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Using a linear resonator to add 17 meters to the CS-3S.

This week’s Surfin’ visits a Web site to take a different view of your Amateur Radio station.

On Tuesday, January 27, we saw another one of those "almost-a-sunspot" emerge in the Sun’s low latitude, so it was probably an old Solar Cycle 23 spot; it was gone the next day. Sunspot numbers for January 22-28 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 and 0 with a mean of 0. The 10.7 cm flux was 69, 70, 68.8, 69.8, 69.9, 69.7 and 69.5 with a mean of 69.5. The estimated planetary A indices were 1, 1, 1, 1, 10, 4 and 2 with a mean of 2.9. The estimated mid-latitude A indices were 0, 1, 1, 1, 9, 2 and 1 with a mean of 2.1.

This week’s Surfin’ visits a Web site to take a different view of your Amateur Radio station.

ARRL is pleased to announce that online access to the QST archive will be expanded. Beginning February 1, 2009, ARRL members will be able to search and view QST — from December 1915 through December 2005 right from their computer. With an additional year — 2005 — added to the viewable archive, this valuable benefit is available to all ARRL members.

With as much as 2 inches of crippling ice accumulation over parts of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky and West Virginia and as much as 6 inches of sleet in Missouri and Indiana, many area residents are without power. The storm that began on Tuesday, January 27 not only brought up to 16 inches of snow in some regions, it also brought hams to local Emergency Operations Centers, shelters and area Nets as they were activated to service by their served agencies.

Registration remains open through Sunday, February 8, 2009, for these online course sessions beginning on Friday, February 20, 2009: Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 2; Antenna Modeling, and Radio Frequency Propagation.

During its annual meeting on January 22, the ARRL Foundation elected officers for 2009: Tom Frenaye, K1KI, President; Dick Isely, W9GIG, Vice President; Mary Hobart, K1MMH, Secretary, and Jim McCobb, K1LU, Treasurer. Each of the officers served in 2008 "These officers have demonstrated the leadership and commitment to the goals of the ARRL Foundation and received a vote of confidence from the Board for another term," Frenaye said. "In re-electing the slate of officers for another year, the Foundation recognizes the importance of leadership continuity in the organization’s commitment to Amateur Radio."

We’ll take satellite technology for the sheer fun of it! Let’s do things backwards — retrograde, as they say down at Kennedy Space Center — as the questions become the answers. Or are they still questions and the answers are the questions? Confounding, isn’t it? Not as confounding as the quiz, though. Ready? 10, 9, 8…

Dean Feken, KL7MA, of Perry, has been appointed as the new ARRL Oklahoma Section Manager. Feken is taking over the Section Manager reins from John Thomason, WB5SYT, who was just appointed Vice Director of the ARRL West Gulf Division. In turn, Thomason replaces Dr David Woolweaver, K5RAV, who moved up to Director with the retirement of Division Director Coy Day, N5OK. Thomason had been Section Manager of Oklahoma since April 2003. The Rules and Regulations of the ARRL Field Organization state that when a vacancy in the office of Section Manager occurs between elections, the position is filled by appointment by the Membership and Volunteer Programs Manager, in consultation with the Director. MVP Manager Dave Patton, NN1N, consulted with Woolweaver and Thomason in filling the Section Manager position. Feken, an Extra class licensee, has been the Oklahoma Official Observer Coordinator since the spring 2004 and an Official Observer since fall 2003. Feken’s term as Section Manager continues through September 30, 2010. The nomination announcement for the next term of office for Oklahoma Section Manager is scheduled to appear in the April 2010 issue of QST.

Vice Admiral John Scott Redd, USN (ret), K0DQ, received the National Security Medal in a White House ceremony earlier this month. In one of his last official duties as President of the United States, George W. Bush recognized Redd for "his more than 40 years of exceptional service to the Nation, strengthening its intelligence capabilities and improving national security," and called Redd "an innovator, a strategic thinker, an inspirational leader and a dedicated servant to the Nation, respected for his vision, courage and integrity." During his remarks, the President also thanked Redds’ wife Donna for her service over many years. The Redd’s daughter and sons also attended the White House ceremony.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced on Monday, January 26 that they would once again allow Amateur Radio operators the opportunity to operate from Midway Atoll. This the first time that USFWS has allowed amateurs to operate from the wildlife refuge since 2002. The USFWS started a program earlier this month to encourage visitors to experience Midway’s wildlife, history and culture, as well as non-wildlife-dependent activities — including Amateur Radio.

The deadline for ARRL Foundation scholarship applications is February 1, 2009. Applications must be postmarked on or before February 1 and must include the student’s most recent transcript. This year, the Foundation expects to award up to 60 general scholarships ranging in amounts from $500 to $2500.

Time is running out to order your 2008 ARRL November Sweepstakes mugs and pins. If you submitted a log with more than 100 QSOs, you qualify for a Sweepstakes Participation pin. If you submitted a log with a Clean Sweep — working all 80 ARRL/RAC sections — you qualify for a Clean Sweep coffee mug. According to ARRL Contest Branch Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X, all orders need to be postmarked by January 31.

Laura L. Smith of Pennsylvania has been named by the FCC to fill the vacancy created when Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, retired in 2008 as Special Counsel for the Spectrum Enforcement Division of the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau. Hollingsworth served in that position for more than 10 years as the FCC’s enforcement watchdog over the Amateur Radio Service.