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Nets Activate, Gulf Coast Preparations Underway as Tropical Storm Gustav Heads Toward Jamaica
John McHugh, K4AG, coordinator for Amateur Radio at the National Hurricane Center, WX4NHC, posted this message this morning:

Check Out the September/October NCJ
NCJ, The National Contest Journal is what everyone interested in radiosport needs to have in their shack. Filled with the latest news from the contesting world, NCJ is the voice of radiosport. Whether you are new to contesting or are a seasoned pro (or somewhere in the middle), you will find something in NCJ just for you.

Central American Organizations to Host Convention in October
The Federación de Radioaficionados de Centroamerica, FRACAP (Federation of Radioamateurs of Central America), will host the XLVIII FRACAP 2008 Convention in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, October 3-5, 2008. FRACAP is a federation of six national Amateur Radio organizations from Central America: Club de radio aficionados de Guatemala (CRAG), Club de radio aficionados de El Salvador (CRAS), Federación de clubes de radioaficionados de Honduras (FEHDECRA), Club de radio experimentadores de Nicaragua (CREN), Radio club de Costa Rica (RCCR) and the Liga Panameña de Radioaficionados (LPR).

Tropical Storm Gustav Soaking Haiti; Expected to Strengthen
With maximum sustained winds of 90 mph/150 km per hour, Hurricane Gustav made landfall on the southwest peninsula of Haiti on the afternoon of August 26. Over the next few days, its path is projected to take it along Cuba's southern coast and then northwestward into the Gulf of Mexico. For storm information specific to your area, including possible inland watches and warnings, please monitor products issued by your local weather office.

The Amateur Amateur: Doing It in the Street
The St Louis County ARES® Emergency Coordinator had urged the group's members to participate in the National Night Out events in their local communities. He felt that it was a good opportunity to promote ARES and Amateur Radio in general. I live in Florissant, a suburb of St Louis, and I was fairly sure that at least a few events were planned there. When I heard that there was going to be a block party practically on my doorstep, I jumped at the chance. I dropped a note to the local Neighborhood Watch block captain and asked her if it would be all right for me to set up and demonstrate an emergency Amateur Radio station. I will admit to being a little surprised when she said yes.

ARRL Emergency Communications Level 3 Course to be Revised
The ARRL Continuing Education Program offers Emergency Communications training courses to prepare radio amateurs to serve our communities in time of crisis when other communications systems fail. The ARRL Emergency Communications training program includes three levels of courses. In order to keep the material in the Level 3 course accurate and up to date, we will be revising the Level 3 curriculum. Dennis Dura, K2DCD, ARRL Emergency Preparedness and Response Manager, will be developing the new content. We expect the fully updated course to be available in the first quarter of 2009.

ARRL Continuing Education Online Course Registration
Registration remains open through Sunday, September 7, 2008 for these online course sessions beginning on Friday, September 19, 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 16 weeks (depending on the course) and they may access the course at any time of day during the course period, completing lessons and activities at times convenient for their personal schedule. Mentors assist students by answering questions, reviewing assignments and activities, as well as providing helpful feedback. Interaction with mentors is conducted through e-mail; there is no appointed time the student must be present -- allowing complete flexibility for the student to work when and where it is convenient. To learn more, visit the Continuing Education course listing page or contact the Continuing Education Program Coordinator.

FCC Vanity Call Sign Fees to Increase September 25
On August 11, the FCC announced that the cost of an Amateur Radio vanity call sign will increase 60 cents, from $11.70 to $12.30. Now that notice of the increase has been published in the Federal Register, the increase will take effect in 30 days, September 25, 2008.

Hurricane Watch Net to Activate as Gustav Threatens Hispaniola:
The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) will activate Tuesday, August 26 at 0800 EDT/1200Z on 14.325 MHz as Hurricane Gustav approaches Hispaniola. We will be disseminating the latest weather bulletins from the National Hurricane Center and passing real time reports from the affected area to WX4NHC at the Center to assist forecasters in their tasks. Plans are to remain active until the band goes out. Operations on Wednesday and beyond will depend on Gustav’s status and path, but will be published on our Web site. HWN net intentions, the latest on Gustav and other weather information is always on the site. -- Dave Lefavour, W7GOX, Manager, Hurricane Watch Net

New HF Digital Protocol to Debut at DCC
WINMOR, an HF digital protocol designed for use with the Winlink 2000 network, will be unveiled at the upcoming ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference in Chicago, September 26-28.

ARRL Audio News: Aug 22, 2008; Vol 27 Number 33
ARRL Audio News--OPEN--In this edition . . .; ARRL Responds to Concerns Raised by California Repeater Owners Affected by PAVE PAWS; ARRL Director and Vice Director Elections Set for November; ARRL Audio News ID--Satellite Update--BREAK; Hams Ready for Tropical Storm Fay; New Tower, Antenna Modifications for W1HQ; Reunion Island, South Africa Connect on 2 Meters; ARRL Audio News--News Briefs--CLOSE