982. The tests were conducted at 146.55MHz, with both stations sending plain-text ASCII messages. "Den was instrumental in the early PACSAT work, and as TAPR's first president, led that organization from a local club he co-founded into an international organization," Johnson said in an e-mail. "His was a very cheerful, positive, can-do influence."

After October 31, 2009, GLA Systems -- the manufacturer of the Texas Bug Catcher antennas -- will cease taking orders for new antennas; according to their Web site, all orders received before that date will be filled. "Effective November 1, only orders for items that are in stock at the time will be accepted. Effective December 31, 2009, the toll free line, 1-800-588-2841, will be discontinued." No reason was given for the closure, but on GLA's Web site, owner Henry Allen, K5BUG, said "It has been a fun 30 years, but it is time to hang it up. I would like to thank everyone who has made this experience possible."

On September 1 -- after W1AW Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, made contact #149 (CW) and #150 (RTTY) with Mark Stull, AB8WV, of Parkersburg, West Virginia -- W1AW received Triple Play Award #306 on September 2. "Finally, after eight months, W1AW can now boast the ARRL's newest award, the TPA," Carcia said. "What makes this so very cool is that we received this award on Hiram Percy Maxim's 140th birthday." The Triple Play Award is earned by hams who, after January 1, 2009, achieve Worked All States on three modes -- CW, SSB and Digital -- and upload their logs via Logbook of The World (LoTW).

This week, the League celebrates the 140th anniversary of the birth of ARRL's co-founder and first President, Hiram Percy Maxim, W1AW! Maxim -- born September 2, 1869 -- decided a national organization for Amateur Radio was in order after he needed a "relay" station in Agawam, Massachusetts to pass a message he was sending from Hartford to Springfield, Massachusetts. In honor of The Old Man's (TOM) birthday, the ARRL is holding a week-long Special Event, where eligible amateurs may add /140 to their call signs. A complete list of who may add /140 can be found on page 20 of the September 2009 issue of QST. Hams who work at least 25 /140 stations can earn an attractive certificate; this certificate can be endorsed in increments of 25 QSOs, up to 100.

Registration remains open through Sunday, September 20, 2009, for these online course sessions beginning on Friday, October 2, 2009: Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 1; Antenna Modeling; Radio Frequency Interference; Antenna Design and Construction; Ham Radio (Technician) License Course; Propagation; Analog Electronics, and Digital Electronics.

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 August.

September is here, and according to ARRL Contest Branch Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X, that means the VHF bands are getting a workout. "If you've never experienced the fun of VHF+ operating, the ARRL September VHF QSO Party is a great place to start."