Web 2.0 is the name that has been given to the second wind of the Internet evolution, characterized by new gadgets, new developments and new ways to have fun online. Amateur Radio is also experiencing a second wind, with more hams, more activity and more ways to enjoy the hobby than ever before. We are also experiencing a new marriage with the Internet, as well as a new immersion in social media.

As soon as sunspot 1041 went over the horizon at the end of January, sunspot 1043 emerged, high in our Sun's northern hemisphere. The average daily sunspot number this week fell more than 13 points to 14.6, and average daily solar flux declined nearly 7 points to 75. The geomagnetic activity was up, and the average daily planetary A index rose 2 points to 5.1. Sunspot numbers for January 28-February 3 were 13, 12, 25, 14, 16, 11 and 11, with a mean of 14.6. The 10.7 cm flux was 76.3, 73.3, 75, 75.3, 75.3, 75.2 and 74.4, with a mean of 75. He estimated planetary A indices were 3, 2, 4, 3, 6, 9 and 9, with a mean of 5.1. The estimated mid-latitude A indices were 2, 0, 3, 3, 7, 7 and 7, with a mean of 4.1.

This week, Surfin' explores D-STAR via the telescope known as “the Internet.”

The minutes of the 2010 Annual Meeting of the ARRL Board of Directors have now been posted to the ARRL Web site. The meeting -- which took place January 15-16 in Windsor, Connecticut -- saw the election of the League’s 15th President, Kay Craigie, N3KN, of Blacksburg, Virginia.

To assist the MARS communications support effort in Haiti, the heads of the Army, Air Force, and Navy-Marine Corps MARS programs have agreed to divvy up responsibilities among the three Service MARS programs. According to Air Force MARS Public Information Officer David Trachtenberg, N4WWL/AFA3TR, this delegation of responsibility will facilitate more efficient utilization of MARS communications assets in the overall relief operation. On January 12, a 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti, killing thousands and wiped out the island nation's communication infrastructure.

Registration remains open through Sunday, February 21, 2010, for these online course sessions beginning on Friday, March 5, 2010: 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.

A positive approach earns Georgia hams some state owned tower space.

In January, the Question Pool Committee (QPC) of the National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC) released the 2010 Technician (Element 2) Question Pool. Upon further review of the pool, members of the QPC found and corrected more than 50 minor typographical errors and clarified the questions and answers, making them easier to understand. These adopted changes are now incorporated in a revised question pool. The errata list, as well as the revised Technician question pool, is available on the NCVEC Web site. The previously released pool dated January 4, 2010 is invalid for use. The newly revised Technician question pool will become effective for all examinations administered on or after July 1, 2010; it will remain valid until June 30, 2014. The current Technician question pool that became effective July 1, 2006 will expire June 30, 2010. The new Technician pool contains approximately 400 questions, from which 35 are selected for an Element 2 examination; it will contain graphics and diagrams, something new for this element. The current General class question pool was effective July 1, 2007 and is valid through June 30, 2011. The current Amateur Extra class pool was effective July 1, 2008 and is valid until June 30, 2012.

It’s that time of year again -- time to start gearing up for ARRL Field Day, June 26-27, 2010! ARRL’s flagship operating event -- always held the fourth full weekend in June -- brings together new and experienced hams for 24 hours of operating fun. Field Day packets are now available for download and include the complete rules (including changes for 2010), as well as other reference items such as forms, ARRL Section abbreviation list, entry submission instructions, a Frequently Asked Questions section, guidelines for getting bonus points, instructions for GOTA stations, a kit to publicize your event with the local press and more.

A newly forged partnership between Amateur Radio operators throughout the state of Illinois and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) will provide an additional layer of emergency communications during disasters. The agreement creates the State Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services (RACES) program. Under the agreement, IEMA Director Andrew Velasquez appointed ARRL Illinois Section Emergency Coordinator Brad Pioveson, W9FX, of Benton as the volunteer State RACES Officer. Pioveson will serve as the single point of contact between IEMA and the Illinois Amateur Radio community.

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 January.

The winner of the QST Cover Plaque Award for January is Phil Salas, AD5X, for his article “160 and 80 Meter Matching Network for Your 43 Foot Vertical -- Part 2.” Congratulations, Phil! The winner of the QST Cover Plaque award -- given to the author or authors of the best article in each issue -- is determined by a vote of ARRL members on the QST Cover Plaque Poll Web page. Cast a ballot for your favorite article in the February issue by Sunday, February 28.

Sunspots, that is. Those of us who follow solar activity the way most people follow the weather had expected that by now our Sun would have developed a nice pox. Instead, we seem to be stuck in a trough of low solar activity.

In a posting on January 28 to the FCC’s blog, Mindel DeLaTorre -- the Commission’s International Bureau Chief -- noted how Amateur Radio operators are assisting with communications support in earthquake ravaged Haiti. “The amateur radio community is also contributing to the relief efforts,” she wrote. “In the aftermath of the earthquake, the amateur radio community in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and elsewhere has dedicated equipment and spectrum resources to the relief efforts.” DeLaTorre reiterated that those who want to assist in the relief effort must go through the proper channels: “For anyone wanting to help, to protect against harmful interference, it is important to go through the Haitian government before any radio equipment or spectrum resources are used in Haiti.”

Harry Dannals, W2HD -- who led the ARRL as President from 1972-1982 and was named ARRL President Emeritus in 1984 -- has been named President Emeritus of the Quarter Century Wireless Association (QCWA). Dannals also served as President of QCWA from 1989-1994; he is the only person to ever serve as President to both organizations. In addition to his work with the QCWA and ARRL, Dannals is a Fellow in the Radio Club of America (RCA), a member of the Society of Wireless Pioneers (SOWP), the Old Old Timers Club (OOTC) and the Veteran Wireless Operators Association (VWOA). In 2002, he was inducted into the CQ Magazine Amateur Radio Hall of Fame. “I was pleased to learn that the QCWA’s leadership has conferred upon Harry Dannals this very well-deserved accolade,” said ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN. “As the only person to have served as President of the ARRL and the QCWA, he is unique among amateurs.”

We've seen average daily sunspot numbers for this reporting week. Since last Thursday through Wednesday this week, the numbers rose more than 9 points to 28; the average solar flux slipped more than 2 points to 81.9. Geomagnetic indices were a tiny bit lower. Sunspot numbers for January 21-27 were 17, 30, 40, 32, 34, 28 and 15, with a mean of 28. The 10.7 cm flux was 82.6, 82.4, 84.6, 84.6, 81.2, 79.8 and 77.8, with a mean of 81.9. The estimated planetary A indices were 4, 2, 4, 4, 3, 3 and 2, with a mean of 3.1. The estimated mid-latitude A indices were 4, 2, 4, 2, 3, 1 and 0, with a mean of 2.3. The predicted solar flux for January 29-31 is 76, 80 on February 1-2, 82 on February 3-5 and 88-89 for the following five days. We don't see any geomagnetic upset predicted until February 16, with the planetary A index only rising to 10, which is hardly an upset.

On the road, Surfin' views the world of radio through the windshield.

Late last year, the FCC issued a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) -- WT Docket 09-209 -- seeking to amend the Commission's Amateur Radio Service rules to clarify certain rules and codify existing procedures governing the vanity call sign system, as well as revise certain rules applicable to club stations. Interested parties may make comments on the NPRM in the following ways: via the Federal eRulemaking Portal or via the FCC’s Web site. Comments must be submitted by March 26, 2010; reply comments are due no later than April 12, 2010.

With the coming of the new ARRL Web site, we are looking at ways to better bring you Amateur Radio news. In order to do this properly, we will be temporarily suspending the ARRL Audio News while we look for solutions that will enable us to provide the technical quality and distribution channels that you expect from the ARRL. The last edition of the ARRL Audio News (for now) will be produced on Thursday, January 28.

Amateur Radio operators with the US Air Force Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) have been actively supporting the Air Force’s efforts to bring relief to the earthquake-stricken country of Haiti. Via the Air Force MARS Phone Patch network, USAF MARS members have been providing communications support to air crews flying equipment and supplies to the devastated nation. Numerous phone patches have been facilitated by USAF MARS members, connecting in-flight military aircraft en route to and from Haiti and elsewhere with stations on the ground back in the United States. In one instance, USAF MARS operators ran a phone patch for a transport aircraft returning from the Caribbean area with a group of foreign nationals on board. “The volunteer service our MARS operators provide is greatly appreciated by the air crews who rely on us to get the job done,” said Barry Priddy, a USAF MARS phone patch operator in Chesapeake, Virginia. “Sophisticated on-board communications equipment sometimes fails, but they know we are here 24/7 to help.” The USAF MARS Phone Patch net is available for worldwide official patches and has sponsored phone lines for morale patches. It is one of several MARS networks that use HF radio to relay communications worldwide, around the clock and in real time, With member stations coast-to-coast, reliable communications links can be established between military aircraft and ground stations anytime day or night. The use of multiple radio frequencies also facilitates point-to-point communications regardless of atmospheric propagation conditions. -- Thanks to David J. Trachtenberg, N4WLL, USAF MARS Public Information Officer for Region III and Northeast Area, for the information