The ARRL Letter
October 17, 2019

* ARRL to Launch New On the Air Magazine
* ARRL Online Auction Bidding is Now Open
* Report Causes Concern and Confusion in California's Amateur Radio
Ranks
* NASA Spacecraft Launches on Mission to Explore Frontier of Space
* So Now What? Podcast
* Next School Club Roundup Set for October 21 - 25
* The K7RA Solar Update
* Just Ahead in Radiosport
* PACTOR Developer SCS Announces Monitoring Software
* AMSAT Goal: "Amateur Radio in Every CubeSat"
* Homebrew Heroes Award for 2019 in Amateur Radio Announced
* In Brief...
* Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions

ARRL to Launch New On the Air Magazine

ARRL is launching a new magazine, On the Air, in January 2020. To be
published on a bimonthly basis, On the Air will offer new and
beginner-to-intermediate-level radio amateurs a fresh approach to
exploring radio communication. Each issue will include advice and
insights on topics from the variety of Amateur Radio interests and
activities: radio technology, operating, equipment, project building,
and emergency communication. The goal of this new magazine is to be a
vital resource in helping new and newer radio amateurs get active and
involved in radio communications.

"On the Air responds to the brand-new and not-so-brand-new radio
amateur seeking ideas and answers," said QST Managing Editor Becky
Schoenfeld, W1BXY. Schoenfeld is part of the ARRL staff team that
developed the new magazine. The planning included an extensive
national-level study of new Amateur Radio licensees, identifying their
motivations for getting licensed and their experiences of getting
started. A focus group responded positively to a trial sample edition
of the magazine.

"Too many new licensees never take the next step," says Schoenfeld.
"We're excited to introduce a new Amateur Radio magazine for this
audience, aimed at getting them active, getting them involved, and
getting them on the air."

The first issue of On the Air will be published in January 2020
(January/February issue) and will be introduced as a new ARRL
membership benefit. Effective November 1, when eligible US radio
amateurs join ARRL or renew their memberships, they will be prompted to
select the print magazine of their choice -- On the Air or QST. Current
members receiving the print edition of QST, upon renewal, may choose to
continue receiving the print edition of QST (monthly) or the print
edition of On the Air (bimonthly).

All ARRL members, including international members, will be able to
access digital editions of both QST and On the Air. Members who already
access QST on the web or from the mobile app will be able to access QST
and On the Air starting in January.
ARRL Online Auction Bidding is Now Open

Bidding began today, October 17, on more than 230 items on the block in
the 14th annual ARRL Online Auction. Bidding got under way at 10 AM EST
(1400 UTC), and the auction will continue through Thursday, October 24,
closing at 10 PM EST (Friday, October 25, at 0200 UTC).

The 2019 auction includes lab-tested QST "Product Review" gear, vintage
books, used equipment, and one-of-a-kind items. Some premier "Product
Review" items up for bid include the Elecraft KPA1500 legal-limit HF
and 6-meter linear amplifier, the Icom IC-7610 HF and 6-meter
transceiver, the Palstar LA-1K 160 - 6 meter amplifier, the FlexRadio
Systems FLEX-6400M HF and 6-meter SDR transceiver, and the Kenwood
TS-890 HF and 6-meter transceiver.

Among book offerings in the auction are the "sold out" 2019 Handbook
Boxed Set, a special defense edition of The Radio Amateur's Handbook
from 1942, and a 1949 ARRL Antenna Book.

Proceeds from the annual Online Auction benefit ARRL education
programs. Bidders must register (your arrl.org user ID and password
will not work on the auction site). If you have registered for a
previous ARRL Online Auction, you may use the same login information
this year.

Report Causes Concern and Confusion in California's Amateur Radio Ranks

By all credible and reliable accounts, the State of California has not
turned its back on Amateur Radio as an emergency communication
resource, nor have established repeater owners been asked to remove
their equipment from state-owned sites unless they pay sizable fees.
The California controversy, inflamed by a viral YouTube video, stemmed
from a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE)
communication telling a repeater owner or group that Amateur Radio
equipment would have to be removed from a state-owned site or "vault"
if the owner(s) determined the cost was too great to proceed with a
formal application to keep it there.

"I do understand and appreciate all of the service you have provided in
the past," CAL FIRE's Lorina Pisi, told the unknown repeater owner(s)
or group(s) last month. "However, with constantly changing
technological advances, there is no longer the same benefit to State as
previously provided. Therefore, the Department no longer financially
supports HAM operators [sic] radios or tenancy. If you desire to enter
into a formal agreement to operate and maintain said equipment, you
must complete and submit attached collocation application along with
fee as outlined on page one of application. There is cost associated
with getting an agreement in place."

It's not clear to whom Pisi's memo was addressed, because any name or
names were redacted from the version of the memo that is being
circulated. ARRL reached out to Pisi but has not heard back.

ARRL officials who have also looked into the situation agree that it's
been blown out of proportion by parties with their own agendas.

"The State of California has not made any determination we can find
'that Ham Radio [is] no longer a benefit,'" Pacific Division Director
Jim Tiemstra, K6JAT, is quoted on the Sacramento Valley Section
website. "What happened is that CAL FIRE has transferred responsibility
for its communications sites to its property management department.
That department has the task of evaluating each site, its condition,
use, and tenants. If a repeater not known to be associated with the
emergency management function of a local jurisdiction is found in a CAL
FIRE vault, the default action is to move it out or subject it to
commercial rental rates."

ARRL Southwestern Division Director Dick Norton, N6AA, has been
responding to inquiries with the same message. Read more.
NASA Spacecraft Launches on Mission to Explore Frontier of Space

NASA's Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) spacecraft is in orbit
for a first-of-its-kind mission to study a region of space where
changes can disrupt communications and satellite orbits, and even
increase radiation risks to astronauts. ICON was launched on October 11
after a Stargazer L-1011 aircraft from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
in Florida carried it to about 39,000 feet. Then, a Pegasus rocket
fired the roughly refrigerator-sized ICON into space.

+----------------------------------+
|An artist's rendering of NASA's |
|ICON spacecraft, which was |
|launched into space last week at |
|39,000 feet from a L-1011 |
|Stargazer aircraft. [NASA image] |
+----------------------------------+

The spacecraft's solar panels successfully deployed, indicating it has
power with all systems operating, NASA reported. ICON will start
sending back its first science data in November.

ICON will study changes in the ionosphere, where, in addition to
affecting radio signal propagation, space weather can prematurely decay
spacecraft orbits and expose astronauts to radiation-borne health
risks. "Historically, this critical region of near-Earth space has been
difficult to observe," NASA explained. "Spacecraft can't travel through
the low parts of the ionosphere and balloons can't travel high enough."
ICON's orbit around Earth places it at a 27� inclination at an altitude
of about 360 miles, from which it can observe the ionosphere around the
equator.

Nicola Fox, Director for Heliophysics at NASA Headquarters in
Washington, said that ICON will be the first mission to simultaneously
track what's happening in Earth's upper atmosphere and in space to see
how the two interact, causing the kinds of changes that can disrupt
radio communication. ICON will employ four instruments to explore the
connections between the neutral atmosphere and the electrically charged
ionosphere. Three of these rely on the phenomenon called airglow, which
is created by a process similar to that which causes aurora -- gas is
excited by radiation from the sun and emits light. By way of airglow,
ICON can observe how particles throughout the upper atmosphere are
moving. ICON's fourth instrument provides direct measurements of the
ionosphere around it.

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) veteran Will
Marchant, KW4WZ (ex-KC6ROL), is part of the ICON team.

So Now What? Podcast

"Ham Lingo" will be the focus of the new (October 17) episode of the So
Now What? podcast for Amateur Radio newcomers.

If you're a newly licensed Amateur Radio operator, chances are you have
lots of questions. This biweekly podcast has answers! So Now What?
offers insights from those who've been just where you are now. New
episodes will be posted every other Thursday, alternating new-episode
weeks with the ARRL The Doctor is In podcast.

So Now What? is sponsored by LDG Electronics, a family owned and
operated business with laboratories in southern Maryland that offers a
wide array of antenna tuners and other Amateur Radio products.

ARRL Communications Content Producer Michelle Patnode, W3MVP, and ARRL
Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, co-host the podcast. Presented as a
lively conversation, with Patnode representing newer hams and Carcia
the veteran operators, the podcast will explore questions that newer
hams may have and the issues that keep participants from staying active
in the hobby. Some episodes will feature guests to answer questions on
specific topic areas.

Listeners can find So Now What? on Apple iTunes, Blubrry, Stitcher
(free registration required, or browse the site as a guest), and
through the free Stitcher app for iOS, Kindle, or Android devices.
Episodes will be archived on the ARRL website.
Next School Club Roundup Set for October 21 - 25

ARRL's twice-yearly School Club Roundup (SCR) gets under way on Monday,
October 21, at 1300 UTC, and runs through Friday, October 25, at 2359
UTC. Stations may operate for up to 24 hours during the entire contest
and for 6 hours during any single 24-hour period. Any mode -- SSB, CW,
or digital -- is allowed for the event.

Stations will participate in five categories: Elementary/Primary,
Middle/Intermediate/Junior High School, Senior High School,
College/University Club, and Non-School Club. There is also a category
for Individuals to participate.

The most popular time for younger students to be on the air is during
after-school hours, but older students may be on the air at any time.
Groups are limited to one transmitter on the air at any given time.
Stations exchange signal report, category (School, Club, or
Individual), and state, province, or DXCC entity. Stations can be
worked once per band and mode. Participants will now be able to make up
to three contacts with a station on each band using CW, voice, and
digital modes.

The School Club Roundup is co-sponsored by ARRL and the Long Island
Mobile Amateur Radio Club (LIMARC), and results appear in QST as well
as online. The top three entries in each category -- Elementary,
Middle/Intermediate/Junior High School, Senior High School
College/University -- will receive an award certificate. Non-school
clubs or multioperator groups and individuals are also eligible for
certificates.

Submit scores and logs via the SCR score entry website. Scores and logs
may be entered from the time the contest begins through the log
submission deadline. Paper logs are acceptable as well. Logs for the
October SCR are due by November 9.

The K7RA Solar Update

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Solar activity remains very low. At
the bottom of the sunspot cycle, any sunspot activity is fleeting.
Another week has passed with no sunspots at all. Spaceweather.com
reports no sunspots for the past 2 weeks, and the total number of
spotless days this year is now 213, or 73%, which matches the
percentage of spotless days in 2008 -- 11 years ago.

Average daily solar flux during the week of October 10 - 16 was 67.3,
down insignificantly from 67.6 during the previous week.

The average daily planetary A index was 6.4, down from 14.4 over the
previous week, and the average daily mid-latitude A index declined from
11 to 5.1.

The predicted solar flux for the next 45 days is 68, through the end of
November.

Predicted planetary A index is 5 on October 17 - 20; 12, 8, 5, 18, 25,
12, 10, and 8 on October 21 - 28; 5 on October 29 - November 9; 8 on
November 10 - 11; 5 on November 12 - 16; 15 on November 17; 5 on
November 18 - 19; 15, 20, 10 and 8, on November 20 - 23, and 5 on
November 24 - 30.

Rick Tucker, W0RT, of Parsons, Kansas, was listening for HZ1TT (Saudi
Arabia) on October 14 on 21.023 MHz at 1045 UTC. The band sounded dead,
but at 1115 UTC he copied several European stations calling and working
the Saudi station. Tucker said he never heard HZ1TT, but HZ1TT was
spotted by a station in New Brunswick, Canada.

Sunspot numbers for October 10 - 16 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, and 0, with
a mean of 3.1. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 67.5, 68.5, 68.3, 67.2,
66.2, 67.2, and 66.3, with a mean of 67.3. Estimated planetary A
indices were 13, 8, 5, 2, 6, 5, and 6, with a mean of 6.4. Middle
latitude A index was 10, 6, 4, 1, 5, 5, and 5, with a mean of 5.1.

A comprehensive K7RA Solar Update is posted Fridays on the ARRL
website. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the
ARRL Technical Information Service, read "What the Numbers Mean...,"
and check out K9LA's Propagation Page.

A propagation bulletin archive is available. Monthly charts offer
propagation projections between the US and a dozen DX locations.

Share your reports and observations.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Just Ahead in Radiosport
* October 18 -- Zombie Shuffle (CW)
* October 19 -- Feld Hell Sprint
* October 19 -- Argentina National 7 MHz Contest (Phone)
* October 19 - 20 -- Araucaria World Wide VHF Contest (CW, phone)
* October 19 - 20 -- ARRL EME Contest (CW, phone, digital)
* October 19 - 20 -- JARTS WW RTTY Contest
* October 19 - 20 -- 10-10 International Fall Contest (CW)
* October 19 - 20 -- All New York QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
* October 19 - 20 -- Worked All Germany Contest (CW, phone)
* October 19 - 20 -- Stew Perry Topband Challenge (CW)
* October 20 -- Asia-Pacific Fall Sprint (CW)
* October 20 -- UBA ON Contest, 2 Meters (CW, phone)
* October 20 - 21 -- Illinois QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
* October 20 -- RSGB RoLo CW
* October 21 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW)
* October 21 - 25 -- ARRL School Club Roundup (CW, phone, digital)
* October 21 - 22 -- Telephone Pioneers QSO Party (CW, phone,
digital)
* October 23 -- SKCC Sprint (CW)
* October 23 -- RSGB 80-Meter Autumn Series (Digital)

See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. For in-depth
reporting on Amateur Radio contesting, subscribe to The ARRL Contest
Update via your ARRL member profile email preferences.

PACTOR Developer SCS Announces Monitoring Software

SCS, the company that created PACTOR, has unveiled software that offers
the ability to monitor the content of PACTOR 1, 2, and 3 transmissions
over the air. The free PMON software runs under the Linux operating
system. A software version to monitor PACTOR 4 is scheduled to become
available next year. PMON will offer "thorough observation and
documentation of all presently available PACTOR 1, 2, and 3
transmissions," SCS said.

"PMON covers all PACTOR levels with the appropriate speed levels and
packet variations," SCS said. "PMON will read in parallel PACTOR 2 and
PACTOR 1. The very wide receiving range (frequency offset �200 Hz), as
well as automatic sideband recognition, ease routine operation of PMON
with PACTOR 2 and PACTOR 3 considerably."

According to SCS, only minimal hardware is required to use PMON. The
equipment complement includes a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ (minimum)
computer and a USB sound device. SCS noted in an October 11 news
release that all SCS PACTOR hardware modems include a command to allow
PACTOR monitoring on the fly. The German company says PMON now makes
this possible without a modem and adds the ability to decode
B2F/LZHUF-compressed messages -- Winlink email and others.

"This exciting new software development for Raspberry Pi complements
and surpasses previously released SCS software that leveraged PACTOR
modems' ability to monitor PACTOR to read Winlink for meaning," SCS
said. The company also said the new software permits modem-less
monitoring of all kinds, something that would be useful for monitoring
Winlink email traffic.

The Winlink Development Team called the new software a "welcome
contribution to the Amateur Radio community."

The issue of message encryption arose in recent months with respect to
renewed attention to ARRL's so-called "symbol rate" petition for
rulemaking (RM-11708) and the accommodation of automatically controlled
digital stations (ACDS) -- many of which employ Winlink. Some
commenters on ARRL's petition have asserted incorrectly that PACTOR
facilitates de facto message encryption, which would violate FCC
Amateur Service rules.

AMSAT Goal: "Amateur Radio in Every CubeSat"

AMSAT wants to see Amateur Radio in every CubeSat, and it's partnering
with non-Amateur Radio partners to make that happen. In the "Apogee
View" editorial for the September/October issue of The AMSAT Journal,
Executive Vice President Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, wrote, "[W]e continue to
support a stream of LEO satellites. RadFxSat-2/Fox-1E is ready for
launch no earlier than December 1, 2019, on the ELaNa XX mission. The
linear transponder and telemetry system carried aboard Fox-1E was
designed for use in different CubeSats by merely adding an interface
adapter for connection to the host bus."

+-----------------------------+
|AMSAT Executive Vice |
|President Paul Stoetzer, |
|N8HM. |
+-----------------------------+

Stoetzer said CubeSat programs interested in launching an Amateur Radio
payload may partner with AMSAT to carry a Fox-1E module on their
spacecraft. "By providing Amateur Radio capability, the CubeSat program
gets a worldwide ground station network to receive their telemetry and
experiment data while the Amateur Radio community gets a transponder to
use in orbit," he pointed out.

Stoetzer said the first such partnership will be with the Husky
Satellite Lab at the University of Washington. Its 3U CubeSat --
HuskySat-1 -- is set to launch on the ELaNa XXV mission from Wallops
Island, Virginia, no sooner than November 2. A Northrop Grumman Cygnus
spacecraft will carry HuskySat-1 to the International Space Station,
and after completing its mission there, Cygnus will continue to an
orbit of approximately 500 kilometers (310 miles) to deploy HuskySat-1.

"After a 30-day mission to complete tests of its experimental payloads
-- a pulsed plasma thruster, and a K-band (24 GHz) communications
system -- the satellite will be turned over to AMSAT, and the linear
transponder will be made available to the Amateur Radio community,"
Stoetzer said.

AMSAT will celebrate its 50th anniversary at its 2019 Board of
Directors meeting and AMSAT Space Symposium October 18 - 20 in
Arlington, Virginia. -- Thanks to AMSAT News Service
Homebrew Heroes Award for 2019 in Amateur Radio Announced

The Homebrew Heroes Award Program has announced its first annual
recipient. He is Hans Summers, G0UPL, of East Sussex in the UK. The
annual award recognizes individuals, groups, or organizations who help
define the frontiers of Amateur Radio technology through the
long-standing tradition of constructing their own equipment.

+-------------------------------+
|Homebrew Hero Hans Summers, |
|G0UPL. |
+-------------------------------+

"Our Steering Committee sought the advice of an anonymous selection
committee that surveyed the landscape of known homebrew designers in
Amateur Radio," Steering Committee member Frank Howell, K4FMH, said in
an October 13th news release. "There are indeed many very deserving
ones! But only one can be chosen each year." Other Steering Committee
members are Martin Butler, M1MRB, and Colin Butler, M6BOY -- all
affiliated with the ICQ Podcast.

For his part, Summers said he was humbled and "just blown away by it
all" to be the first recognized with the Homebrew Heroes Award. Summers
said he's been sharing his homebrew work and that of his company QRP
Labs through his website for years. "To have these efforts publicly
recognized in this way is so personally gratifying," Summers said.

Martin Butler said that Summers "has continually demonstrated to all
with at least one eye open that the traditional homebrew craft and
science is alive and well."

"I've watched Hans Summers continue to innovate in his design of
terrific homebrew kits and products that have made a fantastic impact
on the Amateur Radio marketplace," Colin Butler added. "As publisher of
the ICQ Podcast, I am delighted for us to serve as the official
promotional partner of this awards program." Read more.
In Brief...

Scouting's Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) takes place this weekend. The
largest Scouting event in the world, with an estimated half-million
participants, JOTA links Scouts and hams across the nation and around
the world via Amateur Radio. Typical exchanges may include name,
location, Scout rank, age, and hobbies. JOTA officially starts Friday
evening during the "JOTA Jump Start" and runs through Sunday evening.
The event will be competing for band spectrum with the popular Worked
All Germany (WAG) contest. JOTA participants seeking contacts with
stations in Europe should note that the WAG rules define contest-free
segments, so the two events can operate at the same time with minimal
problems. -- Thanks to Boy Scouts of America and Geert Jan de Groot,
PE1HZG

The legendary Radio Corporation of America (RCA) incorporated on this
date, October 17, in 1919. RCA negotiated patent cross-licensing
agreements with other industry leaders, paving the way for the
explosive development of American radio in the early 1920s. In 1921,
WCC in Chatham, Massachusetts, became the first RCA coastal station
equipped with tube sets offering 2 kW on 600 and 2200 meters. The WCC
Amateur Radio Association (WCCARA) continues its year-long celebration
of the RCA centennial as WA1WCC/100RCA. -- Thanks to Ed Moxon, K1GGI,
trustee, WCC commemorative station WA1WCC

Two separate groups took advantage of the Amateur Radio Emergency Data
Network (AREDN) to monitor wildfires in California. The Mariposa Area
Amateur Radio Organization (MAARO) used the Amateur Radio mesh to
stream -- via microwave -- video from the Briceburg Fire near Yosemite
National Park. The Pleasant Valley Amateur Radio Club (PVARC) employed
the AREDN mesh to stream video from the Saddle Ridge Fire near Los
Angeles from a repeater site overlooking San Fernando Valley. The
Briceburg and Saddle Ridge fires are now under control, but archived
streams are still available. This is the same network that was used to
stream video from the Thomas and Woolsey fires in 2017 and 2018,
respectively. -- Thanks to Ben Kuo, AI6YR

A mail delivery problem has affected delivery of West Gulf Division
Board election ballots. Recent flooding has affected some US Postal
Service distribution centers in the Houston area, damaging some sorting
machines. This is delaying delivery to many members in that area. They
are processing mail, but there are delays in processing bulk mail,
which include the ballots. If you still do not receive your ballot by
Monday, October 21, 2019, please send a request for a new ballot. ARRL
Headquarters will process replacement requests on Tuesday, October 22,
2019, via first-class mail and daily as later requests come in. Read
more.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
* October 18 - 19 -- Delta Division Convention, East Ridge, Tennessee
* October 18 - 20 -- Pacific Division Convention, San Ramon,
California
* October 19 -- 21st Wisconsin ARES/RACES Conference, Wisconsin
Rapids, Wisconsin
* October 26 -- South Carolina Section Convention, Conway, South
Carolina
* November 2 - 3 -- Georgia State Convention, Lawrenceville, Georgia
* November 16 -- Indiana Section Convention, Fort Wayne, Indiana
* December 13 - 14 -- West Central Florida Section Convention, Plant
City, Florida
* January 4 -- New York City-Long Island Section Convention,
Brookville, New York
* January 17 - 18 -- North Texas Section Convention, Forest Hill,
Texas
* January 19 - 25 -- Quartzfest, Quartzsite, Arizona
* January 24 - 26 -- Puerto Rico State Convention, Hatillo, Puerto
Rico
* January 25 -- ARRL Midwest Conference (Winterfest), Collinsville,
Illinois

Find conventions and hamfests in your area

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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--- SendMsg/2

--- Squish/386 v1.11
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Limestone, TN, USA (1:18/200)

The ARRL Letter
October 24, 2019

* ARRL Creates New Online Groups for Members to Communicate with
Leadership
* New ARRL Handbook and ARRL Antenna Book Editions Available in Your
Favorite Format
* New Antenna Concept Uses Saltwater and Plastic Instead of Metal
Conductor
* The Doctor Will See You Now!
* IARU Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ, Offers Amateur Radio Perspective
on WRC-19
* Pitcairn Island VP6R DXpedition Proving Popular; Injured Operator
Evacuated
* FCC Turns Down Petition to Amend Amateur Radio Identification Rules
* The K7RA Solar Update
* Just Ahead in Radiosport
* MARS Members to Work with Radio Amateurs during SET and DOD COMEX
19-4
* Arizona Club Takes vantage of Low Bands to Support 100-Mile
Endurance Run
* Getting It Right!
* Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
ARRL Creates New Online Groups for Members to Communicate with
Leadership

ARRL's Committee on Communication with ARRL Members has opened new
online forums where all radio amateurs -- ARRL members and non-members
alike -- can discuss issues and topics in two-way conversation with
ARRL leadership. The new groups are aimed at enhancing communication
among ARRL leadership, staff, members, and prospective members, in a
manner that enables timely updates and collegial discussion.

This project was based on the success over the past several years of
the ARRL-LoTW (Logbook of The World) Group in responding to Amateur
Radio operators' questions and generating discussion on ways to improve
that program. "The LoTW initiative has clearly demonstrated the
effectiveness of online Groups as a means of achieving the desired
interaction," ARRL said in announcing the new groups.

ARRL has added three online groups:
* ARRL-Contesting -- Moderated by ARRL Contest visory Committee
Chairman Dennis Egan, W1UE.
* ARRL-Awards -- Moderated by ARRL Radiosport and Field Services
Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ.
* ARRL-IARU -- Moderated by IARU Secretary Dave Sumner, K1ZZ.

The existing ARRL-LOTW group, which has about 4,750 members, remains
hosted by Groups.io but has moved.

Everyone who subscribes to an ARRL Group is also automatically
subscribed to the "ARRL Groups" group. This administrative feature will
allow ARRL to convey routine announcements relevant to subscribers of
all ARRL groups.

ARRL IT Manager Michael Keane, K1MK, worked with Groups.io to set up
the new groups. Since these new groups are hosted on a Groups.io
platform, those wishing to subscribe must use a Groups.io username and
password, if they have one, or create a Groups.io account if they
don't.

In the months ahead, the Committee envisions creating more online
groups to support two-way communication focusing on areas of additional
interest to radio amateurs, including ARRL activities, services,
initiatives, and policies.

ARRL currently hosts members-only online forums that include Awards and
Contesting. While these forums will continue to operate, participants
will be encouraged to post new threads in the appropriate new groups.

Participants will be expected to adhere to some basic ground rules:
* All questions are welcome, no matter how many times they have
already been asked and answered, or how obvious the answers might
be in the documentation.
* Neither personal attacks nor foul language will be tolerated.
Violators will immediately be placed on "moderated" status, meaning
their subsequent posts will require Moderator approval until the
Moderator's trust has been regained.
* Individuals posting are reminded that these forums are open to
everyone, including prospective hams and operators who are not ARRL
members but may be thinking about joining. Civility and courtesy
are expected, even when you may take issue with a post or thread
topic. Read more.
New ARRL Handbook and ARRL Antenna Book Editions Available in Your
Favorite Format

Now shipping, the latest editions of The ARRL Handbook for Radio
Communications and The ARRL Antenna Book for Radio Communications are
available in formats that best suit your needs. The 2020 edition of the
Handbook offers three choices -- traditional softcover, a six-volume,
shrink-wrapped book set (not a boxed set), and eBook digital editions.
The 24th edition of the Antenna Book now is available as a four-volume
boxed set, in addition to the traditional softcover version, and eBook
digital editions. The Handbook and the Antenna Book also are available
in Kindle editions.

The 2020 Handbook

The ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications limited-edition six-volume
set is workbench friendly. Grab the volume you need without having to
retrieve the entire Handbook. Volumes are divided by major topic areas.

ARRL introduced the first edition of The Radio Amateur's Handbook in
1926. Ever since, the Handbook has been recognized as a benchmark for
radio communications learning and applied knowledge. This 97th edition
is a complete guide to radio experimentation, discovery, and
innovation.

New Handbook projects and content include an analysis of Solar Cycle
24, and discussion of what we can expect from Cycle 25; an
easy-to-build RF choke that can squelch the line noise from your ac
generator; a guide to compare rotator ratings and how to choose,
install, and maintain rotators; an annual transceiver survey (don't buy
your next radio before reading it), and supplemental content, such as a
high-voltage switching power supply, a tunable RF preamplifier, a 10 W
audio amplifier, and more, available for download.

Both Handbook formats include a unique code so you can download and
install a fully searchable digital edition of the printed book, as well
as expanded supplemental content, software, PC board templates, and
other support files.

The Handbook six-volume book set, ARRL Item No. 1137, ISBN
978-1-62595-113-7, is $59.95 retail. The Handbook softcover edition,
ARRL Item No. 1076, ISBN 978-1-62595-107-6, is $49.95 retail. Order
from the ARRL Store, from your ARRL Dealer, or call 860-594-0355 or,
toll-free in the US, 888-277-5289. The Handbook Kindle edition comes in
six separate volumes, automatically delivered to your Kindle, for $9.99
per volume (Vol 1, Vol 2, Vol 3, Vol 4, Vol 5, Vol 6).

The ARRL Antenna Book, 24th Edition

ARRL introduces the limited-edition Antenna Book as a four-volume boxed
set, divided into manageable volumes and including a hard slipcase for
easy storage and access. Just reach for the volume you need without
having to retrieve the entire Antenna Book. The four volumes are
divided by major topic areas.

Showcasing 80 years of antenna know-how, this 24th edition of the
Antenna Book represents persistent pioneering development by radio
amateurs, for radio amateurs. You'll find new and time-tested antenna
projects for nearly any conceivable circumstance.

New Antenna Book projects and content include info about the highly
popular HF transmitting loops; an all-new chapter on VHF/UHF antennas;
some new MF, HF, and 6-meter antennas; the importance of ground and
bonding; how to troubleshoot your antenna tuner quickly and easily;
getting the most out of your antenna analyzer, and designing a
high-performance "Band-Optimized Log Periodic Dipole Array."

Both editions of the Antenna Book include a unique code that lets you
download and install a fully searchable digital edition of the printed
book and offers expanded supplemental content, software, PC board
templates, and other support files.

The Antenna Book four-volume boxed set, ARRL Item No. 1144, ISBN
978-1-62595-114-4, is $64.95 retail. The Antenna Book softcover
edition, ARRL Item No. 1113, ISBN 978-1-62595-111-3, is $49.95 retail.
The Antenna Book eBook edition, ARRL Item No. 1113MLD for Mac/Linux or
ARRL Item No. 1113WD for Windows is $49.95. Order from the ARRL Store,
from your ARRL Dealer, or call 860-594-0355 or toll-free in the US,
888-277-5289. The Antenna Book Kindle edition comes in four separate
volumes, automatically delivered to your Kindle, for $9.99 per volume
(Vol 1, Vol 2, Vol 3, Vol 4). Read more.

New Antenna Concept Uses Saltwater and Plastic Instead of Metal
Conductor

A new antenna that uses saltwater and plastic instead of metal could
make it easier to build VHF and UHF networks, an IEEE Spectrum article
asserts.

Michelle Hamson says, "Being able to focus the energy of a radio signal
toward a given receiver means you can increase the range and efficiency
of transmissions," in her article, "New Antenna Uses Saltwater and
Plastic to Steer Radio Beams." According to the article, beam-steering
or beamforming on a large scale is one of the key underlying mechanisms
behind the rollout of 5G networks. The configuration of the saltwater
antenna allows 360� beam-steering and works for frequencies between 334
and 488 MHz.

In a recent publication in IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation
Letters, Lei Xing and her colleagues at the College of Electronic and
Information Engineering at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and
Astronautics in China have proposed a new saltwater-based antenna that
achieves 12 directional beam-steering states, and one omnidirectional
state.

"The proposed design consists of a circular ground plane, with 13
transparent acrylic tubes that can be filled with (or emptied of) salt
water on demand. One tube is located in the center to act as a driven
monopole. Surrounding it are 12 parasitic monopoles," the article
explains. "The 12 remaining monopoles, when filled with water, work
together to act as reflectors and give the broadcasted signal
direction."

"The attractive feature of using water monopoles is that both the water
height and activating status can be dynamically tuned through
microfluidic techniques, which has a higher degree of design
flexibility than metal antennas," explains Xing.

One limitation of salt water-based antennas, she notes, is that that
the permittivity of salt water -- i.e, how it interacts with electrical
fields -- is sensitive to temperature variations.
The Doctor Will See You Now!

"Beverage Antennas" is the topic of the new (October 24) episode of the
ARRL The Doctor is In podcast. Listen...and learn!

Sponsored by DX Engineering, ARRL The Doctor is In is an informative
discussion of all things technical. Listen on your computer, tablet, or
smartphone -- whenever and wherever you like!

Every 2 weeks, your host, QST Editor-in-Chief Steve Ford, WB8IMY, and
the Doctor himself, Joel Hallas, W1ZR, will discuss a broad range of
technical topics. You can also email your questions to doctor@arrl.org,
and the Doctor may answer them in a future podcast.

Enjoy ARRL The Doctor is In on Apple iTunes, or by using your iPhone or
iPad podcast app (just search for ARRL The Doctor is In). You can also
listen online at Blubrry, or at Stitcher (free registration required,
or browse the site as a guest) and through the free Stitcher app for
iOS, Kindle, or Android devices. If you've never listened to a podcast
before, download our beginner's guide.

IARU Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ, Offers Amateur Radio Perspective on
WRC-19

Writing in a special World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 (WRC-19)
edition of ITU News Magazine, International Amateur Radio Union (IARU)
Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ, offers an overview of conference agenda
items and issues pertaining to amateur radio in his article, "Views of
the International Amateur Radio Union on WRC-19 Agenda Items." WRC-19
gets under way on October 28 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, and continues
until November 22.

Sumner noted that the IARU has participated in ITU conferences since
1927 and is a member of the ITU Radiocommunication and Development
sectors. According to Sumner, the IARU's overall objectives for WRC-19
are global harmonization of the amateur 50 - 54 MHz allocation;
maintenance of existing spectrum access for amateurs, and strengthening
protections for radiocommunication services against interference from
other RF generators.

"When new technology is developed that generates radiofrequency energy,
it is essential that adequate protection of radiocommunication services
be included in the system design," Sumner said. He concluded by noting,
"No future agenda items for new or harmonized spectrum allocations for
the amateur services are being sought at WRC-19. This position does not
preclude seeking specific allocations in the unallocated spectrum above
275 GHz, if allocations to other services are considered. IARU is
carefully monitoring proposals for future agenda items that may impact
existing amateur and amateur-satellite allocations." Read more.
Pitcairn Island VP6R DXpedition Proving Popular; Injured Operator
Evacuated

At mid-week, the Pitcairn Island VP6R DXpedition reported some 35,000
contacts in the log, including what team leader Glenn Johnson, W0GJ,
called "a lot of activity" on 12 and 10 meters. VP6R also has been
taking advantage of FT8 digital protocol, operating in fox/hound (F/H)
mode. The team arrived at the South Pacific island on October 17 and at
the home of Andy Christian, where the DXpedition's equipment had been
shipped well in advance.

The team is down to 12 operators after one individual fell and suffered
several fractures. "Our evacuated team member has made it to the
hospital in Papeete, French Polynesia," Johnson said in a mid-week
update. "DXpeditions to remote places are not without risk, and medical
care is quite limited at best," he pointed out in an earlier report.
The injured operator is not being identified for privacy reasons.

By Saturday, the DXpedition team had settled into its operating routine
from two sites -- one at Christian's home and the other at an old radio
station site that is serving as VP6R's primary low-band site. "Pitcairn
has power from 8 AM until 10 PM," Johnson explained. "After 10 PM, we
switch to generators until morning. The 'radio site' is 100% generator
powered."

Johnson stressed that those attempting to work VP6R on FT8 in F/H mode
must use a frequency above 1,000 Hz; the DXpedition is transmitting
somewhere below 500 Hz. "The software will move your transmit frequency
down automatically when your turn comes up in the queue, if you have
F/H mode set up properly," he said. "If you see your FT8 contact
confirmed with 'RR73,' you can be assured that you are in the log."

VP6R is active around the clock on 20 meters on more than one mode. The
DXpedition team will be on all bands during the CQ World Wide DX phone
contest, October 25 - 26. The VP6R logs are periodically uploaded to
Club Log.

Third-graders at Dorothy Grant Elementary School in Fontana,
California, and their teacher Bev Matheson, WA6BK, are following the
Pitcairn Island DXpedition teams travels and amateur radio operation,
using the school's club station, K6DGE. They will talk with DXpedition
team members and learn about Pitcairn Island, some geography, a bit
about early explorers, navigation, the oceans, ecology, different
customs and heritages, and communication skills. "We are thrilled to
have these kids following us and expanding their world through amateur
radio," the VP6R team said on its website.

FCC Turns Down Petition to Amend Amateur Radio Identification Rules

The FCC has denied a Petition for Rule Making (PRM) to amend Part 97
station identification rules to better accommodate and simplify station
identification during emergency nets, drills, or activations. ARRL
member Robert A. Dukish, KK8DX, of Canfield, Ohio, had sought a change
to Section 97.119(a) of the rules to allow a single point of
transmission for station ID on those occasions. He proposed permitting
a net control station or other designated participant to announce the
call signs of every station taking part in the net or exercise, when
tactical call signs often are in use, at 10-minute intervals, using
automatic CW identification.

In turning down Dukish's petition, Scot Stone, the Deputy Chief of the
Wireless Telecommunications Bureau's Mobility Division, said commenters
overwhelmingly opposed the proposal.

"They argue that the current rule strikes the appropriate balance
between the need to identify the source of transmissions and ease of
communication," Stone wrote. "Commenters state that, in their years of
experience with amateur emergency communications, the station
identification requirement has not proven to be a burden or obstacle,
and that the current procedure actually contributes to efficient
operations by providing a clear indication that a communication has
ended and the channel is available."

Stone said some commenters asserted that Dukish's proposed procedure
would be unworkable and cause confusion, while others characterized his
proposal as a solution in search of a problem.

"The purpose of the station identification requirement is to make the
source of transmissions clearly known to those receiving those
transmissions," Stone wrote. "Separating the call sign from each
transmission would defeat this purpose." Moreover, he said there's no
evidence that the current station ID requirements have hindered amateur
radio emergency communications.
The K7RA Solar Update

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: On Monday, October 21, the
10.7-centimeter solar flux sank to its lowest level in recorded
history. The solar flux was 64, just slightly lower than the 64.4 flux
value recorded on July 2, 1954, at the start of Solar Cycle 19, which
was by far the biggest solar cycle ever recorded. I understand that the
solar flux dipped to 64.2 in 1906.

Over the October 17 - 23 reporting week, the average daily solar flux
was 65.3 -- 2 points lower than last week. The average daily planetary
A index dropped from 6.4 to 4.7, while the average daily mid-latitude A
index declined from 5.1 to 3.1. And, of course, no sunspots showed up.

Predicted solar flux for the next 45 days is 66 on every day from
October 24 through December 7.

The predicted planetary A index is 22 and 30 on October 24 - 25; 15 on
October 26 - 28; 8 on October 29; 5 on October 30 - November 16; 15, 8,
and 5 on November 17 - 19; 20 and 24 on November 20 - 21; 15 on
November 22 - 23; 12 and 8 on November 24 - 25, and 5 on November 26 -
December 7.

Sunspot numbers for October 17 - 23 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, and 0, for a
mean of 0. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 66.1, 66.1, 66, 65, 64, 65.6,
and 64.5, for a mean of 65.3. Estimated planetary A indices were 6, 6,
5, 6, 5, 3, and 2, with a mean of 4.7. The middle latitude A index was
4, 4, 3, 4, 4, 2, and 1, with a mean of 3.1.

A comprehensive K7RA Solar Update is posted on Fridays on the ARRL
website. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the
ARRL Technical Information Service, read "What the Numbers Mean...,"
and check out K9LA's Propagation Page.

A propagation bulletin archive is available. Monthly charts offer
propagation projections between the US and a dozen DX locations.

Share your reports and observations.

Just Ahead in Radiosport
* October 26 - 27 -- CQ World Wide DX Contest, SSB
* October 30 -- UKEICC 80-Meter Contest (CW)
* October 31 -- RSGB 80-Meter Autumn Series, SSB

See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. For in-depth
reporting on amateur radio contesting, subscribe to The ARRL Contest
Update via your ARRL member profile email preferences.
MARS Members to Work with Radio Amateurs during SET and DOD COMEX 19-4

During October and corresponding with the ARRL Simulated Emergency Test
(SET), Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) members will be reaching
out to the amateur radio community to continue building working
relationships and improving interoperability. As part of this effort,
MARS will be promoting the use of a serial phase-shift keying protocol,
Military Standard 188-110 (M110), on the 60-meter interoperability
channels. Radio amateurs are authorized to use this digital mode on the
five 60-meter interop channels, although M110 exceeds the allowable
symbol rate that radio amateurs may use on all other HF bands.

Starting on November 2 and continuing until November 17, the MARS
community will be executing Department of Defense (DOD) Communications
Exercise (COMEX) 19-4. MARS members will use the exercise to continue
training and refining their operator skills to provide situational
awareness information, such as county status reports and weather
observations.

To announce the kickoff of the exercise, WWV and WWVH will broadcast
voice announcements starting on or about October 31. WWV will transmit
the announcements at 10 minutes past the hour, while WWVH will transmit
them at 10 minutes before the hour.

The communication exercise will culminate on the evening of November 16
with military stations sending M110 messages to the amateur community
on 60-meter channel 1 (5330.5 kHz USB).
Arizona Club Takes vantage of Low Bands to Support 100-Mile Endurance
Run

The Coconino Amateur Radio Club (CARC) provided safety and coordination
communications for the 100-mile Stagecoach Line Run over the September
21 - 22 weekend. This 31-hour endurance run from Flagstaff to the Grand
Canyon takes place every September. Supporting the event requires
planning and commitment. Because of the geographical coverage required,
the club's amateur radio support even took advantage of 160 meters,
which is not a band typically associated with public service
communication.

The Hull Cabin checkpoint, south of
the Grand Canyon, with Bill Smith,
KQ1S, and Hannah Seidler on duty.
[Photo courtesy of Bill Smith,
KQ1S]

"Because we are in a solar minimum, a combination of bands and
communication methods were required in order to track and maintain
contact with the numerous stations," said Dan Shearer, N7YIQ, the
club's Public Information Officer. "What worked well at 3 o'clock in
the afternoon was not going to work at 2 in the morning." The club's
communication infrastructure required a combination of HF and VHF/UHF
equipment that included setting up portable repeaters and stations
powered by generators and other power sources.

"When you add in the cold weather of the high desert in September and
the possibility of rain and snow, this becomes a test of what Amateur
Radio may be called upon to do to support a disaster somewhere in the
nation," Shearer said.

CARC members invested more than 300 hours of their time in planning and
supporting the race, helped by a few additional volunteers from
Glendale and Prescott. Nineteen club members staffed eight sites, where
volunteers set up camps and kept vigil through the night to track and
make sure runners were accounted for throughout the race.

A typical race checkpoint. This one
was north of Flagstaff. [Scott
Downard, N7SMD, photo]

In addition to tracking runners into and out of each aid station, net
control entered these times into an online spreadsheet as they
progressed through the race, allowing runners to be located easily in
case they did not make it to the next checkpoint.

During the event, CARC members helped locate two missing runners and
helped save the life of another who developed severe asthma. Medical
care and treatment during these types of extreme events poses a
significant challenge, as EMS responses are delayed. "Much of the area
between Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon is US Forest Service land, and
travel through these areas by vehicles is slow," Shearer explained.
"Severe emergencies can only be handled by aircraft, if conditions
permit."

During the race, 75 meters worked well during the day, but 160 meters
was put into play after dark. Cross-band repeaters were placed at
remote sites to allow access to existing repeaters. Although VHF and
UHF were used, these links at times became unusable, and alternate
forms and bands were required to maintain contact.
Getting It Right!

The item, "PACTOR Developer SCS Announces Monitoring Software," which
appeared in the October 17 edition of The ARRL Letter, included some
inaccurate language. The story should have said, "The issue of message
transparency arose in recent months with respect to renewed attention
to ARRL's so-called 'symbol rate' petition for rulemaking (RM-11708)
and the accommodation of automatically controlled digital stations
(ACDS) -- many of which employ Winlink. Some commenters on ARRL's
petition have asserted incorrectly that PACTOR facilitates de facto
message encryption, which would violate FCC Amateur Service rules."
(Neither Winlink nor PACTOR are encrypted.)

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
* October 26 -- South Carolina Section Convention, Conway, South
Carolina
* November 2 - 3 -- Georgia State Convention, Lawrenceville, Georgia
* November 16 -- Indiana Section Convention, Fort Wayne, Indiana
* December 13 - 14 -- West Central Florida Section Convention, Plant
City, Florida
* January 4 -- New York City-Long Island Section Convention,
Brookville, New York
* January 17 - 18 -- North Texas Section Convention, Forest Hill,
Texas
* January 19 - 25 -- Quartzfest, Quartzsite, Arizona
* January 24 - 26 -- Puerto Rico State Convention, Hatillo, Puerto
Rico
* January 25 -- ARRL Midwest Conference (Winterfest), Collinsville,
Illinois

Find conventions and hamfests in your area.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for
Amateur Radio News and Information.

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* Join or Renew Today! ARRL membership includes QST, amateur radio's
most popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox
each month.
* Listen to ARRL Audio News, available every Friday.

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Free of charge to ARRL members...
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----------------------------------------------------------------------

The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 50 times each year. ARRL members
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Copyright (c) 2019 American Radio Relay League, Incorporated. Use and
distribution of this publication, or any portion thereof, is permitted for
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purposes require written permission.


--- SendMsg/2

--- Squish/386 v1.11
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Limestone, TN, USA (1:18/200)

The ARRL Letter
October 31, 2019

* World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 Opens in Egypt
* Congressional Champion of Amateur Radio Greg Walden, W7EQI,
Announces Retirement
* Taking vantage of Coaxial Cable Capacitance
* So Now What? Podcast
* ARRL November Sweepstakes Offers Two Weekends of Fun
* ARRL Headquarters Welcomes New Section Managers for Orientation
* The K7RA Solar Update
* Just Ahead in Radiosport
* Revised AMSAT-NA Website in Development
* In Brief...
* Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 Opens in Egypt

World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 (WRC-19) is under way in Sharm
el-Sheikh, Egypt. More than 3,500 delegates from 193 member-states
around the world are attending the month-long gathering, sponsored by
the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which opened on
Monday, October 28. WRC-19 delegates will discuss changes to the ITU
Radio Regulations. Amateur radio issues are but a small part of the
conference agenda. The ITU is characterizing the aim of the conference
as forging pathways for future digital communications.

"WRC-19 [is] to manage scarce radio-frequency spectrum for rapidly
evolving terrestrial and space-based communication technologies," ITU
said in a news release, describing WRC-19 as an "international
treaty-making conference governing the global management of scarce
radio-frequency spectrum as well as geostationary-satellite and
non-geostationary-satellite orbits." UN Secretary-General Ant�nio
Guterres addressed WRC-19 by video.

The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) and its member-societies
are representing the Amateur and Amateur Satellite Services with a team
of 14 people from 10 countries. Agenda Items of particular interest to
IARU are:
* Agenda Item 1.1, to allocate spectrum in the 50 - 54 MHz Region in
Region 1 to the Amateur Service.
* Agenda Item 1.13, to consider new spectrum for International Mobile
Telecommunications, which could potentially impact amateur spectrum
at around 47 GHz.
* Agenda Item 1.16, which could impact amateur spectrum at 5 GHz.
* Agenda Item 9.1.6, addressing Wireless Power Transmission (WPT),
where harmonics of WPT systems could negatively impact the MF/HF
radio spectrum.
* Agenda Item 10, to consider WRC-23 agenda items that could impact
the Amateur Service, including the 1240 - 1300 MHz band.

"This meeting is the culmination of 4 years' work by IARU in ITU and
regional telecommunications organizations to protect and enhance
Amateur Service frequency allocations," IARU said.

At WRC-19 this week, the official document on IARU WRC-19 positions on
various current agenda items and views on future proposals that may
impact the Amateur Service was released. Also released was the detailed
50 MHz study report that provides the basis for the consideration of
Agenda Item 1.1. In addition to classical narrow-band analog usage, the
study considers wider-bandwidth digital systems.

IARU Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ, reported on the ITU
Radiocommunication Assembly (RA) that took place in Sharm el-Sheikh
just ahead of WRC-19.

"Last week, the RA met to approve standards developed during the 2015 -
2019 cycle of work in the ITU Radiocommunication Sector and to begin
planning the work for the next 4 years," Sumner said in a post to the
ARRL IARU Group. Sumner said Brazilian delegation member Flavio
Archangelo, PY2ZX, with the support of several other administrations,
pressed for greater attention to the growing problem of radio noise.

"There is tight security around the conference center and the official
hotels," Sumner reported.
Congressional Champion of Amateur Radio Greg Walden, W7EQI, Announces
Retirement

One of amateur radio's strongest supporters in the US House of
Representatives, Oregon Republican Greg Walden, W7EQI -- the top
Republican on the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee -- said
this week that he will not seek another term in 2020. Walden, 62, who
will have served for 22 years in the US House at the end of his current
term, championed the Amateur Radio Parity Act as the chair of the
Subcommittee on Communications and Technology. He went on to chair the
US House Energy and Commerce Committee in the 115th Congress, and has
served as the panel's ranking member since the Democratic Party gained
control of the House.

"I will close the public service chapter of my life, thankful for the
friends I've made and the successful work we've done together," Walden
said in a statement.

In 2014, the ARRL Board of Directors voted to confer the first Barry
Goldwater, K7UGA, Achievement Award "in recognition of many years of
exceptional contributions to the strength and vitality of the Amateur
Radio Service in the United States."

In 2002, Walden was an original cosponsor of H.R. 4720, the Amateur
Radio Emergency Communications Consistency Act, which aimed to provide
relief to amateurs faced with private deed covenants, conditions, and
restrictions -- CC&Rs -- in erecting antennas by requiring private
land-use regulators, such as homeowners' associations, to "reasonably
accommodate" amateur radio communication

In 2003, he cosponsored H.R. 713, the Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection
Act, and during a hearing on the bill, Walden called for a halt to the
"astonishing" erosion of amateur radio spectrum.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

"Despite [ham radio's] widespread use and importance in times of
emergencies, land-use restrictions in some areas have prioritized
esthetics over the rights of hams. -- US Representative Greg Walden,
W7EQI

-------------------------------------------------------------------

In 2004, Walden wrote the FCC chairman, seeking to have the Commission
defer action on the Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) rulemaking until
the release of a National Telecommunications and Information
ministration (NTIA) study and an opportunity for public comment. That
same year, during a hearing on telecom convergence, Walden grilled a
BPL industry representative about interference.

In 2010, Walden cosponsored H.R. 2160, the Amateur Radio Emergency
Communications Enhancement Act -- a subsequent bill addressing the
issue of private land-use constraints on amateur radio antennas.

In 2011, ARRL was invited to testify before Walden's subcommittee on
"Creating an Interoperable Public Safety Network," offering an
opportunity to defend 420 - 440 MHz against reallocation.

During a 2016 Capitol Hill hearing, Walden called the Amateur Radio
Parity Act (H.R. 1301) "a commonsense bill" and urged his colleagues to
support it.

"As a ham radio operator, I'm acutely aware of the passion that amateur
radio operators have for their service," Walden told the subcommittee.
"Despite [ham radio's] widespread use and importance in times of
emergencies, land-use restrictions in some areas have prioritized
esthetics over the rights of hams. H.R. 1301 seeks to ensure that
amateur radio operators get a fair shake and protection from
unnecessary bans on their equipment by instructing the FCC to adopt
rules to this end."

Taking vantage of Coaxial Cable Capacitance

Jeff Blaine, AC0C, had a bad capacitor in the 15-meter filter section
of his 5B4AGN multiband band-pass filter, because as he puts it, "they
have been treated terribly over the years." One way to damage a filter
is to use power levels at the limit of the filter into a load that
presents a high SWR -- especially a high duty cycle mode like RTTY. He
didn't have the required small 14 pF capacitor, so he trimmed a piece
of

Jeff, AC0C, used a small length of
RG58 coaxial cable to replace a
failed low-value capacitor in a
bandpass filter. [Jeff Blaine, AC0C,
photo]

RG-58 to the required value - coaxial cable exhibits a certain amount
of capacitance per unit length.

"The repaired 15-meter filter runs 1.10:1 or better SWR across the band
with an insertion loss of about 0.65 dB," he reports. Blaine advises
that the RG-58 "can be coiled up and secured with some tie wraps" and
that it should be kept away from the toroid to minimize interaction --
a half-inch is probably sufficient. This approach may work well for
other applications where a low-value capacitor is difficult to obtain
and space is available.

Blaine uses an L/C meter to measure the capacitance as the piece of
cable is trimmed to approach the target value, and he leaves the cable
about a quarter of an inch, then trims the braid back to increase the
distance between it and the center conductor. He puts shrink wrap over
the end, and measures the passband of the filter section with the
chassis cover in place. -- Thanks to the ARRL Contest Update
So Now What? Podcast

"A Halloween and Throwback Special with QST Senior Editor, Jen Glifort,
KC1KNL," will be the focus of the new (October 17) episode of the So
Now What? podcast for amateur radio newcomers.

If you're a newly licensed amateur radio operator, chances are you have
lots of questions. This biweekly podcast has answers! So Now What?
offers insights from those who've been just where you are now. New
episodes will be posted every other Thursday, alternating new-episode
weeks with the ARRL The Doctor is In podcast.

So Now What? is sponsored by LDG Electronics, a family owned and
operated business with laboratories in southern Maryland that offers a
wide array of antenna tuners and other amateur radio products.

ARRL Communications Content Producer Michelle Patnode, W3MVP, and W1AW
Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, co-host the podcast. Presented as a
lively conversation, with Patnode representing newer hams and Carcia
the veteran operators, the podcast will explore questions that newer
hams may have and the issues that keep participants from staying active
in the hobby. Some episodes will feature guests to answer questions on
specific topic areas.

Listeners can find So Now What? on Apple iTunes, Blubrry, Stitcher
(free registration required, or browse the site as a guest), and
through the free Stitcher app for iOS, Kindle, or Android devices.
Episodes will be archived on ARRL's website.

ARRL November Sweepstakes Offers Two Weekends of Fun

The ARRL November Sweepstakes (SS) weekends again loom large on the
amateur radio contest horizon. The CW weekend is November 2 - 4 -- this
weekend -- while the phone weekend is November 16 - 18. Both events
begin on Saturday at 2100 UTC and conclude on Monday at 0259 UTC. An
Operating Guide that relates some of the history and evolution of these
North American contests is available. SS offers operating categories
for every preference. The goal for many seasoned SS operators is to
complete a "clean sweep" by working all 83 ARRL and Radio Amateurs of
Canada (RAC) Sections. Some may just want to dabble. Others enjoy
trying to make a clean sweep by working one station in each section.
Most SS operators, though, simply try to run up the contact and
multiplier counts, staying in the chair for the full 24 (out of 30)
allowable hours.

Some multipliers are much rarer than others, although these can shift
from one event to the next. Stations in Puerto Rico and the Virgin
Islands have been absent in recent years after hurricanes devastated
those areas. Northern Territories (NT) is often the most difficult, and
for a while, it looked as though the NT mainstay, VY1AAA (at the Yukon
Territory station of J. Allen, VY1JA), might not be on the air this
month. Allen has stepped away from amateur radio, and his station was
supposed to have been dismantled already. But circumstances changed,
the VY1JA station is still intact, and Gerry Hull, W1VE/VE1RM, says
he'll be making the NT multiplier available to the SS multitude.

"100% I will be on with guns blazing, CW and SSB," Hull told ARRL this
week. "The big 'if' was getting J's Alpha 9500 back in working order,
and that happened last Friday. After that, we are done. So, a sweep
will be possible."

Hull will operate VY1AAA remotely from New Hampshire. He said that for
the CW event this weekend, he'll either stay very low in the band --
the bottom 5 kHz -- or operate above 40 kHz to avoid interference. And
while he's a snappy CW operator, he promises to slow down for anyone.

"The trick will be finding my own Section," Hull added. "Let's see if
the propagation gods are with us. I hope so, for this swan song."

Once the VY1JA station is finally dismantled, VY1AAA will also be off
the air, unless Hull is able to secure another station. Hull told ARRL
earlier this year that he's been searching for several months for
another Northern Territories station that would be willing to host
remote operation.

Allen cited long-term health issues and hearing loss for his decision
to retire from ham radio, and his familiar VY1JA call sign will retire
with him.

Gerry Hull, W1VE/VE1RM, operates
VY1AAA remotely during ARRL Field
Day.

"The VY1AAA team is greatly saddened by this turn of events," Hull
said. "Hams around the world will surely miss J and the VY1AAA team on
the bands. J has been an incredible friend and mentor." Over the past 4
years, VY1AAA has logged more than 35,000 contacts, and QSL requests
will continue to be honored.

Operators with limited time to get on the air may want to raise the
excitement level by "running" -- i.e, calling CQ -- a lot of stations
or by operating later in the contest, when the SS regulars will be on
the lookout for call signs they have not yet encountered.

For both the CW and phone events, stations exchange a sequential serial
number (no leading zeros needed), an operating category (precedence),
call sign, the last two digits of the year of first license for either
operator or station (check), and ARRL/RAC Section.

Many areas of the US change from daylight saving time to standard time
at 2 AM local time on November 3 by moving clocks back 1 hour. UTC is
not affected. -- Thanks to Gerry Hull, W1VE/VE1RM, and The ARRL Contest
Update
ARRL Headquarters Welcomes New Section Managers for Orientation

Back row (L - R): Rick Breininger,
N1TEK (Wyoming); Tom Preiser, N2XW
(Southern New Jersey); John
Gotthardt, K1UAF (New Hampshire);
Dan Marler, K7REX (Idaho), and
Lelia Garner, WA0UIG (Iowa).
Bottom row (L - R): Paul Stiles,
KF7SOJ (Montana), Steve Ewald,
WV1X (ARRL Field Services
Manager), Steve Smith, KG5VK
(North Texas). [Michelle Patnode,
W3MVP, photo]

Newly elected ARRL Section Managers were at ARRL Headquarters October
11 - 13 for the 2019 New Section Manager Workshop. Attendees got a
detailed tour through ARRL Headquarters to meet and talk with staff
leaders and staff members, participated in various training and
orientation presentations and discussions, and enjoyed the chance to
operate W1AW. Attending were Tom Preiser, N2XW (Southern New Jersey);
Paul Stiles, KF7SOJ (Montana); Steven Lott Smith, KG5VK (North Texas);
Dan Marler, K7REX (Idaho); Rick Breininger, N1TEK (Wyoming); John
Gotthardt, K1UAF (New Hampshire), and Lelia Garner, WA0UIG (Iowa). --
Thanks to Steve Ewald, WV1X

The K7RA Solar Update

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Still no sunspots, but average daily
solar flux rose this week from 65.3 to 68.5 -- yet there have been
surprising reports of HF stations heard and worked over long distances.

On Friday and Saturday, a coronal hole let loose a solar wind stream,
causing geomagnetic instability, and the average daily planetary A
index rose from 4.7 to 16.4.

Predicted solar flux has increased recently, with values of 70 on
October 31 - November 7; 66 on November 8-23; 70 on November 24 -
December 6, and 69 on December 7-14.

Predicted planetary A index is 8 on October 31 - November 1; 5 on
November 2-4; 8 and 10 on November 5-6; 5 on November 7-16; 15, 8, and
5 on November 17-19; 20 and 24 on November 20-21; 15 on November 22-23;
12 on November 24; 5 and 15 on November 25-26; 12 on November 27-28,
and 5 on November 29 - December 14.

Sunspot numbers for October 24 - 30 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, and 0, with
a mean of 0. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 65, 68.6, 68.6, 68.8, 69.4,
69.2, and 69.7, with a mean of 68.5. Estimated planetary A indices were
18, 29, 25, 15, 11, 8, and 9, with a mean of 16.4. Middle latitude A
index was 12, 29, 17, 11, 8, 8, and 6, with a mean of 13.

A comprehensive K7RA Solar Update is posted Fridays on the ARRL
website. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the
ARRL Technical Information Service, read "What the Numbers Mean...,"
and check out K9LA's Propagation Page.

A propagation bulletin archive is available. Monthly charts offer
propagation projections between the US and a dozen DX locations.

Share your reports and observations.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Just Ahead in Radiosport
* November 1 -- Silent Key Memorial Contest (CW)
* November 2 -- IPARC Contest (CW)
* November 2 - 3 -- Ukrainian DX Contest (CW, phone)
* November 2 - 4 -- ARRL November Sweepstakes (CW)
* November 3 -- IPARC Contest (SSB)
* November 3 -- EANET Sprint (CW, phone, digital)
* November 3 -- High Speed Club CW Contest
* November 4 -- RSGB FT4 Contest Series
* November 5 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW)
* November 6 -- UKEICC 80-Meter Contest (Phone)
* November 7 -- NRAU 10-Meter Activity Contest (CW, phone, digital)
* November 7 -- SKCC Sprint Europe (CW)

See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. For in-depth
reporting on amateur radio contesting, subscribe to The ARRL Contest
Update via your ARRL member profile email preferences.

Revised AMSAT-NA Website in Development

AMSAT Treasurer and Vice President of User Services Robert Bankston,
KE4AL, has announced that the AMSAT Board has approved his
recommendations for an internet-based membership management system, the
transition to a digital full-color edition of AMSAT Journal, and a
complete overhaul of the AMSAT-NA website.

"I have been putting together these proposals for several months and
thank the Board of Directors for the permission to move these projects
forward," Bankston said at the conclusion of the 2019 AMSAT Symposium
and Annual General Meeting over the weekend. He said the improvements
will modernize how AMSAT serves its members and that the new membership
management system will give members control over their membership
accounts, allowing them to update contact information, pay dues, and
register for events. He did not indicate when the updated website would
be up and running.

Bankston said the new website will aim to make navigating the site more
intuitive with portals for members and friends in the AMSAT community,
how-to guides on getting started in amateur radio satellites, and
information about current satellites and what is needed to work them.

"In addition, the program will automatically push out reminders,
newsletters, and a digital copy of the AMSAT Journal," Bankston
explained. "Transitioning to a digitally delivered AMSAT Journal will
allow us to provide a full-color magazine without raising the cost of
membership. In addition, we will have the opportunity to provide
member-only content on our website and to include back issues of our
AMSAT Journal."

AMSAT is marking its 50th anniversary in 2019. -- Thanks to AMSAT News
Service
In Brief...

Results and certificates from the Hiram Percy Maxim (HPM) Birthday
Celebration August 31 - September 8 are now available. The 9-day
operating event commemorated the 150th anniversary of the birth of ARRL
cofounder and first president Hiram Percy Maxim, W1AW. Amateurs from 57
ARRL/RAC Sections and four countries submitted more than 25,000
contacts over the course of the event. Results of the event and
downloadable certificates are on the ARRL Contests Page. A special HPM
150 QSL card is available for stations that worked W1AW/150 during the
event. To receive a card, send your QSL with an SASE to W1AW, 225 Main
St., Newington, CT 06111.

The ARRL Foundation has announced for additional recipients of
scholarships that it manages. The Albemarle Scholarship was awarded to
Dalton Southerland, W1DGS, of Louisburg, North Carolina; the Atlanta
Radio Club Scholarship was awarded to Emily Wilbourn, KM4JXB, of
Buford, Georgia; the Cordel Scholarship was awarded to Collin Pike,
KJ4AXB, of Roanoke, Alabama, and the Winscot Scholarship was awarded to
Anna Grogen Pike, KD4PCU, of Roanoke, Alabama.

More than 50 Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES^(R)) and Auxiliary
Communication Service (ACS) volunteers supported the MCAS Miramar Air
Show. They donated some 500 hours of their time to support public
safety at the largest show of its type in the US over the September 27
- 29 weekend in San Diego, California. Miramar served as the shooting
location for the 1986 film Top Gun. Performances by the US Navy Blue
Angels and the British Royal Air Force Red Arrows drew large crowds
that strained anxious public safety services at the annual event.
Working daily 12-hour shifts, ARES operators continuously patrolled the
crowds looking for air show guests in distress with heat exhaustion or
lost family members, while ACS hams liaised with law enforcement
agencies and kept information flowing between agencies. High noise
levels from low-flying aircraft were challenging. During a barbecue
break, volunteers compared notes about whose noise-cancelling
headphones worked best, as well as how to secure the transceiver
connections and to avoid open mics. -- Thanks to Dave Kaltenborn,
N8KBC, via The ARRL ARES E-Letter

Louisiana and Mississippi amateur radio volunteers supported the "Bike
MS: Dat's How We Roll" Event. Over the October 5 - 6 weekend, 32
amateur radio volunteers from the Southeast Louisiana Amateur Radio
Club (SELARC), the Southwest Mississippi Amateur Radio Club (SMARC),
and Southeast Louisiana ARES supported the "Bike MS: Dat's How We Roll"
event. The tour provided 267 volunteer hours in support of the annual
multiple sclerosis bike ride from Hammond, Louisiana, to Percy Quin
Park, Mississippi, and back. The hams used the SELARC VHF repeater and
the LWARN UHF repeater system to provide communication for safety,
logistics, and medical teams along the route on the back-country roads
of Louisiana and Mississippi. Event sponsors, staffers, and friends and
families of the cyclists as well as the cyclists themselves expressed
their appreciation for the work of the ham radio volunteers and were
impressed with the capabilities of amateur radio, Communications
Coordinator Bob Priez, WB5FBS, said.

[IMG]The Yasme Foundation Board of Directors has approved a supporting
grant of $4,000 to Club Log and Club Log Author Michael Wells, G7VJR.
The grant will support capital improvements, needed to take the system
into the future with improved resiliency, enhanced performance, and the
hardware needed for continued innovation, such as an interface to other
online services like CloudLog. Club Log caters to DXers and DXpedition
hosting. Yasme's association with Club Log began with a grant in 2012,
when the system hosted 67 million contacts with 7,300 users. Today,
Club Log boasts some 70,000 active users and some 590 million contacts.
The Yasme Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation organized to
support scientific and educational projects related to amateur radio,
including DXing and the introduction and promotion of amateur radio in
developing countries.

Eric Tichansky, NO3M, and Roger Crofts, VK4YB, are claiming a new world
distance record on 630 meters. They worked each other on October 14 at
1032 UTC using JT9 mode. Tichansky said the contact represented the
culmination of 2 years of effort around every equinox since September
2017. "Hopes were wearing thin as we were moving away from the recent
equinox on September 23," he said. "Even when the path may have been
open over the past 3 weeks, either end would be plagued with QRN." He
said that while the opening that facilitated the record-breaking
contact was not comparably as strong as past openings, "something
special was obviously at play." The contact covered 9,307.5 miles
(14,979 kilometers), topping the previous record of 8,351.9 miles set
by Roger Crofts, VK4YB, and Kenneth Roberson, K5DNL, by nearly 1,000
miles. Tichansky said his transmit antenna is a 67-foot top-loaded
vertical, and the receive antenna is a full-sized eight-circle array
comprised of short verticals. The transmit/receive at VK4YB is a
linear-loaded vertical. -- Thanks to Eric Tichansky, NO3M

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
* November 2 - 3 -- Georgia State Convention, Lawrenceville, Georgia
* November 16 -- Indiana Section Convention, Fort Wayne, Indiana
* December 13 - 14 -- West Central Florida Section Convention, Plant
City, Florida
* January 4 -- New York City-Long Island Section Convention,
Brookville, New York
* January 17 - 18 -- North Texas Section Convention, Forest Hill,
Texas
* January 19 - 25 -- Quartzfest, Quartzsite, Arizona
* January 24 - 26 -- Puerto Rico State Convention, Hatillo, Puerto
Rico
* January 25 -- ARRL Midwest Conference (Winterfest), Collinsville,
Illinois

Find conventions and hamfests in your area.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for
Amateur Radio News and Information.

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* Join or Renew Today! ARRL membership includes QST, amateur radio's
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Free of charge to ARRL members...
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----------------------------------------------------------------------

The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 50 times each year. ARRL members
and registered guests may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing
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Copyright (c) 2019 American Radio Relay League, Incorporated. Use and
distribution of this publication, or any portion thereof, is permitted for
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purposes require written permission.


--- SendMsg/2

--- Squish/386 v1.11
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Limestone, TN, USA (1:18/200)

The ARRL Letter
November 7, 2019

* IARU Reports Early Progress, Contention on Difficult Issues Mark
First Week of WRC-19
* Pitcairn Island DXpedition Logs More Than 80,000 Contacts
* MARSRADIO is Keeping the Phone Patch Alive
* The Doctor Will See You Now!
* W1AW to Commemorate 98th Anniversary of First Amateur Radio Signals
to Span the Atlantic
* SKYWARN Recognition Day Celebrates 20 Years on December 7
* The K7RA Solar Update
* Just Ahead in Radiosport
* Preparations Resume for 3Y0I Bouvet Island DXpedition
* France Gives its Highest Honor to The Secret Wireless War Author
Geoffrey Pidgeon
* In Brief...
* Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
IARU Reports Early Progress, Contention on Difficult Issues Mark First
Week of WRC-19

The first week of World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 (WRC-19) saw
agreement reached on several issues on which discussions prior to the
conference had revealed consensus. Those were the easy ones; the rest
will be more difficult, the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU)
said. The conference is in its second week in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
The IARU said the early agreements were only possible because of
countless hours of work conducted within the ITU Radiocommunication
Sector and the six regional telecommunications organizations (RTOs)
since WRC-15. Three of those decisions were on issues of interest to
the IARU.
* The band 47.0 - 47.2 GHz was allocated solely to the Amateur and
Amateur Satellite Services by the 1979 World ministrative Radio
Conference (WARC-79). Commercial wireless broadband interests had
expressed some interest in the band being designated for
International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT), and there was some
concern that such a proposal might be made at WRC-19. The fact that
none was forthcoming was due in part to the work of the IARU at the
Conference Preparatory Meeting earlier this year and in the RTOs.
The WRC has agreed to "no change" (NOC) at 47.0 - 47.2 GHz.
* Another NOC decision that avoided impact on the Amateur Service
applies to the band 5850 - 5925 MHz, an amateur secondary
allocation in Region 2. Consideration of proposals involving other
parts of spectrum in the 5 GHz range will take much longer,
according to the IARU.
* Consideration of a 50 MHz allocation in ITU Region 1 (Europe,
Africa, and the Mideast) to harmonize the allocations in the three
regions was the subject of spirited debate in a Sub Working Group
chaired by Dale Hughes, VK1DSH, of the Australian delegation. The
four RTOs in Region 1 made disparate proposals to the conference,
and a small group of administrations proposed no change. For 3
days, there was no progress toward a consensus solution, but that
changed on Friday morning. An agreement was made, subject to
confirmation by the regional groups, that will provide
administrations in Region 1 with flexibility in how to accommodate
their radio amateurs.

The WRC agreed to make no frequency allocations or other changes to the
Radio Regulations to accommodate wireless power transmission for
electric vehicles (WPT-EV). "Much more work remains to be done on an
urgent basis in the ITU and other standards organizations if

IARU President Tim Ellam,
VE6SH (right), chats with
IARU Secretary David Sumner,
K1ZZ, on the way to a WRC-19
session. [Jon Siverling,
WB3ERA, photo]

radiocommunication services are to be adequately protected from harmful
interference that may be generated by WPT-EV, both at the fundamental
frequency and from unwanted emissions," the IARU said.

One of the most difficult issues facing WRC-19 is to develop an agenda
for WRC-23. Dozens of proposals for agenda items have been suggested,
and they cannot all be accommodated within available ITU resources.

Delegates have been warned to expect more intensive use of weekend and
evening hours as the conference proceeds toward its conclusion on
November 22. -- Thanks to the IARU
Pitcairn Island DXpedition Logs More Than 80,000 Contacts

The VP6R DXpedition to Pitcairn Island shut down at 1800 UTC on
November 1, reporting 82,700 contacts. They reported excellent weather
for the teardown and got everything packed and aboard the Braveheart,
which is taking them to Mangareva. According to their update, the
oldest resident of Pitcairn Island died on November 1, and the VP6R
team attended the funeral the next day. The individual was buried next
to Tom Christian, VP6TC, who gave many radio amateurs their first
Pitcairn contacts.

During their stay on the island, VP6R team members helped two local
radio amateurs to get on the air -- Meralda Warren, VP6MW, and Mike
Warren, VP6AZ.

The entire VP6R log will be posted to Logbook of The World (LoTW), and
stations may QSL via K9CT.

"On behalf of the team, our off-island support members, and our
sponsors, may I say thank you to our DX audience for your interest,
support, and of course, the QSOs," Ralph Fedor, K0IR, said. "To the
kids at the Dorothy Grant Elementary School, thank you for taking part
in this great adventure with us through ham radio. You brightened our
path."

The DXpedition reported high spirits, big pileups, and good
propagation, giving out "many all-time new ones" during its stay. "We
had fun with this," Fedor said. "We hope you did too."

VP6R operated from two sites on the island. During their stay, the team
took part in the CQ World Wide DX Contest (SSB). A DXpedition veteran,
Fedor had to pull out of the Pitcairn Island trip due to health issues,
but maintained a support role.

MARSRADIO is Keeping the Phone Patch Alive

A military plane over the North Atlantic suddenly experiences rapid
decompression. A call goes out to MARSRADIO, explaining the emergency
and requesting a phone patch to the aircraft's command post. Over the
next few hours, a MARSRADIO volunteer handles many phone patches to
help resolve the situation. An adjunct within the Air Force Military
Auxiliary Radio System (MARS), MARSRADIO is reminiscent of an era when
MARS facilitated hundreds of troop morale phone patches each night
between soldiers deployed in Vietnam and their families and loved ones
back home.

Today, MARS is more oriented to official Department of Defense (DoD)
communication, but the venerable phone patch remains viable within
MARSRADIO, a special MARS operations group that provides primary
service and a backup system that handles requests for official and
morale phone patches, weather forecasts, informal messages, selective
calling tests, and radio checks. Membership in MARSRADIO is open to
both Army and Air Force MARS members, and it is seeking additional
volunteers.

MARSRADIO members have advanced station capabilities, put in many hours
of participation, and operate under more stringent requirements than
the standard MARS program does. These include the ability to monitor
two frequencies simultaneously; an amplifier; a directional antenna
(i.e., Yagi) for operation above 13 MHz; dipoles for use below 13 MHz;
internet access; at least 36 hours of participation per quarter, and no
digital requirement, if MARSRADIO is the station's primary assignment.

"MARSRADIO" is the net call sign for the 11th Air Force MARS MARSRADIO
Squadron (11AFMS) under the 1st AFMARS Special Operations Group
(1AFMSOG). MARSRADIO net members guard frequencies as much as possible,
and the net is authorized 24/7/365. MARSRADIO serves as a backup to US
Defense Department communication, including the US Air Force Global
System, handling an average of 2,500 requests each year for assistance
-- from providing estimated times of arrival to communications
involving medical or mechanical emergencies.

MARSRADIO has evolved into a DoD asset that's noteworthy for its
volunteer support, and interest is rising as HF regains importance.
Volunteers handle communication for all branches of the military and
for other US government users. All types of DoD aircraft and ground
units may request support to complete their missions, and the net is
open to US allies.

MARSRADIO is not for every ham or every MARS member, but those
interested in service would be working with real-time traffic on a
daily basis. A fast-track program is in place to bring well-qualified
operators directly into MARSRADIO. While today's MARS is highly digital
and encrypted, the phone patch is a totally different animal. Members
of MARSRADIO do not need digital capability. They don't even need a
landline. A Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) connection via the
internet will provide the phone line needed to run a patch.

More information on MARSRADIO is available.
The Doctor Will See You Now!

"Antenna Switches" is the topic of the new (November 7) episode of the
ARRL The Doctor is In podcast. Listen...and learn!

Sponsored by DX Engineering, ARRL The Doctor is In is an informative
discussion of all things technical. Listen on your computer, tablet, or
smartphone -- whenever and wherever you like!

Every 2 weeks, your host, QST Editor-in-Chief Steve Ford, WB8IMY, and
the Doctor himself, Joel Hallas, W1ZR, will discuss a broad range of
technical topics. You can also email your questions to doctor@arrl.org,
and the Doctor may answer them in a future podcast.

Enjoy ARRL The Doctor is In on Apple iTunes, or by using your iPhone or
iPad podcast app (just search for ARRL The Doctor is In). You can also
listen online at Blubrry, or at Stitcher (free registration required,
or browse the site as a guest) and through the free Stitcher app for
iOS, Kindle, or Android devices. If you've never listened to a podcast
before, download our beginner's guide.

W1AW to Commemorate 98th Anniversary of First Amateur Radio Signals to
Span the Atlantic

December 11 marks the 98th anniversary of the success of ARRL's
Transatlantic Tests in 1921, organized to see if low-power amateur
radio stations could be heard across the Atlantic using shortwave
frequencies (i.e., above 200 meters). On that day, a message
transmitted by a group of Radio Club of America members at 1BCG in
Greenwich, Connecticut, was copied by Paul Godley, 2ZE, in Scotland.

While the first two-way contact would not take place until 1923, the
1921 transatlantic success marked the beginning of what would become
routine communication between US radio amateurs and those in other
parts of the world -- the birth of DX.

To commemorate this amateur radio milestone, Maxim Memorial Station
W1AW will be on the air through the day on December 11 with volunteer
operators. The goal is to encourage contacts between radio amateurs in
the US and Europe while showcasing the significance of the
transmissions that pioneered global communication and laid the
groundwork for technology widely used today.

The event will run from 1300 until 0000 UTC. Some details are still
being worked out, but operation will focus on 40 and 20 meters (SSB).

Contact Clark Burgard, N1BCG, for more information.
SKYWARN Recognition Day Celebrates 20 Years on December 7

SKYWARN Recognition Day (SRD) will mark its 20th anniversary on
December 7, 0000 to 2400 UTC. This is the day each year when radio
amateurs operate from National Weather Service (NWS) forecast offices
across the country, celebrating the long relationship between the
amateur radio community and the National Weather Service SKYWARN
program. The purpose of the event is to recognize amateur radio
operators for the vital public service they perform during times of
severe weather and to strengthen the bond between radio amateurs and
their local NWS offices.

Developed in 1999, SRD is cosponsored by ARRL and the NWS.
Traditionally, radio amateurs have assisted the mission of the NWS
through providing near real-time reports of severe weather and storm
development. Reports received from radio amateurs have proven
invaluable to NWS forecasters.

During SRD, participants exchange contact information with as many NWS
stations as possible on 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6, and 2 meters, plus 70
centimeters. Contacts via repeaters are permitted. Stations should
exchange call signs, signal reports, and locations, plus a quick
description of the weather at your location (e.g., sunny, partly
cloudy, windy, rainy, etc.). EchoLink and IRLP nodes, including the
Voice over Internet Protocol Weather Net (VoIP-WX), are expected to be
active as well.

WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center will also be on the air for
SRD, 1300 - 1700 UTC, for its 21st year of SRD participation.

Event certificates are electronic and printable from the main website
at the conclusion of SRD. To learn more, visit the SKYWARN Recognition
Day website.

The K7RA Solar Update

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Two new sunspot groups appeared this
week on two consecutive days, each lasting for only a day, with a daily
sunspot number of 11 and 13 last Friday and Saturday, just in time for
the ARRL November Sweepstakes CW weekend. Both sunspot groups had a
magnetic polarity signature indicating Solar Cycle 25 and appeared
after 4 weeks of no sunspots.

[IMG]Spaceweather.com reported both appearances as region AR2750, while
NOAA reported a new sunspot group on each day.

Solar flux was higher over the October 31 - November 6 reporting week,
with average daily solar flux rising from 68.5 to 70.4. Geomagnetic
indicators were low, with average daily planetary A index declining
from 16.4 to 4.1, and average mid-latitude A index softening from 13 to
2.7.

Predicted solar flux is 70 on November 7; 68 on November 8 - 14; 67 on
November 15 - 19; 68 and 70 on November 20 - 21; 71 on November 22 -
30; 70 on December 1 - 6; 69 on December 7 - 19, and 70 on December 20
- 21.

Predicted planetary A index is 8 on November 7; 5 on November 8 - 10; 8
on November 11 - 12; 5 on November 13 - 19; 15, 25, 18, 12, and 10 on
November 20 - 24; 8 on November 25 - 26; 5 on November 27 - December
16, and 15, 20, 18, 12, and 12 on December 17 - 21.

Even during days with no sunspots, there was notable HF propagation
recently, with the just-ended VP6R Pitcairn Island DXpedition making HF
contacts across the Americas, even on 10 meters.

Sunspot numbers for October 31 - November 6 were 0, 11, 13, 0, 0, 0,
and 0, with a mean of 3.4. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 71.2, 70.7,
70.7, 69.4, 70.8, 70.4, and 69.3, with a mean of 70.4. Estimated
planetary A indices were 7, 4, 2, 2, 4, 5, and 5, with a mean of 4.1.
The middle latitude A index was 5, 2, 1, 1, 4, 2, and 4, with a mean of
2.7.

A comprehensive K7RA Solar Update is posted Fridays on the ARRL
website. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the
ARRL Technical Information Service, read "What the Numbers Mean...,"
and check out K9LA's Propagation Page.

A propagation bulletin archive is available. Monthly charts offer
propagation projections between the US and a dozen DX locations.

Share your reports and observations.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Just Ahead in Radiosport
* November 9 - 10 -- WAE DX Contest RTTY
* November 9 - 10 -- 10-10 International Fall Contest (Digital)
* November 9 - 10 -- JIDX Phone Contest
* November 9 - 10 -- SARL VHF/UHF Analogue Contest (CW, phone)
* November 9 - 10 -- OK/OM DX Contest (CW)
* November 9 - 10 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon (CW)
* November 9 - 11 -- CQ-WE Contest (CW, phone, digital)
* November 9 - 11 -- PODXS 070 Club Triple Play Low Band Sprint
(Digital)
* November 9 - 17 -- AWA Bruce Kelley 1929 QSO Party (CW)
* November 10 -- North American SSB Sprint Contest
* November 11 -- 4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint (CW, phone)
* November 11 -- RSGB 80-Meter Autumn Series (Digital)
* November 15 -- YO International PSK31 Contest

See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. For in-depth
reporting on amateur radio contesting, subscribe to The ARRL Contest
Update via your ARRL member profile email preferences.

Preparations Resume for 3Y0I Bouvet Island DXpedition

Another attempt to activate Bouvet Island is in the planning stages,
according to the 3Y0I website. Efforts are under way to secure the
necessary funds.

"As you probably know, our first attempt to reach the island of Bouvet
in March 2019 failed," the news update said. "Despite complex
preparations and training received in Cape Town, South Africa, our
vessel got hit by a big storm so badly that we had no choice but to
sail back to Cape Town to reshuffle our plans. We were so close -- just
63 nautical miles offshore!" The 3Y0I sponsors estimate that a second
attempt would cost around $170,000. "[W]e have already secured half of
the required budget to go back to Bouvet," the announcement said,
adding that it's beyond the capacity of the DXpedition team members to
cover the entire cost, so they are trying to collect $85,000 to fund
the second attempt.

The 3Y0I team has a GoFundMe page, set up by 3Y0I team leader Dom
Grzyb, 3Z9DX. No time frame was given for the second attempt by Grzyb's
team, and it's not known if Grzyb has obtained operating permission
from the Norwegian government. The 19-square-mile subantarctic island
is a Norwegian dependency.

"Our intentions are clear: If we don't reach our fundraising goal, we
won't receive nor spend a single cent you donate and it would be
returned to your GoFundMe account for withdrawal, or to support any
other GoFundMe project of your choice," the announcement says.

"The future of amateur radio expeditions, especially in terms of
activating entities placed across cold high-latitude seas, isn't
bright," the 3Y0I statement says. "Apart from the uncertainty of future
solar cycles' strength that may badly reflect radio propagations, there
are still very few of us who realize that visiting remote cold islands
may become very seldom or even almost impossible."

According to Club Log's DXCC Most Wanted List, Bouvet Island is number
2, right behind North Korea. The unrelated 3Y0Z DXpedition attempt to
land on Bouvet in early 2018 failed after the vessel transporting the
team developed engine issues as it lay just offshore. The last
successful Bouvet activation was 3Y0E, during a scientific expedition
over the winter of 2007 - 2008. -- Thanks to Southgate Amateur Radio
News via OPDX
France Gives its Highest Honor to The Secret Wireless War Author
Geoffrey Pidgeon

The author of The Secret Wireless War, Geoffrey Pidgeon, recently
became the 6,000th veteran to receive the French Legion of Honor
(Legion d'Honneur). Through his undercover work in British
intelligence, Pidgeon, now 93, played a pivotal role in the D-Day
landings. His book, which recounts the important role of the

Geoffrey Pidgeon. [Forces TV]

Communications Division of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service (SIS)
during World War II, has long been a favorite among hams.

"There never was, in the whole history of wireless, a bigger role for
the amateur wireless enthusiast," says Pidgeon. "This is an
extraordinary story that includes hams among those patriots that
undoubtedly helped the Allied war effort."

Pidgeon said he was "somewhat overwhelmed" by the turnout for the award
presentation by French Ambassador to the UK Catherine Colonna. UK
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace also attended. The event attracted news
media as well. Reports included one from Forces TV. Pidgeon also was
interviewed by London's The Sunday Times.

"They made a fuss of me today," Pidgeon told Forces TV.

The Secret Wireless War offers a history of the SIS, its growing use of
wireless in the 1930s, its involvement in the dissemination by wireless
of Enigma (Ultra) intelligence, and a whole range of secret uses of
wireless as part of the successful prosecution of the war.

The book documents the personal tales of those who were part of this
most secret of units, and events that helped to win the war: Secret
agents abroad, wireless operators handling Ultra and agents' traffic,
wireless engineers, interceptors, and administrators; the story of
Churchill's personal wireless operator; a fleet of 70+ Packard motor
cars and converted Dodge ambulances used as mobile wireless stations;
and hams listening to the German secret service and the Gestapo.

Pidgeon's memoir of his days in MI6 Communications during World War II
is distributed in the US by ARRL.
In Brief...

The American Legion Amateur Radio Club (TALARC) will operate special
event station N9V on Veterans Day, November 11. The club's headquarters
station, K9TAL, will anchor the N9V Veterans Day operations, joined by
several TALARC stations around the US, for its annual national salute
to veterans. The American Legion is celebrating its 100th anniversary
this year. Operation will be from 1800 to 0000 UTC on or about 7.285,
14.285, and 21.285 MHz. Certificates will be available to all sending a
QSL card. More information is on the N9V profile page on QRZ.com. --
Thanks to Jim Harris, W0EM, and The National Legion Amateur Radio Club

University of Washington
doctoral candidate Paige
Northway with a HuskySat
engineering model.
[Courtesy of UW News]

A Cygnus cargo spacecraft carrying the University of Washington's
student-built HuskySat-1 CubeSat has been successfully launched. The
Cygnus docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on November 4.
It then is scheduled to depart the ISS on January 13, 2020, and raise
its orbit to approximately 500 kilometers (310 miles), where HuskySat-1
and SwampSat will be deployed. After deployment, HuskySat-1's 1,200 bps
BPSK beacon on 435.800 MHz should be active and decodable with the
latest release of FoxTelem. HuskySat-1 is expected to run its primary
mission for 30 days -- testing a pulsed plasma thruster and
experimental 24 GHz data transmitter -- before being turned over to
AMSAT for amateur radio operation. HuskySat-1 features a 30 kHz wide
145 to 435 MHz linear transponder for SSB/CW. "Usually people buy most
of the satellite and build one part of it," said Paige Northway, a
doctoral student who's been involved with the project since inception.
"We built all the parts. It was a pretty serious undertaking." For more
information about HuskySat-1's development and its science, read the UW
News article, "Washington's first student-built satellite preparing for
launch." -- Thanks to AMSAT News Service via SpaceNews.com; Paul
Stoetzer, N8HM, and UW News

The FCC is looking for a telecommunications specialist to work at the
HF Direction Finding Center in Columbia, Maryland. This is a full-time
position with a competitive salary. The incumbent would perform "watch
duty" and serve as a technical authority, providing technical
assistance and guidance to communication systems users to resolve radio
interference complaints and problems. The telecommunications specialist
collects radio signal analysis information using equipment deployed
throughout the US to collect, correlate, and analyze characteristics of
radio signals involved in interference problems, distress, or
safety-related signals, or other radio signals involved in other
high-priority activities, such as law enforcement or national defense.
This individual analyzes complaints, inquiries, and comments from
multiple sources; investigates compliances with FCC rules and
regulations, and determines appropriate actions, utilizing the FCC's
remote HF network of radio direction finders and radio signal analysis
equipment. For additional information, see the full job description.

The FCC has solicited comments on a Petition for Declaratory Ruling
clarifying Amateur Service rules governing encrypted or encoded
messages. Filed on behalf of New York University (NYU), the Petition
seeks to clarify that Section 97.113(a)(4) of the Amateur Service rules
prohibits the transmission of "effectively encrypted or encoded
messages, including messages that cannot be readily decoded
over-the-air for true meaning." Comments are due by December 2, with
reply comments (comments on comments already filed) due on December 17.
The FCC has requested that all filings refer to WT Docket No. 16-239,
which grew out of an ARRL Petition for Rule Making requesting
elimination of symbol rate limitations on the amateur bands and is
unrelated to the wider encryption issue. The NYU Petition contends that
some communication modes incorporating dynamic compression techniques
"by extension, effectively encrypt or encode the communications."

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
* November 16 -- Indiana Section Convention, Fort Wayne, Indiana
* December 13 - 14 -- West Central Florida Section Convention, Plant
City, Florida
* January 4 -- New York City-Long Island Section Convention,
Brookville, New York
* January 17 - 18 -- North Texas Section Convention, Forest Hill,
Texas
* January 19 - 25 -- Quartzfest, Quartzsite, Arizona
* January 24 - 26 -- Puerto Rico State Convention, Hatillo, Puerto
Rico
* January 25 -- ARRL Midwest Conference (Winterfest), Collinsville,
Illinois

Find conventions and hamfests in your area.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for
Amateur Radio News and Information.

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* Join or Renew Today! ARRL membership includes QST, amateur radio's
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The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 50 times each year. ARRL members
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Copyright (c) 2019 American Radio Relay League, Incorporated. Use and
distribution of this publication, or any portion thereof, is permitted for
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--- SendMsg/2

--- Squish/386 v1.11
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Limestone, TN, USA (1:18/200)

The ARRL Letter
November 14, 2019

* HamSCI Founder Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, Wins $1.3 Million
Ionosphere Study Grant
* World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 Enters Its Third Week
* RF-Seismograph Gets Traction in Hackaday
* So Now What? Podcast
* The K7RA Solar Update
* Just Ahead in Radiosport
* More Than 1 Million Contacts Logged During 2019 ARRL Field Day
* AMSAT Says HuskySat-1 is Paving the Way for Further Cooperation
* IARU and Amateur Radio Are Reaching "An Inflection Point"
* In Brief...
* Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
HamSCI Founder Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, Wins $1.3 Million Ionosphere
Study Grant

Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, now a University of Scranton physics and
electrical engineering professor, has won a $1.3 million National
Science Foundation (NSF) grant to study weather effects in the
ionosphere by leveraging a network of amateur radio stations. Frissell
is perhaps best known within the amateur radio community as the founder
of HamSCI, the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation initiative. The
Distributed Arrays of Small Instruments (DASI) project will be
implemented over 3 years. As principal investigator, Frissell -- a
space physicist -- will head a collaborative team that will develop
ground-based space science observation instruments and software. His
research effort will recruit multiple universities and radio amateurs
to operate a network of personal space weather stations.

"I'm very excited," Frissell told ARRL. "This grant is extremely
exciting for both ham radio and ionospheric research. Perhaps more than
the money, it means that the NSF is recognizing the good work that we,
as hams, are doing and the contribution we can make in the future."

Frissell said the grant demonstrates that the scientific community is
taking amateur radio seriously. "This is great for ham radio, as it
provides yet another avenue for us to contribute to the art and science
of radio in a meaningful way," he said.

The space weather equipment will be developed at two levels of
sophistication -- one at a low-cost, easy-to-use level for radio
amateurs, and another, more complex version for university partners
that will allow the collection of additional data.

"The equipment and network allows us to measure and characterize
ionospheric and geomagnetic short-term, small-scale variability on a
large geographic scale in order to understand the response of the
ionosphere to sources from above (space weather) and below (atmospheric
forcing)," Frissell explained in his grant proposal. "By designing
personal space weather station variants at multiple price points, open
sourcing the hardware and software, and directly engaging with the ham
radio community, this project maximizes the chances of widespread
adoption of this system." Frissell intends to focus his recruitment
efforts through HamSCI and TAPR. Read more.
World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 Enters Its Third Week

Intense discussions of the most contentious agenda items marked the
second week of World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 (WRC-19), but
very little was resolved.

"It is clear that long days and nights are ahead in the last 2 weeks,"
International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ,
observed earlier this week. Representatives of the IARU and its
member-societies -- 14 in all -- are attending all or part of the
conference. IARU is admitted in a non-advisory capacity. Those
representing IARU may attend meetings but may not participate unless
asked by the chairman to provide information. Sumner reported on where
issues affecting the amateur services stand at the midway point of the
conference.

50 MHz in Region 1: While a couple of details remain to be worked out
as to how other existing services in Region 1 (Europe, Africa, and the
Middle East) will be protected from interference, there is agreement
that the amateur service should gain entry at 50 MHz in the
international Table of Frequency Allocations for Region 1. The present
6-meter allocations in Regions 2 and 3 will be unchanged. Region 1
administrations came to the conference holding disparate views on this
agenda item, ranging from a 4 MHz primary allocation to no allocation
at all. Sumner said a delicate compromise led to a positive outcome.

"While it is too early to celebrate, we are cautiously optimistic that
the compromise will hold," Sumner reported. In a separate report, Radio
Amateurs of Canada Special visor Bryan Rawlings, VE3QN, said that
hammering out a 6-meter Region 1 allocation "has been a long and
frustrating process," and that a 4 MHz primary allocation similar to
that available in Regions 2 and 3 is an unlikely outcome.

IARU Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ
(left), gives an encouraging thumbs
up at WRC-19. On the right is IARU
Region 1 representative Dave Court,
EI3IO. [Photo courtesy of the Radio
Society of Great Britain]

Future Agenda Items: The IARU is not seeking any agenda items for
future WRCs at this conference. With the spectrum from 8.3 kHz to 275
GHz fully allocated and some bands above 275 GHz already identified for
particular uses, any proposal for new allocations involves sharing with
one or more incumbent services.

"The pressures for spectrum access to accommodate new uses for
commercial purposes are intense; for an established service such as
ours, any WRC that does not reduce our own useful spectrum access is a
success," Sumner said.

The notion of including 144 - 146 MHz in a study of non-safety
aeronautical mobile service applications has not resurfaced at WRC-19.
The IARU is, however, concerned about a proposed item for WRC-23,
"Review of the amateur service and the amateur-satellite service
allocations to ensure the protection of the radionavigation-satellite
service (space-to-Earth) in the frequency band 1240 - 1300 MHz." A
single, well-documented and quickly resolved case of interference to a
Galileo (GPS) receiver 5 years ago prompted the proposed agenda item.

"The IARU recognizes the concern and does not want the amateur service
to affect the operation of the Galileo system in any way," Sumner said.
WRC-19 will conclude on November 22. Read more.

RF-Seismograph Gets Traction in Hackaday

Alex Schwarz, VE7DXW, has theorized for some time now that his
RF-Seismograph, initially aimed at indicating band openings, seemed to
also act as a real seismograph of sorts, with effects of earthquakes
affecting HF noise levels and -- going out on a limb -- actually
briefly enhancing HF propagation (click on image). Schwarz has some
support from Professor Kosuke Heki of Hokkaido University in Japan, who
has been researching whether changes occur in the ionosphere as a
result of an earthquake.

[IMG]The work of both citizen scientist Schwarz and space geodesy
expert Heki caught the attention of Hackaday, the online publication
with a stated goal of promoting "the free and open exchange of ideas
and information." A November 12 Hackaday article, "HF Propagation and
Earthquakes," outlines the observations of both men. According to the
article, Heki "knew that changes in the ionosphere can affect GPS and
GNSS receivers on the ground, and with Japan's vast network of
receivers to keep track of the smallest of movements of the Earth's
crust, he was able to spot an anomalous buildup of electrons directly
above the devastating 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake that preceded the
earthquake by 40 minutes."

Heki's theory is along these lines: Chemical bonds in the rock --
specifically peroxy bonds between two oxygen atoms -- are broken by
microfractures, leaving one side of the peroxy bond with excess
electrons and the other with a positive hole. "These holes tend to
migrate from high stress to unstressed areas of the rock, which leads
them to eventually reach the surface, leaving it with a net positive
charge," the Hackaday piece says. "As stress in the rock below
increases, the number of positive holes reaching the surface rapidly
multiplies, drawing electrons from the atmosphere to balance the
charge. The moving charges generate an enormous electromagnetic field
that can reach all the way up to the ionosphere, creating just the kind
of anomalies that Professor Heki observed."

Alex Schwarz, VE7DXW, spoke at
the 2015 ARRL-TAPR Digital
Communications Conference.
[Photo courtesy of
HamRadioNow]

This week, Schwarz reported that the US Geological Survey recorded nine
"significant earthquakes" on November 11, eight of which also were
recorded by his RF-Seismograph. According to Schwarz, several small
quakes early in the morning "opened the 40-meter band slightly, but the
precursor of the quake [in Neiafu, Tonga] created a disturbance
starting 4 hours prior to the quake and a total radio blackout between
0330 UTC and 0550 UTC. The quakes in late morning did not have a great
effect on the local propagation. The one from Vanuatu created 80-meter
propagation for 10 minutes only. At 2340 UTC, another quake from
Indonesia opened the 30-meter band again," Schwarz said.

The Hackaday article concludes, "Clearly, the RF-Seismograph is not yet
ready to claim to have a solid predictive ability for earthquakes. For
that matter, Dr. Heki's space-based observations aren't ready to stake
that claim either. But it certainly looks like ionospheric changes can
be correlated to earthquakes, both in time and space..."
So Now What? Podcast

"Navigating the Nets," with guest Steve Ewald, WV1X, ARRL Field
Services Supervisor, will be the focus of the new (November 14) episode
of the So Now What? podcast for amateur radio newcomers.

If you're a newly licensed amateur radio operator, chances are you have
lots of questions. This biweekly podcast has answers! So Now What?
offers insights from those who've been just where you are now. New
episodes will be posted every other Thursday, alternating new-episode
weeks with the ARRL The Doctor is In podcast.

So Now What? is sponsored by LDG Electronics, a family owned and
operated business with laboratories in southern Maryland that offers a
wide array of antenna tuners and other amateur radio products.

ARRL Communications Content Producer Michelle Patnode, W3MVP, and ARRL
Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, co-host the podcast. Presented as a
lively conversation, with Patnode representing newer hams and Carcia
the veteran operators, the podcast will explore questions that newer
hams may have and the issues that keep participants from staying active
in the hobby. Some episodes will feature guests to answer questions on
specific topic areas.

Listeners can find So Now What? on Apple iTunes, Blubrry, Stitcher
(free registration required, or browse the site as a guest) and through
the free Stitcher app for iOS, Kindle, or Android devices. Episodes
will be archived on the ARRL website.

The K7RA Solar Update

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: With little to no solar activity,
it's amazing how many HF DX contacts are possible, even without taking
advantage of so-called weak-signal modes such as FT8. Recent
DXpeditions, such as the ones on Pitcairn Island and the Marquesas, had
little trouble piling up the contacts, even on 10 meters. It helps that
fall is upon us.

No sunspots over the past week, and average daily solar flux was about
the same as last week, 70.3 compared to 70.4. Geomagnetic indices were
still quiet, with average daily planetary A index at 4 (last week was
4.1) and middle latitude A index at 3 (compared to 2.7).

Predicted solar flux is 71 on November 14 - December 3; 70 on December
4 - 18; and 71 on December 19 - 28.

Predicted planetary A index is 5 on November 14 - 15; 12 and 8 on
November 16 - 17; 5 on November 18 - 19; 18, 25, 18, 12, and 10 on
November 20 - 24; 8 on November 25 - 26; 5 on November 27 - December
16; 15, 25, 18, 12, and 10 on December 17 - 21; 8 on December 22 - 23,
and 5 on December 24 - 28.

Sunspot numbers for November 7 - 13 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, and 0, with
a mean of 0. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 69.8, 70.2, 69.6, 70.8, 69.5,
70.8, and 71.1, with a mean of 70.4. Estimated planetary A indices were
5, 3, 4, 3, 7, 4, and 2, with a mean of 4.1. Middle latitude A index
was 3, 2, 3, 2, 7, 3, and 1, with a mean of 2.7.

A comprehensive K7RA Solar Update is posted Fridays on the ARRL
website. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the
ARRL Technical Information Service, read "What the Numbers Mean...,"
and check out K9LA's Propagation Page.

A propagation bulletin archive is available. Monthly charts offer
propagation projections between the US and a dozen DX locations.

Share your reports and observations.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Just Ahead in Radiosport
* November 15 -- YO International PSK31 Contest
* November 16 -- Feld Hell Sprint
* November 16 -- All Austrian 160-Meter Contest (CW)
* November 16 -- RSGB 1.8 MHz Contest (CW)
* November 16 - 17 -- REF 160-Meter Contest (CW)
* November 16 - 17 -- ARRL EME Contest (CW, phone, digital)
* November 16 - 17 -- LZ DX Contest (CW, phone)
* November 16 - 18 -- ARRL November Sweepstakes (Phone)
* November 17 -- Homebrew and Oldtime Equipment Party (CW)
* November 18 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW)
* November 19 -- NAQCC CW Sprint
* November 20 -- RSGB 80-Meter Autumn Series (Phone)

See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. For in-depth
reporting on amateur radio contesting, subscribe to The ARRL Contest
Update via your ARRL member profile email preferences.

More Than 1 Million Contacts Logged During 2019 ARRL Field Day

ARRL Contest Program Manager Paul Bourque, N1SFE, reports that nearly
1.1 million contacts were made during the 2019 ARRL Field Day -- the
most popular operating event in North America. Bourque reported the
2019 ARRL Field Day results, which are available starting on page 64 of
the digital edition of the December 2019 issue of QST. Bourque says in
his article that more than 36,000 radio amateurs took part in 2019
Field Day across all 83 ARRL/Radio Amateurs of Canada Sections, up
slightly from the 35,250 reported last year. The total number of
contacts was down by about 7% from 2018's 1.18 million contacts.

The Williamsburg Area Amateur
Radio Club (WAARC) operated Field
Day 2019 from Virginia using the
club's call sign K4RC. GOTA
Station operator Solana Stevenson
beams, with her mother Mari Ann
Stevenson in back at the left and
grandfather Randy Altona, KM4YSN,
in back at the right, with GOTA
Coach Chuck White, AI4WU. [Dan
Ewart, WG4F, photo]

"This year, 3,113 entries were received from local clubs and emergency
operations centers (EOCs), as well as individual portable, mobile, and
home stations," Bourque wrote in QST. Most entries were in Class A --
club or non-club groups of three or more.

Of the nearly 1.1 million contacts, approximately 46% were made on
phone, and 456,000 (42%) of contacts were made on CW. The remaining
138,000+ (12%) of the contacts were made on digital modes, such as FT8
and RTTY.

"This is a substantial increase compared to 2018, when total QSOs on
the digital modes numbered just over 56,000," Bourque reported. "With
the late 2018 release of WSJT-X (which now supports Field Day
exchanges), many participants made use of FT8's ability to communicate
when band conditions weren't being cooperative."

Top 10 scores ranged between W3AO's Class 14A entry from Maryland-DC,
with 32,356 points, to W1NVT's 14,876-point Class 2A entry from
Vermont.

Bourque said that 95% of the 3,113 entries received came through the
Field Day web applet.

"Not only is ARRL Field Day an opportunity to sharpen operating skills
in temporary and portable locations, it's also an occasion to showcase
amateur radio to the local community," Bourque wrote.

Soapbox comments for Field Day 2019 are available on the ARRL website.
ARRL Field Day 2020 will take place June 27 - 28.
AMSAT Says HuskySat-1 is Paving the Way for Further Cooperation

AMSAT says it had to maneuver some regulatory challenges in
establishing its partnership with the University of Washington to share
the just-launched HuskySat-1. The satellite went into space on November
2 aboard a Cygnus cargo vessel, which docked to the International Space
Station. HuskySat-1 will be boosted into a higher orbit and deployed in
January, and once it completes its primary mission, it will be turned
over to AMSAT for operation of its linear transponder sometime in the
second quarter of 2020. AMSAT Vice President-Engineering Jerry Buxton,
N0JY, explained this week that the AMSAT-UW partnership presented some
regulatory challenges, but has paved the way for similar partnerships
in the future.

"The [FCC] Part 97 license that AMSAT will operate under does not
include or allow the use of any of the experiments on board," Buxton
explained. "As those experiments were not able to conform to Part 97's
so-called 'educational exemption,' including the K-band radio, two
licenses were required." UW obtained a Part 5 Experimental license to
cover the telemetry downlink of the AMSAT transponder module, but the
transponder must remain off during that operation. The AMSAT
transponder module will operate under an FCC Part 97 Amateur Service
license.

"This was the first partnership with an educational institution where
an AMSAT radio was flown on a non-AMSAT (UW in this case) CubeSat,"
Buxton said. "In the process of working with the FCC and NASA to obtain
a single Part 97 license that was not complicated or restricted by
'pecuniary interest,' the experience developed an understanding with
FCC as to how a mission such as HuskySat-1 could be fully licensed
under Part 97."

AMSAT Vice President-Engineering
Jerry Buxton, N0JY.

Buxton said delays and difficulties encountered in executing all of the
requirements to qualify under Part 97 ultimately bumped up against the
mission deadline to have a license in hand, so the CubeSat could be
integrated on the launch vessel. "The only way forward at that time, in
order for UW to make the launch, was to do the separate licensing,"
Buxton said.

"I thank and commend our partners at University of Washington as well
as the FCC for their work to make it happen, and our friends at NASA
for giving us the opportunity to push for a path to amateur radio
licensing for more of the CubeSat launches they sponsor," Buxton
remarked. "I believe that it has resulted in a known path toward fully
Part 97-licensed educational (e.g., university) CubeSats. That should
in turn offer more opportunities for AMSAT radios to fly as the
communications package for a mission as well as an operating amateur
radio satellite, in the same way as the CubeSats we produce."

After deployment, HuskySat-1's 1,200 bps BPSK beacon on 435.800 MHz
should be active and decodable with the latest release of FoxTelem.
HuskySat-1 is expected to run its primary mission for 30 days --
testing a pulsed plasma thruster and experimental 24 GHz data
transmitter -- before being turned over to AMSAT for amateur radio
operation. HuskySat-1 will feature a 30 kHz-wide 145-435 MHz linear
transponder for SSB/CW. -- Thanks to AMSAT News Service

IARU and Amateur Radio Are Reaching "An Inflection Point"

Participants at the 45th meeting of the International Amateur Radio
Union (IARU) ministrative Council (AC) in late September discussed
the organization's role in advancing amateur radio. The IARU released a
summary record of the meeting last week. IARU President Tim Ellam,
VE6SH/G4HUA, who chaired the AC meeting in Lima, Peru, observed that
the IARU and amateur radio are reaching what he called "an inflection
point." He asserted that amateur radio is changing, but the IARU and
its member-societies are not.

Ellam's remarks prefaced a wide-ranging discussion of the challenges to
be overcome if the IARU and amateur radio itself are to remain
relevant. After several hours of discussion, AC participants agreed on
four top-level headings to identify the challenges that must be faced:
* What is amateur radio?
* The roles of IARU and its member-societies
* Recruitment into amateur radio
* IARU finances

The AC also agreed that it is essential to involve younger people from
outside the Council in determining how to address these challenges, and
the three IARU regions were asked to identify individuals who "could
take ownership of these topics."

A small working group was named, consisting of IARU Region 2 Vice
President Ram�n Santoyo, XE1KK; Region 2 Area A Director George
Gorsline, VE3YV, and IARU Region 1 President Don Beattie, G3BJ. Using
topics discussed to develop a starting point, the panel will aim to
have a draft version of a plan by mid-December to address the
challenges that would serve as a basis for further discussion.

IARU Region 1 (Europe, Africa, and the Middle East) has been a leader
in marshalling interest among next-generation radio amateurs,
sponsoring Youngsters On The Air (YOTA), and other youth-related
activities, including an annual summer camp attended by young radio
amateurs from around Region 1. IARU Region 3 noted at the Council
meeting that it plans a Youth on the Air activity in Thailand next
October and expressed the hope that Regions 1 and 2 can participate.

To keep informed on IARU happenings, subscribe to the ARRL-IARU online
group, moderated by IARU Secretary Dave Sumner, K1ZZ. Read more.
In Brief...

There's still time to work TX7T in the Marquesas Islands. The Marquesas
TX7T DXpedition, sponsored by the CAN-AM DXpedition Group, moved onto
Hiva Oa on November 6. The team will head home on November 19.
Typically, three or four stations are on the air on CW, SSB, and FT8 on
all of the 160 - 10 meter bands. Europe is a key target area, and
"every attempt will be made to take advantage of propagation," the
DXpedition has indicated. The DXpedition is mostly funded by the
operators themselves, but contributions are welcome and will go toward
freight and shipping costs. The Marquesas Islands rank #59 on the Club
Log DXCC Most Wanted list. The TX7T logs are available on OQRS.

A spectrogram
of the Russian
"Contayner"
OTHR. [Image
courtesy of
Wolf Hadel,
DK2OM]

OTH Radar is now reported to be "everywhere." The latest International
Amateur Radio Union Region 1 Monitoring System (IARUMS) newsletter
reports the Russian "Contayner" over-the-horizon radar (OTHR) has been
active in the 7, 10, 14, and 18 MHz amateur radio allocations (amateur
radio is primary on 40, 20, and 17 meters). The OTHR transmissions have
been 40 sweeps/second, FM on pulse, and 12 kHz wide. ditionally,
IARUMS reports a significant increase in Russian military traffic using
F1B, PSK, and orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) on 40, 30,
20, and 15 meters. IARUMS on November 13 reported an OTHR in northern
Iran on 6.078 - 7.022 MHz, AM on pulse, 81 sweeps/second, 44 kHz wide.

Access to 60 meters continues to expand. According to the latest
edition of The 5 MHz Newsletter, regulatory agencies in an expanding
list of countries have granted amateur radio access to a 60-meter band.
A secondary allocation of 5.351.5 - 5.366.5 MHz was released to radio
amateurs in Kuwait, where they will adhere to the World
Radiocommunication Conference 2015 (WRC-15) allocation, permitting a
maximum power of 15 W EIRP. Indonesian and Greek hams recently gained
access to the same allocation. Meanwhile, Israel has extended
authorization of 5 MHz amateur permits to the end of December 2023 and
added a Channel 0 to the existing eight channels, where hams may run
100 W PEP on several modes, depending upon the channel. Still under
discussion is ham radio access to a 5 MHz secondary band in Australia,
where the band is used by some emergency services and law enforcement.
Nearly 80 countries offer some level of amateur access to the 5 MHz
band. In the US, ARRL petitioned the FCC shortly after WRC-15 to
allocate a secondary 60-meter band and to permit 100 W PEP, as already
authorized on the existing channels there.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
* November 16 -- Indiana Section Convention, Fort Wayne, Indiana
* December 13 - 14 -- West Central Florida Section Convention, Plant
City, Florida
* January 4 -- New York City-Long Island Section Convention,
Brookville, New York
* January 17 - 18 -- North Texas Section Convention, Forest Hill,
Texas
* January 19 - 25 -- Quartzfest, Quartzsite, Arizona
* January 24 - 26 -- Puerto Rico State Convention, Hatillo, Puerto
Rico
* January 25 -- ARRL Midwest Conference (Winterfest), Collinsville,
Illinois

Find conventions and hamfests in your area.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for
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--- SendMsg/2

--- Squish/386 v1.11
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Limestone, TN, USA (1:18/200)

The ARRL Letter
November 21, 2019

* ARRL Legislative vocacy Committee Drafting New Bill dressing
Antenna Restrictions
* WRC-19 Delegates Reach Agreement on 6-Meter Band in ITU Region 1
* Radio Amateur's "Tribute to a Century of Broadcasting" Video Debuts
on YouTube
* The Doctor Will See You Now!
* Melissa Stemmer Joins ARRL Headquarters Staff as Development
Manager
* Youth on the Air Camp Coming to the Americas
* Southern California Hams Support Major Terrorist Attacks Response
Drill
* Dayton Hamvention^(R) Invites 2020 Award Nominations
* The K7RA Solar Update
* Just Ahead in Radiosport
* Alaska and Tennessee Getting New Section Managers
* Why Propagation Repeats About Every 27 Days
* In Brief...
* Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions

-------------------------------------------------------------------

ARRL Headquarters will be closed Thursday and Friday, November 28 and
29, for Thanksgiving. The ARRL Letter and ARRL Audio News will not be
available on those days. The next editions will be on December 5 and 6,
respectively. We wish everyone a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

ARRL Legislative vocacy Committee Drafting New Bill dressing
Antenna Restrictions

The ARRL Board of Directors Legislative vocacy Committee is in the
process of drafting a new bill to address the issue of private land-use
restrictions on amateur radio antennas. The proposed legislation would
be the successor to the Amateur Radio Parity Act. The Legislative
vocacy Committee, chaired by Pacific Division Director Jim Tiemstra,
K6JAT, will report to the Board soon, once plans are fleshed out.
Tiemstra told the ARRL Executive Committee (EC) on October 12 in
Aurora, Colorado, that vocacy Committee members have traveled to
Washington to meet on multiple occasions with members of Congress and
their staffs to inform them of the committee's plans.

ARRL Washington Counsel Dave Siddall, K3ZJ, told the EC last month that
he understands the conditional exemption of amateur radio licensees
from the RF exposure measurement requirements in the FCC's Part 97
Amateur Service rules is proposed to be removed. A Report and Order in
FCC Docket WT 13-84 is making the rounds that, if adopted, would make
amateur licensees subject to the same requirements as all other FCC
licensees. The Report and Order is expected to be released before
year's end.

Siddall also reported to the EC that the FCC is poised to address the
60-meter band amateur allocation adopted at World Radiocommunication
Conference 2015 (WRC-15). The National Telecommunications and
Information ministration (NTIA), on behalf of US government primary
users of the band, has insisted that the maximum permitted power for
radio amateurs must not exceed that agreed to at WRC-15 -- 15 W
effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) or 9.1 W ERP -- despite the
fact that Canada has authorized its amateur licensees to use 100 W, and
eliminate the current discrete channels, which ARRL's petition proposed
to retain. NTIA oversees federal government frequency allocations and
users.

Minutes of the October 12 Executive Committee meeting were posted this
week on the ARRL website.
WRC-19 Delegates Reach Agreement on 6-Meter Band in ITU Region 1

World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 (WRC-19) has approved a
6-meter allocation for International Telecommunication Region 1
(Europe, Africa, the Middle East). The decision came after more than 2
weeks of strenuous negotiations to reconcile widely disparate views of
Region 1 administrations.

"The result is a dramatic improvement in the international Radio
Regulations for amateurs in Region 1," the International Amateur Radio
Union (IARU) said in announcing the agreement.

When the Final Acts take effect, 44 countries in Region 1 will have a
primary allocation of at least 500 kHz, including 26 countries with a
primary allocation of the 50 - 54 MHz. The entire region will have an
amateur secondary allocation of 50 - 52 MHz, except in Russia, whose
administration opted for only 50.080 - 50.280 MHz on a secondary basis.

Provisions will be in place to protect other existing services using
the band in Region 1 and in neighboring countries in Region 3. The
existing primary allocation of 50 - 54 MHz in Regions 2 and 3 is
unaffected.

The decision on WRC-19 agenda item 1.1 is the culmination of years of
effort by the IARU and its member-societies.

Delegates this week faced a daunting workload as they tried to reach
consensus on several remaining issues, including the agenda for the
next WRC. The final session of the conference plenary to approve texts
for inclusion in the Final Acts of the conference was set to wrap up on
November 21.

As of the end of last week, no choices had been made as to which of
more than three dozen proposed topics will end up on the agenda for
World Radiocommunication Conference 2023. Each proposed agenda item
would require studies to be conducted between 2020 and 2023, but
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) resources will not
accommodate more than about half of the proposals. Some face strong
opposition, while others remain ill-defined even at this late stage of
the conference.
* Short Duration Satellites: No agreement has been reached on how to
protect existing services and uses of the uplink frequency band
proposed for telemetry, tracking, and command of these "simple"
satellites.
* 5725 - 5850 MHz: This part of the amateur secondary allocation,
which includes an amateur-satellite downlink at 5830 - 5850 MHz, is
the subject of an unresolved conflict over parameters for wireless
access systems, including radio local area networks.
* Frequencies above 275 GHz: This upper frequency range is not
allocated, but several bands are identified for passive
(receive-only) use, and administrations are encouraged to protect
them from harmful interference. With that in mind, WRC-19 has
identified other bands above 275 GHz for the implementation of land
mobile and fixed service applications. The use of these bands for
applications in other services, including amateur experimentation,
is not precluded.

With the 50 MHz issue settled, the IARU team devoted most of its energy
to explaining why the proposed Radionavigation Satellite Service (RNSS)
agenda item for 1240 - 1300 MHz is unnecessary and undesirable. At
issue is compatibility between radio amateurs, who are secondary on
1240 - 1300 MHz, with Galileo RNSS (GPS) system receivers. The amateur
community has advocated that this matter be dealt with through existing
ITU processes rather than the 4 years of study that an agenda item
would entail. Read more.

Radio Amateur's "Tribute to a Century of Broadcasting" Video Debuts on
YouTube

Art Donahue, W1AWX, of Franklin, Massachusetts, has posted his "Tribute
to a Century of Broadcasting" video in recognition of the centennial of
formal radio broadcasts. The video features a complete scan of the AM
broadcast band (530 - 1700 kHz), with station IDs for all 118 AM radio
channels.

Donahue told ARRL he recorded these off the air using two long-wire
antennas in the trees. Each slide highlights one station on each
frequency with call sign, location, power, day/night/gray-line
reception, distance, and year of first broadcast, accompanied by audio
of an actual station identification.

"If you ever spent evenings when you were a kid trying to hear
long-distance radio stations on your AM radio, this video has what they
all sound like today," Donahue said. "I wanted to do something in honor
of the KDKA broadcasting centennial next year and thought I'd try to
get every single channel recorded. It took a lot of time, patience, and
good luck. You'll hear a lot of surprises on the video."

Donhaue added, "It was a fun project to work on."
The Doctor Will See You Now!

"Big Wire Antennas" is the topic of the new (November 21) episode of
the ARRL The Doctor is In podcast. Listen...and learn!

Sponsored by DX Engineering, ARRL The Doctor is In is an informative
discussion of all things technical. Listen on your computer, tablet, or
smartphone -- whenever and wherever you like!

Every 2 weeks, your host, QST Editor-in-Chief Steve Ford, WB8IMY, and
the Doctor himself, Joel Hallas, W1ZR, will discuss a broad range of
technical topics. You can also email your questions to doctor@arrl.org,
and the Doctor may answer them in a future podcast.

Enjoy ARRL The Doctor is In on Apple iTunes, or by using your iPhone or
iPad podcast app (just search for ARRL The Doctor is In). You can also
listen online at Blubrry, or at Stitcher (free registration required,
or browse the site as a guest) and through the free Stitcher app for
iOS, Kindle, or Android devices. If you've never listened to a podcast
before, download our beginner's guide.

Melissa Stemmer Joins ARRL Headquarters Staff as Development Manager

Connecticut native Melissa Stemmer has joined the ARRL Headquarters
staff as Development Manager. Born and raised in Waterbury, Stemmer
earned a bachelor's degree in pharmacy from the University of
Connecticut in 1998, and she worked in that field for more than 15
years. After deciding that a career change was in order, Stemmer went
back to school, earning a master's in organizational leadership in 2015
from Quinnipiac University.

"I am so excited to be on this journey at ARRL, and I am looking
forward to getting to know everyone," Stemmer said.

Before coming to ARRL, she was the development director at Seven Angels
Theatre in Waterbury. In September 2015, Stemmer signed on as
coordinator of the theatre's annual High School Halo Awards -- the
largest high school theatre award program in Connecticut.

During her tenure at Seven Angels Theatre, Stemmer was an active member
of the Waterbury Regional Chamber and the Waterbury Exchange Club. She
served on the executive committee and governing council of the Arts and
Culture Collaborative of the Waterbury Region and was a member of the
Young Professionals Task Force of the Waterbury Region.
Youth on the Air Camp Coming to the Americas

The Electronic Applications Radio Service (EARS) has announced that the
first Youth On The Air (YOTA) camp in the US is set to take place in
June. Sponsors hope the camp will become an annual event.

The inaugural summer camp will take place June 21 - 26 at the National
Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting in West Chester Township, Ohio.
The West Chester Amateur Radio Association (WC8VOA) will host the
event. EARS is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to
wireless technologies and activities.

According to the announcement, the camp will focus on building peer and
mentor relationships and taking amateur radio "to the next level."
Campers will learn and exercise on-the-air skills at special event
station W8Y.

For more information, email Camp Director Neil Rapp, WB9VPG, or call
(812) 327-0749. (Read more.)

Southern California Hams Support Major Terrorist Attacks Response Drill

Seventy southern California amateur radio volunteers deployed to 30
local hospitals, clinics, and city emergency operations centers on
November 6 to support public safety and emergency medical functions
during a mock terrorist response drill that tested law enforcement and
medical treatment facilities in San Diego County.

The scenario was a coordinated attack at two locations 50 miles apart
that resulted in mass casualties and inundated local emergency
departments with 1,000 volunteer actors suffering from simulated
injuries and frantic families (also actors) trying to locate loved
ones. One simulated attack occurred at California's LEGOLAND theme
park, which closed for a half day to support the exercise. The other
simulated attack occurred at a 20,000-seat amphitheater. During the
5-hour exercise, hams relayed hundreds of formal ICS 213 messages via
Winlink and voice nets from hospital to hospital and from hospitals to
the County Medical Operations Center.

Participants included hams aboard the 1,000-bed US Navy Hospital Ship
USNS Mercy and those who checked in via HF from across the southwestern
US.

Hospitals used this full-scale exercise to fulfill their annual
accreditation training requirement. Recent changes in California
hospital regulations require smaller medical clinics to conduct annual
certification drills, and that expansion of clinic participation has
led to a flood of requests for trained radio operators at hundreds of
day surgery clinics and group homes not covered previously by ARES.
Because demand far exceeds the availability of ARES operators for
mid-week daytime drills, ARRL San Diego Section Manager Dave
Kaltenborn, N8KBC, has encouraged smaller clinics and medical networks
to consider developing their own internal amateur radio capabilities.
Several people involved at the smaller clinics have taken classes and
training provided by ARES.

The exercise included cross-border participation by members of Club de
Radio Experimentadores de Baja California (CREBC) at Tijuana General
Hospital in Tijuana, Mexico. CREBC hams maintain an extensive Winlink
and repeater network used by amateurs on both sides of the border. --
Thanks to ARRL San Diego Section Manager Dave Kaltenborn, N8KBC
Dayton Hamvention^(R) Invites 2020 Award Nominations

Dayton Hamvention^(R) is inviting nominations for its 2020 awards.
Nominations are due by February 15, 2020. Awards will be granted for
Amateur of the Year, Club of the Year, Technical Achievement, and
Special Achievement.
* The Amateur of the Year Award is given to a radio amateur who has
made a long-term commitment to the advancement of amateur radio.
This individual will have a history of ham radio contributions and
demonstrated dedication to service, professionalism, and the
advancement of the avocation of amateur radio.
* [IMG]The Club of the Year will be honored for clearly demonstrating
its involvement in varied aspects of amateur radio for the greater
good of their community and/or nation.
* The Technical Achievement Award recognizes a radio amateur who has
achieved technical excellence in the world of amateur radio.
Examples are inventions, processes, discoveries, experiments, and
other technical accomplishments or achievements that contributed to
amateur radio.
* The Special Achievement Award recognizes a radio amateur who has
made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of the radio
art and/or science. This award is usually given to a respected
amateur who spearheaded a single significant project.

Nomination forms are specific to the award. At a minimum, each form
should be completed with the information indicated. Provide contact
information for the person making the nomination. Submit forms via
email or via USPS to Hamvention, Attention: Awards Committee, Box 964,
Dayton, Ohio 45401-0964.

The Awards Committee will make its selections and announce the
recipients along with details on their accomplishments. An honors
convocation and award presentation will be held on the Saturday evening
of Hamvention. Award presentations will also take place at Hamvention
on Sunday afternoon, prior to the prize award activity.

For more information, contact the Dayton Hamvention Awards Committee.

The K7RA Solar Update

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Still no sunspots since November 2.
Average daily solar flux during the reporting week dipped slightly from
70.3 to 69.9. Geomagnetic conditions were quiet, with the average daily
planetary A index dipping from 4 to 3.6, and the average mid-latitude A
index going from 3 to 2.3.

Predicted solar flux is 70 on November 21 - 22; 68 on November 23; 67
on November 24 - 27; 69 on November 28 - December 8; 70 on December 9 -
22, and 69 on December 23 - January 4.

The predicted planetary A index is 20, 16, and 10 on November 21 - 23;
8 on November 24 - 25; 5 on November 26 - December 12; 6 on December
13; 5 on December 14 - 15; 8, 15, 20, 18, and 10 on December 16 - 20; 8
on December 21 - 23, and 5 on December 24 - January 4.

Sunspot numbers for November 14 - 20 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, and 0, with
a mean of 0. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 69.9, 70, 69.7, 70.1, 70.4,
69.2, and 70.2, with a mean of 69.9. Estimated planetary A indices were
4, 4, 6, 5, 2, 2, and 2, with a mean of 3.6. The mid-latitude A index
was 3, 2, 5, 3, 1, 1, and 1, with a mean of 2.3.

A comprehensive K7RA Solar Update is posted Fridays on the ARRL
website. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the
ARRL Technical Information Service, read "What the Numbers Mean...,"
and check out K9LA's Propagation Page.

A propagation bulletin archive is available. Monthly charts offer
propagation projections between the US and a dozen DX locations.

Share your reports and observations.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Just Ahead in Radiosport
* November 23 - 24 -- CQ Worldwide DX Contest (CW)
* November 27 -- SKCC Sprint (CW)
* November 27 -- UKEICC 80-Meter Contest (CW)
* November 28 -- 3.5 RSGB 80-Meter Autumn Series (CW)
* December 1 -- Russian WW MultiMode Contest (CW, phone, digital)
* December 3 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW)
* December 5 -- 1.8 QRP ARCI Topband Sprint (CW)
* December 5 -- NRAU 10-Meter Activity Contest (CW, phone, digital)
* December 5 -- SKCC Sprint Europe (CW)
* December 6 - 8 -- ARRL 160-Meter Contest (CW)

See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. For in-depth
reporting on amateur radio contesting, subscribe to The ARRL Contest
Update via your ARRL member profile email preferences.
Alaska and Tennessee Getting New Section Managers

Two new Section Managers (SMs) have been declared elected in the
just-concluded fall election cycle. Ballots for the Alaska and
Tennessee Section Manager elections were counted on November 19 at ARRL
Headquarters. Eight incumbent Section Managers ran without opposition
during this election cycle. All terms of office start on January 1.

In a very close race in Alaska, David Stevens, KL7EB, received 98
votes, and his opponent, Lara Baker, AL2R, received 88 votes. Both are
from Anchorage. Stevens served previously as Alaska's SM, from 1984
until 1985; from 1998 until 1999, and from 2002 through 2007. Stevens
takes over as Section Manager from Ray Hollenbeck, KL1IL, of Wasilla,
who has led the Alaska Section for the past 4 years.

In Tennessee, David Thomas, KM4NYI, of Knoxville, outpolled Charles
Talley, KJ4KVC, of Lyles, 557 to 417. An active member of the Radio
Amateur Club of Knoxville, Thomas serves on the club's Repeater
Committee as a hands-on technician for the club's repeater suite. He
enjoys restoring tube-type ham gear, operating HF, 6 meters, and
digital modes.

Thomas will be taking the reins of the Tennessee Field Organization
from Keith Miller, N9DGK, of Rockvale, who decided not to run for a new
term. Miller has served as Section Manager since 2012.

These incumbent Section Managers were the only candidates in their
respective sections and have been declared elected. JVann Martin, W4JVM
(Alabama); Bill Duveneck, KB3KYH (Delaware); Jim Siemons, W6LK (East
Bay); Ron Cowan, KB0DTI (Kansas); Jim Kvochick, K8JK (Michigan); Bill
Mader, K8TE (New Mexico); John Kitchens, NS6X (Santa Barbara), and Ray
Lajoie, KB1LRL (Western Massachusetts).
Why Propagation Repeats About Every 27 Days

The sun rotates in about 27 days, but different solar latitudes rotate
with different periods. This is why propagation repeats roughly every
27 days, as NASA explains.

The sun's rotation was first detected by observing the motion of
sunspots. The sun's rotation axis is tilted by about 7.25� from the
axis of Earth's orbit, so we see more of the sun's north pole in
September and more of its south pole in March. Because the sun is a
ball of gas/plasma, it does not have to rotate rigidly, as solid
planets and moons do. In fact, the sun's equatorial regions rotate
faster -- taking only about 24 days -- than the polar regions, which
rotate once every 30+ days.

The source of this "differential rotation" is an area of current
research in solar astronomy. -- Thanks to The ARRL Contest Update and
NASA
In Brief...

OH2BH to Be On the Air from Myanmar The government in Myanmar has given
limited amateur operating privileges to Martti Laine, OH2BH. He will
use XZ2D. Laine reports that authorities in the Southeast Asian nation
have only permitted him to operate on 15 meters and higher, but he is
hoping to obtain permission to operate on a spot frequency on 20
meters. "Getting 14.065 kHz temporarily for the duration of 48 hours
would be magic," Laine said. Members of the world-wide amateur
community wrote the Myanmar government to support Laine. "As Radio
Arcala, OH8X remains at their Climate Park with more than 110,000
mangroves planted," he continued. "[O]ur dream remains to activate the
Union of Myanmar from our own site from the noise-free Ayeyarwady
Region of Myanmar." The XZ2D license is valid until April 17. Laine
said he has been setting up his station and should be on the air on
November 21. According to Club Log's DXCC Most Wanted list, Myanmar is
#48.

Happy 45th Birthday, AMSAT-OSCAR 7! The world's longest-lived
satellite, AO-7, turned 45 years old this month. It was launched on
November 15, 1974, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. After
nearly 7 years of service, AO-7 was thought to have reached the end of
its life in June 1981 due to battery failure, and a premature obituary
appeared in the AMSAT Satellite Report. In an interesting footnote,
although AO-7 was thought to be nonfunctional after 1981, it's been
reported that the Polish Solidarity movement used AO-7 to pass messages
in 1982, while Poland was under martial law. Twenty years later, on
June 21, 2002, G3IOR reported hearing "an old-style CW beacon" from an
unknown OSCAR near 145.970 MHz. It didn't take long to identify the
satellite as AO-7, which remains operational and well-used while it's
in sunlight. To celebrate AO-7's 45th birthday, AMSAT plans to auction
a set of gold-plated AO-7 cufflinks and a 50th Anniversary AMSAT lab
coat (size 42R). The auctions are now live on eBay and will conclude
shortly after 0200 UTC on November 26, 2019. AMSAT reports that 100% of
the proceeds will go toward Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. -- Thanks
to AMSAT News Service

ARRL Self-Guided Emergency Communication Course EC-001-S is Now
Available On Demand ARRL's EC-001-S online "Introduction to Emergency
Communication" course is now available to students in an on-demand
format, allowing students to register for the course and begin work at
any time. This course is designed to provide basic knowledge and tools
for any emergency communications volunteer. In response to the great
course demand and to expand access to EC-001, ARRL developed a
self-guided version of the course, EC-001-S, which launched in June.
This version of the course is designed for those who prefer to work
independently and who do not need guidance from an online mentor.
EC-001-S was previously offered only during specific sessions along
with the traditional mentored version. The course opened for general
enrollment on November 6. Visit the ARRL Online Course Registration
page for more information and to register.

Florida and Georgia Amateur Radio Volunteers Support the Spaghetti 100
Bicycle Ride Two dozen amateur radio volunteers from the Tallahassee
Amateur Radio Society (TARS) in Florida and the Thomasville Amateur
Radio Club (TARC) in Georgia provided communication support for the
Capital City Cyclists' 35th annual Spaghetti 100 Bicycle Ride on
November 9. The Spaghetti 100 funds the Kids on Bikes program, which
teaches hundreds of elementary schoolers how to ride a bicycle safely
and helps to support the Trips for Kids chapter, which takes
disadvantaged youth on bike rides on local trails. The hams used one of
the TARS VHF repeaters to provide communication for safety and
logistics, as well as for the medical and mechanical teams. Cell phone
coverage is very sparse along the 100-mile route on back-country roads
in northern Florida and southern Georgia. Communications Coordinator
Stan Zawrotny, K4SBZ, said the importance of ham radio's traditional
role in filling communication gaps was brought home to him when the
land line at the ride's headquarters was out for several hours, leaving
amateur radio as the only communication for some areas. "In addition to
the thanks given by most of the bicyclists as they passed by, event
sponsors expressed their appreciation for the work of the ham radio
volunteers and were impressed with the capabilities of amateur radio,"
Zawrotny said.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
* December 13 - 14 -- West Central Florida Section Convention, Plant
City, Florida
* January 4 -- New York City-Long Island Section Convention,
Brookville, New York
* January 17 - 18 -- North Texas Section Convention, Forest Hill,
Texas
* January 19 - 25 -- Quartzfest, Quartzsite, Arizona
* January 24 - 26 -- Puerto Rico State Convention, Hatillo, Puerto
Rico
* January 25 -- ARRL Midwest Conference

Find conventions and hamfests in your area.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for
Amateur Radio News and Information.

.

.
* Join or Renew Today! ARRL membership includes QST, amateur radio's
most popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox
each month.
* Listen to ARRL Audio News, available every Friday.

Subscribe to...
* NCJ -- National Contest Journal. Published bimonthly, features
articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA
Sprint, and QSO parties.
* QEX -- A Forum for Communications Experimenters. Published
bimonthly, features technical articles, construction projects,
columns, and other items of interest to radio amateurs and
communications professionals.

Free of charge to ARRL members...
* Subscribe to the ARES E-Letter (monthly public service and
emergency communications news), the ARRL Contest Update (biweekly
contest newsletter), Division and Section news alerts -- and much
more!
* Find ARRL on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram!
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 50 times each year. ARRL members
and registered guests may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing
their profile.

Copyright (c) 2019 American Radio Relay League, Incorporated. Use and
distribution of this publication, or any portion thereof, is permitted for
non-commercial or educational purposes, with attribution. All other
purposes require written permission.


--- SendMsg/2

--- Squish/386 v1.11
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Limestone, TN, USA (1:18/200)

The ARRL Letter
November 21, 2019

* ARRL Legislative vocacy Committee Drafting New Bill dressing
Antenna Restrictions
* WRC-19 Delegates Reach Agreement on 6-Meter Band in ITU Region 1
* Radio Amateur's "Tribute to a Century of Broadcasting" Video Debuts
on YouTube
* The Doctor Will See You Now!
* Melissa Stemmer Joins ARRL Headquarters Staff as Development
Manager
* Youth on the Air Camp Coming to the Americas
* Southern California Hams Support Major Terrorist Attacks Response
Drill
* Dayton Hamvention^(R) Invites 2020 Award Nominations
* The K7RA Solar Update
* Just Ahead in Radiosport
* Alaska and Tennessee Getting New Section Managers
* Why Propagation Repeats About Every 27 Days
* In Brief...
* Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions

-------------------------------------------------------------------

ARRL Headquarters will be closed Thursday and Friday, November 28 and
29, for Thanksgiving. The ARRL Letter and ARRL Audio News will not be
available on those days. The next editions will be on December 5 and 6,
respectively. We wish everyone a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

ARRL Legislative vocacy Committee Drafting New Bill dressing
Antenna Restrictions

The ARRL Board of Directors Legislative vocacy Committee is in the
process of drafting a new bill to address the issue of private land-use
restrictions on amateur radio antennas. The proposed legislation would
be the successor to the Amateur Radio Parity Act. The Legislative
vocacy Committee, chaired by Pacific Division Director Jim Tiemstra,
K6JAT, will report to the Board soon, once plans are fleshed out.
Tiemstra told the ARRL Executive Committee (EC) on October 12 in
Aurora, Colorado, that vocacy Committee members have traveled to
Washington to meet on multiple occasions with members of Congress and
their staffs to inform them of the committee's plans.

ARRL Washington Counsel Dave Siddall, K3ZJ, told the EC last month that
he understands the conditional exemption of amateur radio licensees
from the RF exposure measurement requirements in the FCC's Part 97
Amateur Service rules is proposed to be removed. A Report and Order in
FCC Docket WT 13-84 is making the rounds that, if adopted, would make
amateur licensees subject to the same requirements as all other FCC
licensees. The Report and Order is expected to be released before
year's end.

Siddall also reported to the EC that the FCC is poised to address the
60-meter band amateur allocation adopted at World Radiocommunication
Conference 2015 (WRC-15). The National Telecommunications and
Information ministration (NTIA), on behalf of US government primary
users of the band, has insisted that the maximum permitted power for
radio amateurs must not exceed that agreed to at WRC-15 -- 15 W
effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) or 9.1 W ERP -- despite the
fact that Canada has authorized its amateur licensees to use 100 W, and
eliminate the current discrete channels, which ARRL's petition proposed
to retain. NTIA oversees federal government frequency allocations and
users.

Minutes of the October 12 Executive Committee meeting were posted this
week on the ARRL website.
WRC-19 Delegates Reach Agreement on 6-Meter Band in ITU Region 1

World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 (WRC-19) has approved a
6-meter allocation for International Telecommunication Region 1
(Europe, Africa, the Middle East). The decision came after more than 2
weeks of strenuous negotiations to reconcile widely disparate views of
Region 1 administrations.

"The result is a dramatic improvement in the international Radio
Regulations for amateurs in Region 1," the International Amateur Radio
Union (IARU) said in announcing the agreement.

When the Final Acts take effect, 44 countries in Region 1 will have a
primary allocation of at least 500 kHz, including 26 countries with a
primary allocation of the 50 - 54 MHz. The entire region will have an
amateur secondary allocation of 50 - 52 MHz, except in Russia, whose
administration opted for only 50.080 - 50.280 MHz on a secondary basis.

Provisions will be in place to protect other existing services using
the band in Region 1 and in neighboring countries in Region 3. The
existing primary allocation of 50 - 54 MHz in Regions 2 and 3 is
unaffected.

The decision on WRC-19 agenda item 1.1 is the culmination of years of
effort by the IARU and its member-societies.

Delegates this week faced a daunting workload as they tried to reach
consensus on several remaining issues, including the agenda for the
next WRC. The final session of the conference plenary to approve texts
for inclusion in the Final Acts of the conference was set to wrap up on
November 21.

As of the end of last week, no choices had been made as to which of
more than three dozen proposed topics will end up on the agenda for
World Radiocommunication Conference 2023. Each proposed agenda item
would require studies to be conducted between 2020 and 2023, but
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) resources will not
accommodate more than about half of the proposals. Some face strong
opposition, while others remain ill-defined even at this late stage of
the conference.
* Short Duration Satellites: No agreement has been reached on how to
protect existing services and uses of the uplink frequency band
proposed for telemetry, tracking, and command of these "simple"
satellites.
* 5725 - 5850 MHz: This part of the amateur secondary allocation,
which includes an amateur-satellite downlink at 5830 - 5850 MHz, is
the subject of an unresolved conflict over parameters for wireless
access systems, including radio local area networks.
* Frequencies above 275 GHz: This upper frequency range is not
allocated, but several bands are identified for passive
(receive-only) use, and administrations are encouraged to protect
them from harmful interference. With that in mind, WRC-19 has
identified other bands above 275 GHz for the implementation of land
mobile and fixed service applications. The use of these bands for
applications in other services, including amateur experimentation,
is not precluded.

With the 50 MHz issue settled, the IARU team devoted most of its energy
to explaining why the proposed Radionavigation Satellite Service (RNSS)
agenda item for 1240 - 1300 MHz is unnecessary and undesirable. At
issue is compatibility between radio amateurs, who are secondary on
1240 - 1300 MHz, with Galileo RNSS (GPS) system receivers. The amateur
community has advocated that this matter be dealt with through existing
ITU processes rather than the 4 years of study that an agenda item
would entail. Read more.

Radio Amateur's "Tribute to a Century of Broadcasting" Video Debuts on
YouTube

Art Donahue, W1AWX, of Franklin, Massachusetts, has posted his "Tribute
to a Century of Broadcasting" video in recognition of the centennial of
formal radio broadcasts. The video features a complete scan of the AM
broadcast band (530 - 1700 kHz), with station IDs for all 118 AM radio
channels.

Donahue told ARRL he recorded these off the air using two long-wire
antennas in the trees. Each slide highlights one station on each
frequency with call sign, location, power, day/night/gray-line
reception, distance, and year of first broadcast, accompanied by audio
of an actual station identification.

"If you ever spent evenings when you were a kid trying to hear
long-distance radio stations on your AM radio, this video has what they
all sound like today," Donahue said. "I wanted to do something in honor
of the KDKA broadcasting centennial next year and thought I'd try to
get every single channel recorded. It took a lot of time, patience, and
good luck. You'll hear a lot of surprises on the video."

Donhaue added, "It was a fun project to work on."
The Doctor Will See You Now!

"Big Wire Antennas" is the topic of the new (November 21) episode of
the ARRL The Doctor is In podcast. Listen...and learn!

Sponsored by DX Engineering, ARRL The Doctor is In is an informative
discussion of all things technical. Listen on your computer, tablet, or
smartphone -- whenever and wherever you like!

Every 2 weeks, your host, QST Editor-in-Chief Steve Ford, WB8IMY, and
the Doctor himself, Joel Hallas, W1ZR, will discuss a broad range of
technical topics. You can also email your questions to doctor@arrl.org,
and the Doctor may answer them in a future podcast.

Enjoy ARRL The Doctor is In on Apple iTunes, or by using your iPhone or
iPad podcast app (just search for ARRL The Doctor is In). You can also
listen online at Blubrry, or at Stitcher (free registration required,
or browse the site as a guest) and through the free Stitcher app for
iOS, Kindle, or Android devices. If you've never listened to a podcast
before, download our beginner's guide.

Melissa Stemmer Joins ARRL Headquarters Staff as Development Manager

Connecticut native Melissa Stemmer has joined the ARRL Headquarters
staff as Development Manager. Born and raised in Waterbury, Stemmer
earned a bachelor's degree in pharmacy from the University of
Connecticut in 1998, and she worked in that field for more than 15
years. After deciding that a career change was in order, Stemmer went
back to school, earning a master's in organizational leadership in 2015
from Quinnipiac University.

"I am so excited to be on this journey at ARRL, and I am looking
forward to getting to know everyone," Stemmer said.

Before coming to ARRL, she was the development director at Seven Angels
Theatre in Waterbury. In September 2015, Stemmer signed on as
coordinator of the theatre's annual High School Halo Awards -- the
largest high school theatre award program in Connecticut.

During her tenure at Seven Angels Theatre, Stemmer was an active member
of the Waterbury Regional Chamber and the Waterbury Exchange Club. She
served on the executive committee and governing council of the Arts and
Culture Collaborative of the Waterbury Region and was a member of the
Young Professionals Task Force of the Waterbury Region.
Youth on the Air Camp Coming to the Americas

The Electronic Applications Radio Service (EARS) has announced that the
first Youth On The Air (YOTA) camp in the US is set to take place in
June. Sponsors hope the camp will become an annual event.

The inaugural summer camp will take place June 21 - 26 at the National
Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting in West Chester Township, Ohio.
The West Chester Amateur Radio Association (WC8VOA) will host the
event. EARS is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to
wireless technologies and activities.

According to the announcement, the camp will focus on building peer and
mentor relationships and taking amateur radio "to the next level."
Campers will learn and exercise on-the-air skills at special event
station W8Y.

For more information, email Camp Director Neil Rapp, WB9VPG, or call
(812) 327-0749. (Read more.)

Southern California Hams Support Major Terrorist Attacks Response Drill

Seventy southern California amateur radio volunteers deployed to 30
local hospitals, clinics, and city emergency operations centers on
November 6 to support public safety and emergency medical functions
during a mock terrorist response drill that tested law enforcement and
medical treatment facilities in San Diego County.

The scenario was a coordinated attack at two locations 50 miles apart
that resulted in mass casualties and inundated local emergency
departments with 1,000 volunteer actors suffering from simulated
injuries and frantic families (also actors) trying to locate loved
ones. One simulated attack occurred at California's LEGOLAND theme
park, which closed for a half day to support the exercise. The other
simulated attack occurred at a 20,000-seat amphitheater. During the
5-hour exercise, hams relayed hundreds of formal ICS 213 messages via
Winlink and voice nets from hospital to hospital and from hospitals to
the County Medical Operations Center.

Participants included hams aboard the 1,000-bed US Navy Hospital Ship
USNS Mercy and those who checked in via HF from across the southwestern
US.

Hospitals used this full-scale exercise to fulfill their annual
accreditation training requirement. Recent changes in California
hospital regulations require smaller medical clinics to conduct annual
certification drills, and that expansion of clinic participation has
led to a flood of requests for trained radio operators at hundreds of
day surgery clinics and group homes not covered previously by ARES.
Because demand far exceeds the availability of ARES operators for
mid-week daytime drills, ARRL San Diego Section Manager Dave
Kaltenborn, N8KBC, has encouraged smaller clinics and medical networks
to consider developing their own internal amateur radio capabilities.
Several people involved at the smaller clinics have taken classes and
training provided by ARES.

The exercise included cross-border participation by members of Club de
Radio Experimentadores de Baja California (CREBC) at Tijuana General
Hospital in Tijuana, Mexico. CREBC hams maintain an extensive Winlink
and repeater network used by amateurs on both sides of the border. --
Thanks to ARRL San Diego Section Manager Dave Kaltenborn, N8KBC
Dayton Hamvention^(R) Invites 2020 Award Nominations

Dayton Hamvention^(R) is inviting nominations for its 2020 awards.
Nominations are due by February 15, 2020. Awards will be granted for
Amateur of the Year, Club of the Year, Technical Achievement, and
Special Achievement.
* The Amateur of the Year Award is given to a radio amateur who has
made a long-term commitment to the advancement of amateur radio.
This individual will have a history of ham radio contributions and
demonstrated dedication to service, professionalism, and the
advancement of the avocation of amateur radio.
* [IMG]The Club of the Year will be honored for clearly demonstrating
its involvement in varied aspects of amateur radio for the greater
good of their community and/or nation.
* The Technical Achievement Award recognizes a radio amateur who has
achieved technical excellence in the world of amateur radio.
Examples are inventions, processes, discoveries, experiments, and
other technical accomplishments or achievements that contributed to
amateur radio.
* The Special Achievement Award recognizes a radio amateur who has
made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of the radio
art and/or science. This award is usually given to a respected
amateur who spearheaded a single significant project.

Nomination forms are specific to the award. At a minimum, each form
should be completed with the information indicated. Provide contact
information for the person making the nomination. Submit forms via
email or via USPS to Hamvention, Attention: Awards Committee, Box 964,
Dayton, Ohio 45401-0964.

The Awards Committee will make its selections and announce the
recipients along with details on their accomplishments. An honors
convocation and award presentation will be held on the Saturday evening
of Hamvention. Award presentations will also take place at Hamvention
on Sunday afternoon, prior to the prize award activity.

For more information, contact the Dayton Hamvention Awards Committee.

The K7RA Solar Update

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Still no sunspots since November 2.
Average daily solar flux during the reporting week dipped slightly from
70.3 to 69.9. Geomagnetic conditions were quiet, with the average daily
planetary A index dipping from 4 to 3.6, and the average mid-latitude A
index going from 3 to 2.3.

Predicted solar flux is 70 on November 21 - 22; 68 on November 23; 67
on November 24 - 27; 69 on November 28 - December 8; 70 on December 9 -
22, and 69 on December 23 - January 4.

The predicted planetary A index is 20, 16, and 10 on November 21 - 23;
8 on November 24 - 25; 5 on November 26 - December 12; 6 on December
13; 5 on December 14 - 15; 8, 15, 20, 18, and 10 on December 16 - 20; 8
on December 21 - 23, and 5 on December 24 - January 4.

Sunspot numbers for November 14 - 20 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, and 0, with
a mean of 0. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 69.9, 70, 69.7, 70.1, 70.4,
69.2, and 70.2, with a mean of 69.9. Estimated planetary A indices were
4, 4, 6, 5, 2, 2, and 2, with a mean of 3.6. The mid-latitude A index
was 3, 2, 5, 3, 1, 1, and 1, with a mean of 2.3.

A comprehensive K7RA Solar Update is posted Fridays on the ARRL
website. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the
ARRL Technical Information Service, read "What the Numbers Mean...,"
and check out K9LA's Propagation Page.

A propagation bulletin archive is available. Monthly charts offer
propagation projections between the US and a dozen DX locations.

Share your reports and observations.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Just Ahead in Radiosport
* November 23 - 24 -- CQ Worldwide DX Contest (CW)
* November 27 -- SKCC Sprint (CW)
* November 27 -- UKEICC 80-Meter Contest (CW)
* November 28 -- 3.5 RSGB 80-Meter Autumn Series (CW)
* December 1 -- Russian WW MultiMode Contest (CW, phone, digital)
* December 3 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW)
* December 5 -- 1.8 QRP ARCI Topband Sprint (CW)
* December 5 -- NRAU 10-Meter Activity Contest (CW, phone, digital)
* December 5 -- SKCC Sprint Europe (CW)
* December 6 - 8 -- ARRL 160-Meter Contest (CW)

See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. For in-depth
reporting on amateur radio contesting, subscribe to The ARRL Contest
Update via your ARRL member profile email preferences.
Alaska and Tennessee Getting New Section Managers

Two new Section Managers (SMs) have been declared elected in the
just-concluded fall election cycle. Ballots for the Alaska and
Tennessee Section Manager elections were counted on November 19 at ARRL
Headquarters. Eight incumbent Section Managers ran without opposition
during this election cycle. All terms of office start on January 1.

In a very close race in Alaska, David Stevens, KL7EB, received 98
votes, and his opponent, Lara Baker, AL2R, received 88 votes. Both are
from Anchorage. Stevens served previously as Alaska's SM, from 1984
until 1985; from 1998 until 1999, and from 2002 through 2007. Stevens
takes over as Section Manager from Ray Hollenbeck, KL1IL, of Wasilla,
who has led the Alaska Section for the past 4 years.

In Tennessee, David Thomas, KM4NYI, of Knoxville, outpolled Charles
Talley, KJ4KVC, of Lyles, 557 to 417. An active member of the Radio
Amateur Club of Knoxville, Thomas serves on the club's Repeater
Committee as a hands-on technician for the club's repeater suite. He
enjoys restoring tube-type ham gear, operating HF, 6 meters, and
digital modes.

Thomas will be taking the reins of the Tennessee Field Organization
from Keith Miller, N9DGK, of Rockvale, who decided not to run for a new
term. Miller has served as Section Manager since 2012.

These incumbent Section Managers were the only candidates in their
respective sections and have been declared elected. JVann Martin, W4JVM
(Alabama); Bill Duveneck, KB3KYH (Delaware); Jim Siemons, W6LK (East
Bay); Ron Cowan, KB0DTI (Kansas); Jim Kvochick, K8JK (Michigan); Bill
Mader, K8TE (New Mexico); John Kitchens, NS6X (Santa Barbara), and Ray
Lajoie, KB1LRL (Western Massachusetts).
Why Propagation Repeats About Every 27 Days

The sun rotates in about 27 days, but different solar latitudes rotate
with different periods. This is why propagation repeats roughly every
27 days, as NASA explains.

The sun's rotation was first detected by observing the motion of
sunspots. The sun's rotation axis is tilted by about 7.25� from the
axis of Earth's orbit, so we see more of the sun's north pole in
September and more of its south pole in March. Because the sun is a
ball of gas/plasma, it does not have to rotate rigidly, as solid
planets and moons do. In fact, the sun's equatorial regions rotate
faster -- taking only about 24 days -- than the polar regions, which
rotate once every 30+ days.

The source of this "differential rotation" is an area of current
research in solar astronomy. -- Thanks to The ARRL Contest Update and
NASA
In Brief...

OH2BH to Be On the Air from Myanmar The government in Myanmar has given
limited amateur operating privileges to Martti Laine, OH2BH. He will
use XZ2D. Laine reports that authorities in the Southeast Asian nation
have only permitted him to operate on 15 meters and higher, but he is
hoping to obtain permission to operate on a spot frequency on 20
meters. "Getting 14.065 kHz temporarily for the duration of 48 hours
would be magic," Laine said. Members of the world-wide amateur
community wrote the Myanmar government to support Laine. "As Radio
Arcala, OH8X remains at their Climate Park with more than 110,000
mangroves planted," he continued. "[O]ur dream remains to activate the
Union of Myanmar from our own site from the noise-free Ayeyarwady
Region of Myanmar." The XZ2D license is valid until April 17. Laine
said he has been setting up his station and should be on the air on
November 21. According to Club Log's DXCC Most Wanted list, Myanmar is
#48.

Happy 45th Birthday, AMSAT-OSCAR 7! The world's longest-lived
satellite, AO-7, turned 45 years old this month. It was launched on
November 15, 1974, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. After
nearly 7 years of service, AO-7 was thought to have reached the end of
its life in June 1981 due to battery failure, and a premature obituary
appeared in the AMSAT Satellite Report. In an interesting footnote,
although AO-7 was thought to be nonfunctional after 1981, it's been
reported that the Polish Solidarity movement used AO-7 to pass messages
in 1982, while Poland was under martial law. Twenty years later, on
June 21, 2002, G3IOR reported hearing "an old-style CW beacon" from an
unknown OSCAR near 145.970 MHz. It didn't take long to identify the
satellite as AO-7, which remains operational and well-used while it's
in sunlight. To celebrate AO-7's 45th birthday, AMSAT plans to auction
a set of gold-plated AO-7 cufflinks and a 50th Anniversary AMSAT lab
coat (size 42R). The auctions are now live on eBay and will conclude
shortly after 0200 UTC on November 26, 2019. AMSAT reports that 100% of
the proceeds will go toward Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. -- Thanks
to AMSAT News Service

ARRL Self-Guided Emergency Communication Course EC-001-S is Now
Available On Demand ARRL's EC-001-S online "Introduction to Emergency
Communication" course is now available to students in an on-demand
format, allowing students to register for the course and begin work at
any time. This course is designed to provide basic knowledge and tools
for any emergency communications volunteer. In response to the great
course demand and to expand access to EC-001, ARRL developed a
self-guided version of the course, EC-001-S, which launched in June.
This version of the course is designed for those who prefer to work
independently and who do not need guidance from an online mentor.
EC-001-S was previously offered only during specific sessions along
with the traditional mentored version. The course opened for general
enrollment on November 6. Visit the ARRL Online Course Registration
page for more information and to register.

Florida and Georgia Amateur Radio Volunteers Support the Spaghetti 100
Bicycle Ride Two dozen amateur radio volunteers from the Tallahassee
Amateur Radio Society (TARS) in Florida and the Thomasville Amateur
Radio Club (TARC) in Georgia provided communication support for the
Capital City Cyclists' 35th annual Spaghetti 100 Bicycle Ride on
November 9. The Spaghetti 100 funds the Kids on Bikes program, which
teaches hundreds of elementary schoolers how to ride a bicycle safely
and helps to support the Trips for Kids chapter, which takes
disadvantaged youth on bike rides on local trails. The hams used one of
the TARS VHF repeaters to provide communication for safety and
logistics, as well as for the medical and mechanical teams. Cell phone
coverage is very sparse along the 100-mile route on back-country roads
in northern Florida and southern Georgia. Communications Coordinator
Stan Zawrotny, K4SBZ, said the importance of ham radio's traditional
role in filling communication gaps was brought home to him when the
land line at the ride's headquarters was out for several hours, leaving
amateur radio as the only communication for some areas. "In addition to
the thanks given by most of the bicyclists as they passed by, event
sponsors expressed their appreciation for the work of the ham radio
volunteers and were impressed with the capabilities of amateur radio,"
Zawrotny said.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
* December 13 - 14 -- West Central Florida Section Convention, Plant
City, Florida
* January 4 -- New York City-Long Island Section Convention,
Brookville, New York
* January 17 - 18 -- North Texas Section Convention, Forest Hill,
Texas
* January 19 - 25 -- Quartzfest, Quartzsite, Arizona
* January 24 - 26 -- Puerto Rico State Convention, Hatillo, Puerto
Rico
* January 25 -- ARRL Midwest Conference

Find conventions and hamfests in your area.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for
Amateur Radio News and Information.

.

.
* Join or Renew Today! ARRL membership includes QST, amateur radio's
most popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox
each month.
* Listen to ARRL Audio News, available every Friday.

Subscribe to...
* NCJ -- National Contest Journal. Published bimonthly, features
articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA
Sprint, and QSO parties.
* QEX -- A Forum for Communications Experimenters. Published
bimonthly, features technical articles, construction projects,
columns, and other items of interest to radio amateurs and
communications professionals.

Free of charge to ARRL members...
* Subscribe to the ARES E-Letter (monthly public service and
emergency communications news), the ARRL Contest Update (biweekly
contest newsletter), Division and Section news alerts -- and much
more!
* Find ARRL on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram!
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 50 times each year. ARRL members
and registered guests may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing
their profile.

Copyright (c) 2019 American Radio Relay League, Incorporated. Use and
distribution of this publication, or any portion thereof, is permitted for
non-commercial or educational purposes, with attribution. All other
purposes require written permission.


--- SendMsg/2

--- Squish/386 v1.11
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Limestone, TN, USA (1:18/200)

The ARRL Letter
December 5, 2019

* ARRL to Oppose Proposal to Eliminate 3.3 - 3.5 GHz Amateur
Allocation
* President Rick Roderick, K5UR, Heads ARRL Group on FCC Visits
* Oldest Known US Ham Receives ARRL Centurion Award
* The Doctor Will See You Now!
* Past ARRL Chief Technology Officer Paul Rinaldo, W4RI, SK
* Election will Result in ARRL Southeastern Division Leadership
Changes
* The K7RA Solar Update
* Just Ahead in Radiosport
* YOTA Month Expanding into the Americas
* ITU Posts Provisional WRC-19 Final Acts
* In Brief...
* Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
ARRL to Oppose Proposal to Eliminate 3.3 - 3.5 GHz Amateur Allocation

At its December 12 open meeting, the FCC will consider adopting a
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that proposes to remove the
amateur radio 9-centimeter allocation at 3.3 - 3.5 GHz. ARRL plans to
comment in opposition to the proposed action. According to an FCC "Fact
Sheet," the proceeding WT Docket 19-348, "Facilitating Shared Use in
the 3.1 - 3.55 GHz Band," is a follow-on from the MOBILE NOW Act,
approved by the 115th Congress, which requires the FCC and the US
Department of Commerce to make available new spectrum for mobile and
fixed wireless broadband use. It also requires the FCC to work with the
National Telecommunications and Information ministration (NTIA) to
evaluate whether commercial wireless services and federal incumbents
could share spectrum between 3.1 and 3.55 GHz. NTIA manages spectrum
allocated to federal government users.

"This Notice of Proposed Rulemaking would propose to remove the
existing non-federal allocations in the 3.3 - 3.55 GHz band as a step
towards potential future shared use between federal incumbents and
commercial users," the FCC Fact Sheet explains. "By taking the initial
step needed to clear the band of allocations for non-federal
incumbents, the Commission furthers its continued efforts to make more
mid-band spectrum potentially available to support next generation
wireless networks."

The NPRM proposes to clear the 3.3 - 3.55 GHz band of existing
non-federal users by removing non-federal secondary radiolocation and
amateur allocations [emphasis added] in the 3.3 - 3.55 GHz band and to
relocate incumbent non-federal users out of the band. The FCC would
seek comment on relocation options and "transition mechanisms" for
incumbent non-federal users, either to the 3.1 - 3.3 GHz band or to
other frequencies.

Regarding the Amateur and Amateur-Satellite Service allocations, the
FCC NPRM asks whether existing amateur spectrum in other bands might
support operations currently conducted in the 3.3 - 3.5 GHz band. The
3.40 - 3.41 GHz segment is designated for amateur satellite
communication. "We seek comment on the extent to which the band is used
for this purpose, whether existing satellites can operate on other
amateur satellite bands, and on an appropriate timeframe for
terminating these operations in this band," the FCC NPRM says.

Also at its December 12 meeting, the FCC will consider another NPRM in
WT Docket 19-138 that would "take a fresh and comprehensive look" at
the rules for the 5.9 GHz band. The amateur radio 5-centimeter
allocation is 5650.0 - 5925.0 MHz, and the NPRM, if approved, would
address the top 75 MHz of that amateur secondary band. ARRL will also
file comments opposing any changes affecting the 5-centimeter amateur
allocation.

Both draft FCC proposals are subject to change prior to a vote at the
December 12 FCC meeting. Read more.
President Rick Roderick, K5UR, Heads ARRL Group on FCC Visits

President Rick Roderick, K5UR, and members of the ARRL Board's
Executive Committee undertook a round of visits to FCC Headquarters in
Washington on November 4 and 5. Topics focused on a number of pressing
amateur radio-related issues. In addition to Roderick, members of the
ARRL contingent included Atlantic Division Director Tom Abernethy,
W3TOM; New England Division Director Fred Hopengarten, K1VR; Roanoke
Division Director Bud Hippisley, W2RU; West Gulf Division Director John
Robert Stratton, N5AUS, and ARRL Washington Counsel David Siddall,
K3ZJ.

Digital Data Symbol Rate Proceeding

The ARRL delegation emphasized the overwhelming support for and need to
remove symbol rate limits from the amateur rules, contending that the
limits are outdated, no longer serve their original purpose of limiting
signal bandwidth, and inhibit experimentation and development of
digital communications techniques. Removing these limitations would
also allow US radio amateurs to join those in other countries in using
methods not permitted in the US.

In 2016, the FCC had responded to ARRL's petition for rulemaking
(RM-11708) by proposing no bandwidth limit. The ARRL delegation
reiterated that adopting a 2.8 kHz maximum bandwidth in place of the
symbol rate limit would promote sharing and experimentation below 30
MHz.

(L - R) Atlantic Division Director
Tom Abernethy, W3TOM; ARRL President
Rick Roderick, K5UR; West Gulf
Division Director John Robert
Stratton, N5AUS; Roanoke Division
Director Bud Hippisley, W2RU; New
England Division Director Fred
Hopengarten, K1VR, and ARRL
Washington Counsel David Siddall,
K3ZJ.

The ARRL representatives also discussed issues that some have raised --
and on which the FCC did not request comment -- alleging that certain
types of digital signals are "encrypted" because they are digitally
compressed or otherwise can be difficult to receive over the air. The
ARRL group pointed out that the FCC addressed the use of new digital
techniques in 1995, amending its rules to authorize new digital
techniques without prior FCC approval, as long as these were publicly
documented consistent with three techniques specifically approved at
the time. Since then, multiple digital methods have been developed and
deployed without substantive complaints of insufficient documentation,
the ARRL team noted.

The prohibition on encryption is a provision of the ITU Radio
Regulations and applies worldwide. The FCC regulation prohibiting
"messages encoded for the purpose of obscuring their meaning" comes
directly from the ITU Radio Regulations, language adopted at World
Radiocommunication Conference 2003 (WRC-03) to replace a provision that
limited amateur communications to "plain language." option of this
change made clear that amateur communications encoded for digital
transmission are authorized internationally as long as they're not
encrypted. It was noted that techniques some commenters have targeted
are widely used by amateurs around the world.

60-Meter Band Allocation

ARRL petitioned the FCC in RM-11785 to implement provisions adopted at
WRC-15 that provide for a secondary amateur allocation at 5351.5 -
5366.5 kHz. ARRL also proposed that 100 W ERP be permitted on the new
band, consistent with that authorized for the current five 60-meter
channels.

The National Telecommunications and Information ministration (NTIA)
has proposed in a letter to delete the existing four channels and
substitute a secondary band allocation at a maximum permitted power of
15 W EIRP (9.1 W ERP), as approved at WRC-15. The ARRL delegation
expressed concern that NTIA's proposal would require relocation of
existing channelized amateur activity to a 15 kHz band at a fraction of
the power now authorized, despite an absence of any reported
interference on the current channels. ARRL also expressed concern that
9.1 W ERP would hamper emergency communication on the band, especially
during hurricane season, when noise levels are usually high.

The FCC is expected to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in
December or early next year addressing 60 meters and inviting comments.

Amateur Radio Enforcement

ARRL Executive Committee members met with FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief
Rosemary Harold and her senior staff to discuss amateur enforcement.
The delegation updated progress in setting up the Volunteer Monitoring
Program pursuant to the FCC/ARRL Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
signed last March. The program is in the final stages of training
volunteers and is expected to be brought online in early 2020. Read
more.

Oldest Known US Ham Receives ARRL Centurion Award

The oldest known US radio amateur, Cliff Kayhart, W4KKP, received his
ARRL Centurion Award plaque in November. The award

(L - R) Roanoke Division Director
Bud Hippisley, W2RU; Cliff Kayhart,
W4KKP; Roanoke Division Vice
Director Bill Morine, N2COP, and
South Carolina Section Manager Marc
Tarplee, N4UFP.

recognizes hams who have achieved centenarian status. Kayhart, who
lives in White Rock, South Carolina, is 108. The ARRL Board of
Directors conferred the award on Kayhart at its July 2019 meeting.

At the November meeting of the Dutch Fork Amateur Radio Group in Little
Mountain, South Carolina, ARRL Roanoke Division Director Bud Hippisley,
W2RU, headed an ARRL delegation that presented the Centurion Award
plaque to Kayhart, who was first licensed as W2LFE in 1937 (he's also
held W9GNQ). With Hippisley for the presentation were Roanoke Division
Vice Director Bill Morine, N2COP, and South Carolina Section Manager
Marc Tarplee, N4UFP.

Kayhart served in Iwo Jima during World War II, shortly after the US
victory there, setting up long-range radio communication from the
island to Tokyo to arrange for the eventual surrender by Japan.

Kayhart remains active, checking into several nets from his assisted
living facility. Centurion Award recipients have their annual ARRL
membership fees waived while continuing to receive QST and other ARRL
member benefits. Kayhart was profiled in the June 2018 issue of QST.
The Doctor Will See You Now!

"VHF/UHF propagation" is the topic of the new (December 5) episode of
the ARRL The Doctor is In podcast. Listen...and learn!

Sponsored by DX Engineering, ARRL The Doctor is In is an informative
discussion of all things technical. Listen on your computer, tablet, or
smartphone -- whenever and wherever you like!

Every 2 weeks, your host, QST Editor-in-Chief Steve Ford, WB8IMY, and
the Doctor himself, Joel Hallas, W1ZR, will discuss a broad range of
technical topics. You can also email your questions to doctor@arrl.org,
and the Doctor may answer them in a future podcast.

Enjoy ARRL The Doctor is In on Apple iTunes, or by using your iPhone or
iPad podcast app (just search for ARRL The Doctor is In). You can also
listen online at Blubrry, or at Stitcher (free registration required,
or browse the site as a guest) and through the free Stitcher app for
iOS, Kindle, or Android devices. If you've never listened to a podcast
before, download our beginner's guide.

Past ARRL Chief Technology Officer Paul Rinaldo, W4RI, SK

A titan of amateur radio, past ARRL Chief Technology Officer Paul L.
Rinaldo, W4RI, of Burke, Virginia, died on November 29 after a period
of failing health. An ARRL Life Member, Rinaldo was 88.

"This is really sad news," ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, remarked
upon learning of Rinaldo's passing. "I worked with Paul on a number of
things, and he amazed me with his knowledge and the different ways to
consider issues. Smart. Highly respected. He sure helped us through the
years in so many ways."

First licensed in 1949 as W9IZA, Rinaldo's focus was always in the
arena of technical experimentation. He studied radio engineering at
Valparaiso Technical Institute in Indiana. Rinaldo was a cofounder and
served as president of the Amateur Radio Research and Development
Corporation (AMRAD). His first association with ARRL was an article,
"Amateur Radio in the Computer Age," for the September 1979 edition of
QST. Subsequently, he served in volunteer roles, among them as the
first editor of QEX: The ARRL Experimenters' Exchange.

In 1983, Rinaldo succeeded Doug DeMaw, W1FB, as ARRL Technical
Department Manager and Senior Technical Editor. His efforts led to his
appointment as Publications Manager and, 5 years later, as Manager of
Technical Development with responsibility for preparing for the 1992
World ministrative Radio Conference. This led to Rinaldo's supporting
role in the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU), and he attended
IARU ministrative Council (AC) meetings from 1996 to 2008.

Rinaldo also took part in several International Telecommunication Union
(ITU) conferences and served on numerous working parties and task
groups. IARU Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ, said amateur radio's
successes at the just-ended WRC-19 were, in large part, because of
Rinaldo's good work over the years.

In 1992, Rinaldo established ARRL's Technical Relations Office in the
Washington, DC, area. In 2004, the ARRL Board of Directors elected
Rinaldo as ARRL's first Chief Technology Officer, a post he held until
his retirement in 2008. "For the past 16 years, Paul has been the face
and voice of amateur radio in the technical circles of the federal
government and one of our most visible representatives at the ITU,"
Sumner said at the time.

Murphy Funeral Homes of Falls Church, Virginia, is handling
arrangements. Read more.
Election will Result in ARRL Southeastern Division Leadership Changes

A new ARRL Director and Vice Director will take office on January 1 in
ARRL's Southeastern Division. The vote count in contested Division
races at ARRL Headquarters on November 15 saw Mickey Baker, N4MB,
defeating incumbent Director Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, 2,132 votes to 1,739
votes. In addition, challenger James Schilling, KG4JSZ, received 1,356
votes to win a three-way race for Vice Director, outpolling incumbent
Joseph Tiritilli, N4ZUW, who received 1,209 votes, and challenger Jeff
Stahl, K4BH, who received 1,281 votes. In 2016, Sarratt was the lone
candidate for office, regaining the Director's seat after being
narrowly unseated in 2013 when he stood for re-election. Tiritelli was
the only candidate to fill the vacant Southeastern Division Vice
Director's chair that same year.

In the only other contested race, incumbent West Gulf Division Director
John Robert Stratton, N5AUS, defeated challenger Madison Jones, W5MJ,
for re-election, by a vote of 2,498 to 1,405. Stratton moved into the
Director's seat last January after past Director David Woolweaver,
K5RAV, stepped down. West Gulf Division Vice Director Lee Cooper,
W5LHC, was unopposed for a full term after being appointed earlier this
year to succeed Stratton.

Seats for Director and Vice Director in three other ARRL Divisions were
unchallenged, and candidates were considered re-elected. These included
Pacific Division Director Jim Tiemstra, K6JAT, and Vice Director
Kristen McIntyre, K6WX; Rocky Mountain Division Director Jeff Ryan,
K0RM, and Vice Director Robert Wareham, N0ESQ, and Southwestern
Division Director Richard Norton, N6AA. Mark Weiss, K6FG, ran unopposed
for the Southwestern Division Vice Director's seat, being vacated by
Ned Stearns, AA7A.

The ARRL Board of Directors next meets in January.

The K7RA Solar Update

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: No sunspots again this week. This run
of zero sunspots has gone on for more than 3 weeks.

Average daily solar flux for the November 28 - December 4 reporting
week was 70.2. The predicted solar flux for every one of the next 45
days is 70. The predicted planetary A index is 5 on December 5 - 7; 8
on December 8 - 9; 5 on December 10 - 12; 6 on December 13; 5 on
December 14 - 17; 12, 10, 8, and 8 on December 18 - 21; 5 on December
22 - 29; 8 on December 30 - 31; 5 on January 1 - 3; 8 on January 4; 5
on January 5 - 8; 6 on January 9; 5 on January 10 - 13; 12, 10, 8, and
8 on January 14 - 17, and 5 on January 18.

Spaceweather.com pointed out the Geminid meteor shower will peak
December 13 - 14, just in time for the ARRL 10-Meter Contest December
14 - 15. Ionized meteor trails may enhance 10-meter propagation.

Sunspot numbers for November 28 - December 4 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, and
0, with a mean of 0. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 70.2, 69.8, 70.4,
71.2, 70.4, 69.9, and 69.6, with a mean of 70.4. Estimated planetary A
indices were 4, 5, 4, 4, 2, 2, and 3, with a mean of 8.3. Middle
latitude A index was 2, 3, 2, 2, 2, 1, and 2, with a mean of 5.7.

A comprehensive K7RA Solar Update is posted Fridays on the ARRL
website. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the
ARRL Technical Information Service, read "What the Numbers Mean...,"
and check out K9LA's Propagation Page.

A propagation bulletin archive is available. Monthly charts offer
propagation projections between the US and a dozen DX locations.

Share your reports and observations.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Just Ahead in Radiosport
* December 6 - 8 -- ARRL 160-Meter Contest (CW)
* December 7 -- Wake-Up! QRP Sprint (CW)
* December 7 - 8 -- UFT Contest (CW)
* December 7 - 8 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon (CW)
* December 7 - 8 -- International Naval Contest (CW, phone)
* December 7 - 8 -- PRO CW Contest
* December 7 - 8 -- FT8 Roundup
* December 7 - 8 -- EPC Ukraine DX Contest (Digital)
* December 8 -- QRP ARCI Holiday Spirits Homebrew Sprint (CW)
* December 9 -- 4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint (CW, phone)
* December 11 -- NAQCC CW Sprint

See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. For in-depth
reporting on amateur radio contesting, subscribe to The ARRL Contest
Update via your ARRL member profile email preferences.

YOTA Month Expanding into the Americas

December is Youth on the Air (YOTA) Month, when stations operated by
young radio amateurs around the world will get on the air to celebrate
youth in amateur radio. YOTA Month began a few years ago in
International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 1, and the concept has
now taken root in the Americas as YOTA Month in the Americas.

During YOTA Month, radio amateurs aged 25 and younger will be on the
air as special event stations during December on various bands and
modes. In the US, look for K8Y, K8O, K8T, and K8A. Elsewhere in the
Americas, VE7YOTA will be on the air from Canada. XR2YOTA in Chile has
been added to the list of youth stations in the Americas for YOTA
Month. Young hams in other countries may also join in. Listen for other
YOTA Month stations with "YOTA" suffixes.

For more information about YOTA in the Americas, contact YOTA Month in
the Americas Coordinator Bryant Rascoll, KG5HVO, or YOTA in the
Americas Camp Director Neil Rapp, WB9VPG.

Participants earn certificates by working the various YOTA-suffix
stations on the air throughout December. Not a contest, the event is
aimed at getting as many youngsters on air from as many countries as
possible. The event takes place from 0000 UTC on December 1 until 2359
UTC on December 31.

Other special call signs planning to be on the air include 5B19YOTA,
7X2YOTA, 7X3YOTA, 9A19YOTA, DH0YOTA, E71YOTA, EF4YOTA, EG2YOTA,
EI0YOTA, EM5YOTA, EM6YOTA, ET3YOTA, GB19YOTA, HA6YOTA, HB9YOTA,
HG0YOTA, II4YOTA, II8YOTA, LY5YOTA, OH2YOTA, OL19YOTA, ON4YOTA,
PA6YOTA, PD6YOTA, SH9YOTA, TC19YOTA, TC3YOTA, TM19YOTA, YO0YOTA,
YT19YOTA, ZL6YOTA, and ZS9YOTA.

Most will put their logs on Logbook of The World (LoTW) with paper
cards available through Club Log OQRS. QSL direct via M0SDV. -- Thanks
to YOTA and YOTA in the Americas
ITU Posts Provisional WRC-19 Final Acts

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has posted the
provisional Final Acts of World Radiocommunication Conference 2019
(WRC-19) on its website as a 567-page PDF. Sponsored by the ITU,
WRC-19, held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, wrapped up on Friday,

WRC-19 participants (L - R) Hans
Blondeel Timmerman, PB2T; Bryan
Rawlings, VE3QN; Dave Court, EI3IO;
Ulrich Mueller, DK4VW; David Sumner,
K1ZZ; Dale Hughes, VK1DSH, and
Murray Niman, G6JYB. [Ulrich
Mueller, DK4VW, photo]

November 22. The month-long event was the largest ever, with some 3,300
delegates in attendance. The WRC-19 Final Acts will take effect on
January 21, 2021.

During the last week of the conference, meetings often ran into the wee
hours in an effort to get work completed on schedule. The prime amateur
radio agenda item involved agreement on a 6-meter band allocation for
ITU Region 1 (Europe, Africa, and the Middle East). When the Final Acts
take effect, 44 countries in Region 1 will have a primary allocation of
at least 500 kHz, including 26 countries with a primary allocation of
50 - 54 MHz. The entire region will have an amateur secondary
allocation of 50 - 52 MHz, except Russia, whose administration opted
for only 50.080 - 50.280 MHz on a secondary basis.

The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) called the 6-meter outcome
"a dramatic improvement in the international Radio Regulations for
amateurs in Region 1." The next WRC will be in 2023.
In Brief...

[IMG]Orlando HamCation^(R) 2020 visitors in February will be able to
navigate the convention with ARRL's free mobile event app, ARRL Events.
First introduced for the Dayton Hamvention^(R) in May 2019, the app
received extremely positive reviews from users. ARRL has partnered with
Orlando HamCation and Dayton Hamvention to re-introduce the app for
these 2020 events. "The user-friendly event app will help
convention-goers find exhibits and forums, follow prize drawings, and
connect with other attendees," said ARRL Convention and Event
Coordinator Eric Casey, KC2ERC, who has been working with Orlando
HamCation Committee members to help ready the app for the 2020 event.
The free ARRL Events app will be available in late December for both
Apple iOS and Android devices, along with a web-browser version.
Orlando HamCation 2020 takes place February 7 - 9 and has been
sanctioned as the 2020 ARRL Northern Florida Section Convention. Visit
the HamCation website to purchase tickets.

[IMG]Dayton Hamvention^(R) is increasing the cost of admission and its
booth fees. Hamvention General Chair Jack Gerbs, WB8SCT, announced this
week that general admission would rise by $4 per ticket to $26 in
advance or $31 at the gate. The cost of flea market spots will go up by
$5 per space, and inside exhibitors will pay $30 more. "Hamvention has
always strived to produce a very high-quality event for amateur radio
enthusiasts from around the globe," Gerbs said. "We have always felt it
is imperative that we give back to amateur radio at many levels. We
have been very generous in our support over the years." He cited "the
economic pressures to present a show like Hamvention" as the reason for
the price increases.

ARRL is inviting listeners of the So Now What? podcast for amateur
radio newcomers to take a brief survey about the bi-weekly podcast. The
survey will close on December 13. -- Thanks to Michelle Patnode, W3MVP,
ARRL Communications Content Producer

Just after announcing the release of WSJT-X version 2.1.1, the WSJT
Development Group issued a second bug-fix release, version 2.1.2.
WSJT-X is the free software suite that includes the FT4 and FT8
protocols. According to the developers, an error in the code broke the
WSJT-X rig control features for certain Icom radios. The Release Notes
detail program changes made since WSJT-X 2.1.0. The WSJT-X 2.1 User
Guide has also been updated. Upgrading from earlier versions of WSJT-X
should be seamless, with no need to uninstall previous versions or move
any files. Links to installation packages are available. The WSJT
Development Group asks those using the code to let the developers know,
as well as to report bugs or suggest improvements to the code.

AMPRNet Cofounder Brian Kantor, WB6CYT, of San Diego, California, has
died unexpectedly. He retired 2 years ago after 47 years of service on
staff at the University of California, San Diego. Kantor and Phil Karn,
KA9Q, founded AMPRNet -- the TCP/IP over amateur radio network -- in
the 1980s, and Kantor continued to manage it until his death. He
recently created and served as chair and CEO of Amateur Radio Digital
Communications (ARDC), a charitable foundation funded by the sale of
unused AMPRNet IPv4 addresses. ARDC promotes STEM education and amateur
radio digital development through scholarships and by funding the
development of open-source hardware and software. It recently announced
its first grant, to Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
(ARISS). Kantor was also a key player in AMSAT's early internet
presence.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
* December 13 - 14 -- West Central Florida Section Convention, Plant
City, Florida
* January 4 -- New York City-Long Island Section Convention,
Brookville, New York
* January 17 - 18 -- North Texas Section Convention, Forest Hill,
Texas
* January 19 - 25 -- Quartzfest, Quartzsite, Arizona
* January 24 - 26 -- Puerto Rico State Convention, Hatillo, Puerto
Rico
* January 25 -- ARRL Midwest Conference, Collinsville, Illinois

Find conventions and hamfests in your area.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for
Amateur Radio News and Information.

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* Join or Renew Today! ARRL membership includes QST, amateur radio's
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Free of charge to ARRL members...
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----------------------------------------------------------------------

The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 50 times each year. ARRL members
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Copyright (c) 2019 American Radio Relay League, Incorporated. Use and
distribution of this publication, or any portion thereof, is permitted for
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--- SendMsg/2

--- Squish/386 v1.11
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Limestone, TN, USA (1:18/200)

The ARRL Letter
December 12, 2019

* FCC Amending Amateur Radio RF Exposure Safety Rules
* ARRL Asks FCC to Dismiss Petition Seeking Declaratory Ruling on
Encoded Message Rule
* A 600 W Broadband HF Amplifier Using Economically Priced LDMOS
Devices
* The Doctor Will See You Now!
* NOAA/NASA Panel Concurs that Solar Cycle 25 will Peak in July 2025
* The K7RA Solar Update
* Just Ahead in Radiosport
* Collegiate QSO Party 2018 and 2019 Plaque Recipients Announced
* Melissa Pore, KM4CZN, is 2020 Carole Perry Educator of the Year
Award Recipient
* In Brief...
* Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
FCC Amending Amateur Radio RF Exposure Safety Rules

The FCC is amending its Part 97 Amateur Service rules relating to RF
exposure safety. In a lengthy document in ET Docket 19-226 released on
December 4 and addressing a broad range of RF safety issues, the FCC
said current amateur radio RF exposure safety limits will remain
unchanged, but that the amateur-specific exemption from having to
conduct an RF exposure evaluation will be replaced by the FCC's general
exemption criteria. Radio amateurs have always had to comply with RF
exposure limits, but certain stations have been exempt from having to
conduct evaluations based only upon power and frequency. The Commission
indicated that, by and large, if an RF source was "categorically
excluded" from routine evaluation under the old rules, it will most
likely still be exempt under the new rules, which are expected to take
effect in the next couple of months.

"For applicants and licensees in the Amateur Radio Service, we
substitute our general exemption criteria for the specific exemption
from routine evaluation based on power alone in Section 97.13(c)(1) and
specify the use of occupational/controlled limits for amateurs where
appropriate," the FCC said.

"The sky is not falling here," ARRL Lab Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI,
commented. "The major aspects of the rules will not impose major new
burdens on the Amateur Radio Service. As in all regulatory matters,
though, the devil may be in the details, so the ARRL technical staff,
legal staff, and the experts on the ARRL RF Safety Committee are
carefully evaluating this FCC document."

Under the revised Section 97.13(c)(1), "In lieu of evaluation with the
general population/uncontrolled exposure limits, amateur licensees may
evaluate their operation with respect to members of his or her
immediate household using the occupational/controlled exposure limits
in Section 1.1310, provided appropriate training and information has
been accessed by the amateur licensee and members of his/her
household," the amended rule says.

An FCC OET Bulletin 65 illustration
of how to determine exposure
distances.

"RF exposure of other nearby persons who are not members of the amateur
licensee's household must be evaluated with respect to the general
population/uncontrolled exposure limits. Appropriate methodologies and
guidance for evaluating Amateur Radio Service operation is described in
the Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) Bulletin 65, Supplement
B," the revised rule concludes.

The FCC said it was not persuaded by ARRL's argument in its comments
that the routine evaluation exemption for amateur radio stations
operating below a certain power threshold should be maintained.
"Amateur radio licensees operate a variety of installations of
different size, power, and frequency, which can be located in close
proximity to people, giving rise to various RF exposure concerns," the
FCC noted.

In a meeting with FCC OET Chief Julius Knapp and senior staff in early
November, ARRL asked the FCC to make available on the internet a
calculator to facilitate making the correct calculations the rules
require. ARRL said that would be preferable to unofficial third-party
calculators, the results from which might not be accorded the same
degree of deference in local disputes. Several software programs were
suggested as models.

The FCC did not single out amateur radio in drafting its latest RF
exposure rules. The rules affect multiple services, and exemptions for
many other services were also deleted as part of a broader policy
driven by a proliferation of RF devices, some resulting in situations
where gain antennas are sited much closer to people than was expected
in 1996 when the rules were last revised.
ARRL Asks FCC to Dismiss Petition Seeking Declaratory Ruling on Encoded
Message Rule

ARRL has asked the FCC to dismiss a Petition for Declaratory Ruling
filed by New York University (NYU), that in ARRL's view proposes a new
interpretation of the rule -- Section 97.113(a)(4) -- prohibiting
"messages encoded for the purpose of obscuring their meaning." In its
December 2 filing, ARRL said NYU's call to "clarify" the rule's meaning
to prohibit "effectively encrypted or encoded messages, including
messages that cannot be readily decoded over the air for true meaning,"
is not only vague but could weaken the prohibition against encryption.

ARRL pointed out that the FCC rule prohibiting "messages encoded for
the purpose of obscuring their meaning," is essentially the same as
what appears in the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Radio
Regulations applying to all countries. ARRL made clear that it
continues to support rules prohibiting encrypted messages on the
amateur bands, even for limited emergency communication purposes, and
the ARRL Board reiterated that opposition last July.

In its comments, ARRL said that NYU's request that the FCC adopt its
suggested language would introduce ambiguity and confusion in the
application of a rule that's clearly understood to prohibit encrypted
messages. ARRL noted that Morse code is encoded and would fall within
the prohibition as proposed by NYU. "The very fact that messages sent
in CW are 'encoded' by any definition of the term starkly demonstrates
the problem with this proposal," ARRL said.

ARRL said that adding the word "effectively" would make the definition
even more vague by including all encoded messages plus an additional
set of undefined messages, the extent of which is unknown. Similarly,
ARRL maintained, it is "unclear and undetermined what the petitioner
may mean by 'effectively encrypted.'" Encryption is a binary
proposition, ARRL pointed out, and the meaning either is hidden from
all but the intended recipient(s) or it is not; a message cannot be
considered "encrypted" if the means to enable non-recipients to
understand the message are generally available.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

"The Commission has addressed amateur use of digital signals in
multiple proceedings [and] there has been no showing that the current
regulatory scheme is deficient in prohibiting encrypted messages," ARRL
concluded.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

"ding the modifier 'effectively' to 'encrypted' converts clear
meaning into vague uncertainty," ARRL asserted. FCC rules explicitly
authorize radio amateurs to use new digital techniques on the condition
that the techniques be described adequately and available publicly,
ARRL said, pointing to multiple filings in the FCC record from
individuals who have successfully used the public descriptions to
decode the digital techniques with which NYU has expressed concern.

NYU has not presented any information to demonstrate that the FCC's
current rule is not being complied with by digital innovators, ARRL
said, and adoption of NYU's petition would create more questions for
the FCC than it would be able to answer if called upon to apply the
petition's vague language in specific cases.

"We are unaware of any enforcement case in which the Commission is
experiencing difficulty in understanding and applying the prohibition
against encrypted messages," ARRL maintained.

What the petitioner regards as violations "augurs against its proposal
to interpret in some new fashion the international and domestic
prohibition," ARRL said. "For example," ARRL continued, "the petitioner
asserts, without any basis in fact, that dynamic compression techniques
effectively encrypt or encode communications." Such techniques are
widely recognized ways to increase the efficiency of digital
transmissions," ARRL noted that comments in the record clearly state
that signals using dynamic compression are being decoded by third-party
listeners.

"The Commission has addressed amateur use of digital signals in
multiple proceedings [and] there has been no showing that the current
regulatory scheme is deficient in prohibiting encrypted messages," ARRL
concluded. "To the contrary, adoption of the petitioner's proposals
would add confusion -- rather than clarity -- and diverge from the
international consensus on prohibiting encrypted messages while
fostering vibrant experimentation with digital techniques."

A 600 W Broadband HF Amplifier Using Economically Priced LDMOS Devices

Razvan Fatu, M0HZH/YO9IRF, has designed and built a 600 W broadband HF
amateur radio amplifier that uses a pair of low-cost MRF300 LDMOS
(laterally diffused metal-oxide semiconductor) MOSFET devices. LDMOS
devices are widely used in RF power amplifiers. Fatu's model A600, now
at version 1.2, was designed to demonstrate the capabilities of MRF300s
as linear broadband devices in the 2 - 50 MHz range.

"The announcement of the MRF300 and MRF101 transistors by NXP in 2018
has generated quite a spark of interest in the amateur radio community,
and as soon as I learned about them, I wanted to get some on my
workbench," Fatu said. He has entered his project in the NXP Homebrew
RF Design Challenge 2019.

"To achieve the target of 600 W output while also minimizing the level
of even-number harmonics, a push-pull configuration of two transistors
is used," he explains. "Luckily, the manufacturer made it easy to
design the PCB layout for such a thing by offering two versions -- the
MRF300AN and MRF300BN -- that have mirrored pinouts." The individual
transistors are specified at 330 W output and come in a TO-247 package,
with the source connected to the tab. The recommended supply range is
30 - 50 V dc. "By studying the specifications, it looks like with
correct broadband matching and some operational safety margin, we can
get close to 600 W output at a voltage of around 45 V across a
reasonably large bandwidth; the aim is to cover 1.8 to 54 MHz," Fatu
said. "Main challenges when designing this amplifier are related to
achieving good input and output matching over the entire frequency
range as well as maintaining high and flat gain. Good linearity and a
low level of harmonic products are mandatory. As the TO-247 is not a
package specifically designed for high-power RF, there are some
challenges with thermal design and PCB layout as well."

"This is a homebrew project, so the
test setup is pretty typical of a
hobbyist's test bench," Fatu said.
"Most of the equipment is not of
lab-grade precision, but still
accurate enough for amateur radio."

The circuit uses a 4:1 transformer at the input.

He used surface-mount devices wherever possible, to minimize stray
inductance, and designed the circuit board power traces to be thick
enough to support the high current. Traces also were sized for the
right trace impedance where possible, he explained. Fatu installed an
intermediary 3-millimeter-thick copper plate between the transistors
and the aluminum heatsink. He used a liquid metal product called
Galinstan which, he said, offers exceptional thermal and electrical
conductivity and doesn't require much pressure to achieve best
performance.

During testing, he found that the amplifier will put out about 580 W at
3.7 MHz and works most efficiently in the higher bands. "The highest
output power I've measured was 840 W in the 10-meter band, but the wave
was distorted and the harmonic levels were high," Fatu said.

He has posted a video in addition to an online article.
The Doctor Will See You Now!

"VHF/UHF Propagation" is the topic of the current (December 5) episode
of the ARRL The Doctor is In podcast. Listen...and learn!

Sponsored by DX Engineering, ARRL The Doctor is In is an informative
discussion of all things technical. Listen on your computer, tablet, or
smartphone -- whenever and wherever you like!

ARRL The Doctor is In features your host, QST Editor-in-Chief Steve
Ford, WB8IMY, and the Doctor himself, Joel Hallas, W1ZR, discussing a
broad range of technical topics.

Enjoy ARRL The Doctor is In on Apple iTunes, or by using your iPhone or
iPad podcast app (just search for ARRL The Doctor is In). You can also
listen online at Blubrry, or at Stitcher (free registration required,
or browse the site as a guest) and through the free Stitcher app for
iOS, Kindle, or Android devices. If you've never listened to a podcast
before, download our beginner's guide.

NOAA/NASA Panel Concurs that Solar Cycle 25 will Peak in July 2025

The NOAA/NASA-co-chaired international Solar Cycle Prediction Panel has
released its latest forecast for the coming Solar Cycle 25. The panel's
consensus calls for a peak in July 2025 (�8 months), with a smoothed
sunspot number of 115. The panel agreed that Cycle 25 will be of
average intensity and similar to Cycle 24. The panel additionally
concurred that the solar minimum between Cycles 24 and 25 will occur in
April 2020 (�6 months). If the solar minimum prediction is correct,
this would make Solar Cycle 24 the seventh longest on [IMG]record at
11.4 years. In its preliminary forecast released last April, the
scientists on the panel forecast that Solar Cycle 25 would likely be
weak, much like the current Cycle 24.

"Solar Cycle 25 may have a slow start, but is anticipated to peak with
solar maximum occurring between 2023 and 2026, and a sunspot range of
95 to 130. This is well below the average number of sunspots," the
panel said last spring, adding with "high confidence" that Cycle 25
"should break the trend of weakening solar activity seen over the past
four cycles." The panel said the expectation that Cycle 25 would be
comparable in size to Cycle 24 suggests that the steady decline in
solar cycle amplitude seen from Cycle 21 through Cycle 24 has ended and
that there is no indication of an approaching "Maunder-type" minimum.
Cycle 24 peaked in April 2014 with an average sunspot number of 82.

The Solar Cycle Prediction Panel forecasts the number of sunspots
expected for solar maximum, along with the timing of the peak and
minimum solar activity levels for the cycle. It is comprised of
scientists representing NOAA, NASA, the International Space Environment
Services, and other US and international scientists.
The K7RA Solar Update

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Spaceweather.com says that Wednesday,
December 11, was the 28th consecutive day of no sunspots. To date in
2019, 77% of days had no sunspots. Compare this to the previous solar
minimum: In 2008, 73% of days were spotless, and in 2009, 71% of days
had no sunspots.

The average daily solar flux for the December 5 - 11 reporting week was
70.7, up marginally from the previous week's 70.2.

At the bottom of the solar cycle, hardly any geomagnetic activity
occurs, with average daily planetary A index at 3.7 and average middle
latitude A index at 1.9. This is very quiet and is favorable to
propagation on 160 meters.

As was the case in last week's bulletin, the predicted solar flux is 70
on each of the next 45 days -- until January 25.

The predicted planetary A index is 5, 8, and 8 on December 12 - 14; 5
on December 15 - 17; 12 on December 18; 10 on December 19 - 21; 5 on
December 22 - January 4; 8 on January 5; 5 on January 6 - 8; 8 on
January 9 - 10; 5 on January 11 - 13; 12 on January 14; 10 on January
15 - 17, and 5 on January 18 - 25.

Sunspot numbers for December 5 - 11 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, and 0, with
a mean of 0. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 70.7, 70.3, 70.2, 71.6, 70.7,
70.6, and 70.7, with a mean of 70.7. Estimated planetary A indices were
3, 4, 2, 3, 4, 4, and 6, with a mean of 3.7. Middle latitude A index
was 1, 2, 1, 2, 2, 2, and 3, with a mean of 1.9.

A comprehensive K7RA Solar Update is posted Fridays on the ARRL
website. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the
ARRL Technical Information Service, read "What the Numbers Mean...,"
and check out K9LA's Propagation Page.

A propagation bulletin archive is available. Monthly charts offer
propagation projections between the US and a dozen DX locations.

Share your reports and observations.

Just Ahead in Radiosport
* December 14 - 15 -- ARRL 10-Meter Contest (CW, phone)
* December 14 - 15 -- TRC Digi Contest (Digital)
* December 14 - 16 -- PODXS 070 Club Triple Play Low Band Sprint
(Digital)
* December 15 -- CQC Great Colorado Snowshoe Run (CW)
* December 16 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW)
* December 18 -- NAQCC CW Sprint

See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. For in-depth
reporting on amateur radio contesting, subscribe to The ARRL Contest
Update via your ARRL member profile email preferences.
Collegiate QSO Party 2018 and 2019 Plaque Recipients Announced

The ARRL Collegiate Amateur Radio Initiative has announced plaque
winners from the 2018 and 2019 rounds of the Collegiate QSO Party. They
are:

K4FAU Florida Atlantic University Amateur Radio Club, 2018 First Place,
High Power; W0QQQ Amateur Radio Club at Kansas State University, 2018
Second Place, High Power; W0YQ University of Colorado Boulder Amateur
Radio Club, 2018 First Place, Low Power; W0EEE Missouri S&T Amateur
Radio Club, 2018 Second Place, Low Power; K1EEE, Michael R. Rancourt,
2018 First Place, Employee, High Power; W4ATL, Sherman Banks, 2018
First Place, Alumni, High Power; W2RS, Ray Soifer, 2018 First Place,
Alumni, Low Power; N8FM, Charles S. Romick, 2018 Second Place, Alumni,
Low Power; K4VBM, Robert G. Hensey, Jr., 2018 First Place, Individual,
Low Power; N1SOH, Ethan Handwerker, 2018 Second Place, Individual, Low
Power, and 2019 First Place, Individual (N1SOH, W1FM, ops).

W1RMC Middlebury College Amateur Radio Club, 2019 First Place, High
Power; W8LT Student Radio Club of The Ohio State University, 2019 First
Place, Low Power, and KN4WZX Augusta University Amateur Radio Club,
2019 Second Place, Low Power.

Thanks to organizers Andy Milluzzi, KK4LWR, and Tony Milluzzi, KD8RTT.
The plaques are sponsored by ARRL and the W1YSM Snyder Family
Collegiate Amateur Radio Endowment Fund, established in 2017. The
Collegiate QSO Party will return in September 2020.

Melissa Pore, KM4CZN, is 2020 Carole Perry Educator of the Year Award
Recipient

Melissa Pore, KM4CZN, of Vienna, Virginia, is the 2020 recipient of the
Carole Perry Educator of the Year Award, Orlando HamCation has
announced. The award, which recognizes outstanding contributions in
educating and advancing youth in amateur radio, was first awarded last
year to its namesake, Carole Perry, WB2MGP, in honor of her work
teaching students about ham radio. Pore is an Amateur Radio on the
International Space Station (ARISS) Education Committee member and an
ambassador for the ARISS program.

An educational professional for more than 20 years, Pore is on the
staff at Bishop Denis J. O'Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia,
the site of a November 2018 ARISS contact. In addition to teaching
engineering and computer science, she is involved in the school's
amateur radio and engineering clubs. While she was a teacher at St.
Thomas More Elementary School, Pore was associated with the STMSAT-1
project. The Earth-observation CubeSat, built entirely by students at
the school, was launched in 2015 but failed to transmit any images. It
was the first satellite constructed by elementary schoolers.

Pore was a cofacilitator of a workshop at the 2019 Space Port Area
Conference for Educators. Last year, she and her students presented
during Innovation Day at National Air and Space Museum's Steven F.
Udvar-Hazy Center. She is a member of AMSAT and the NASA Goddard
Amateur Radio Club. As an ambassador for the ARISS Education Team, her
talks and educational outreach have showcased ARISS and the STEM
activities of her students, several of whom are radio amateurs. She
assisted with the Dayton Hamvention 2019 ARISS booth and helped staff
the exhibit at the Space Explorers Education Conference last February
in Houston, where she's set to present a workshop in 2020.

At the 2019 Space Port Area Conference for Educators at Cape Kennedy,
Pore received a plaque from the ISS National Lab Space Station Explorer
Program citing her "service, commitment, and desire to push the
boundaries of STEM Education."
In Brief...

The theme for the 2020 Dayton Hamvention^(R) will be "Amateur Radio,
The Future." Hamvention General Chair Jack Gerbs, WB8SCT, invited
Hamvention attendees to celebrate amateur radio's past, present, and
future. "As amateur radio operators, we enjoy many modes of operating,"
Gerbs said. "We also enjoy challenges such as satellite communications,
moonbounce, meteor scatter, and more. What truly excites me about our
hobby is the diversity of these modes and the fact that, as we move to
the future, we still enjoy the technologies of the past." Gerbs noted
that Hamvention has long been a place to find vintage parts and gear
and to see the latest technology. "The theme acknowledges the role that
amateur radio has always played and will continue to play in future
communication developments," Hamvention said, acknowledging the
contributions of the many hams who actively work on new ideas,
equipment designs, and software to improve electronic communication.
Hamvention 2020 takes place May 15 - 17 at the Greene County
Fairgrounds and Expo Center in Xenia, Ohio.

Massachusetts has settled on a one-hand-on-the-wheel rule for mobiles.
The Bay State's two ARRL Section Managers report they have received
confirmation that the Commonwealth's distracted driving law does not
apply to two-way mobile radio operation. The new law "permits use of a
federally licensed two-way radio, provided that one hand remains on the
steering wheel at all times," except as provided in sections 8M, 12A,
and 13B of the law. -- Thanks to Western Massachusetts SM Ray Lajoie,
KB1LRL, and ARRL Eastern Massachusetts SM Tom Walsh, K1TW

The Boy Scouts say JOTA station participation was up in 2019. The
Scouts report that, although overall Jamboree On the Air (JOTA) 2019
participation was down slightly from 2018, "our calculations show that
each station averaged an additional 13 people in attendance over 2019.
This shows an aggregate increase of 24% attendance per station, even
with our reported stations being down from 266 in 2018 to 201 in 2019."
The Scouts reported that 13,783 individuals took part in JOTA 2019,
down from 14,708 in 2018.

A year-long special event will honor Beethoven. German special event
station DL250BTHVN will be active between December 16, 2019, and
December 17, 2020, to honor the 250th anniversary of the birth of famed
composer Ludwig van Beethoven. The Beethoven anniversary year will take
place under the auspices of Germany's Federal President Frank-Walter
Steinmeier. Beethoven was born in December 1770 in Bonn, Germany, and
lived there for the first 22 years of his life. The anniversary event
is aimed in part at highlighting Beethoven's extensive oeuvre as a
composer and to boost Bonn's reputation as a "Beethoven city." QSL via
direct or by the bureau.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
* December 13 - 14 -- West Central Florida Section Convention, Plant
City, Florida
* January 4 -- New York City-Long Island Section Convention,
Brookville, New York
* January 17 - 18 -- North Texas Section Convention, Forest Hill,
Texas
* January 19 - 25 -- Quartzfest, Quartzsite, Arizona
* January 24 - 26 -- Puerto Rico State Convention, Hatillo, Puerto
Rico
* January 25 -- ARRL Midwest Conference, Collinsville, Illinois

Find conventions and hamfests in your area.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for
Amateur Radio News and Information.

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Free of charge to ARRL members...
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The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 50 times each year. ARRL members
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Copyright (c) 2019 American Radio Relay League, Incorporated. Use and
distribution of this publication, or any portion thereof, is permitted for
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--- SendMsg/2

--- Squish/386 v1.11
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Limestone, TN, USA (1:18/200)

The ARRL Letter
December 19, 2019

* ARRL Reshapes Podcast Offerings for 2020
* FCC Formally opts Proposals to Remove Amateur 3 GHz Band, Invites
Comments
* FCC Proposes Largest-Ever Fine for Unlicensed Broadcasting
* The Doctor Will See You Now!
* AztechSat-1 CubeSat to Demonstrate Intra-Satellite Communication
* The K7RA Solar Update
* Just Ahead in Radiosport
* Volunteers Celebrate 98th Anniversary of ARRL Transatlantic Tests
at W1AW
* NTIA Spectrum Manager Stephen Veader, N4DXS, SK
* Bar Code Lead Developer George Laurer, K4HZE, SK
* In Brief...
* Getting It Right!
* Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions

-------------------------------------------------------------------

To Our Readers: This is the final edition of The ARRL Letter for 2019.
The newsletter will be on a holiday hiatus until January 9, 2020. ARRL
Audio News will be on break until January 10, 2020. ARRL Headquarters
will be closed on December 25 and on January 1, and there will be no
W1AW bulletin or code practice transmissions on those days. A reminder
that Straight Key Night (SKN) is January 1, 2020 (UTC) -- starting on
New Year's Eve in North American time zones. We wish everyone a safe
and enjoyable holiday season.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

ARRL Reshapes Podcast Offerings for 2020

In conjunction with the launch of its new On the Air magazine, which is
aimed at those just beginning their journey in amateur radio, ARRL is
reconfiguring its podcast lineup.

Heading up the new schedule will be a free companion podcast to the
bimonthly On the Air magazine. The monthly On the Air podcast will take
a deeper look into select features and projects from the magazine. Each
month, host and On the Air Editorial Director Becky Schoenfeld, W1BXY,
will offer additional resources, techniques, and hints to help
less-experienced radio amateurs to get the most from the magazine's
content.

In addition to the podcast, ARRL Product Development Manager Bob
Inderbitzen, NQ1R, will curate a free On the Air blog featuring content
from the communicators and makers who are the driving force of amateur
radio today. The blog will highlight opportunities and activities
available to new licensees. The On the Air blog is intended as an entry
point into the world of amateur radio for those seeking original voices
and perspectives. Readers will be invited to take part in the
conversation by sharing their stories and experiences.

ARRL's current So Now What? podcast will cease production in January,
as the full complement of On the Air content is rolled out. The catalog
of So Now What? episodes is available for listening or downloading.

In addition, The Doctor is In podcast, which has served
more-experienced amateurs since 2016, will conclude its 4-year run with
its December 19 episode. Eclectic Tech, a new biweekly podcast designed
to appeal to experienced amateurs, will launch in February.

Hosted by QST Editor Steve Ford, WB8IMY, Eclectic Tech will highlight
technical topics involving amateur and non-amateur technology, offer
brief interviews with individuals involved in projects of interest to
amateurs, and include practical information of immediate benefit to
today's hams.

The Doctor is In co-host Joel Hallas, W1ZR, is selecting some of his
favorite podcast episodes for re-broadcast in the interim between the
end of production for The Doctor is In and the debut of Eclectic Tech.
The complete The Doctor is In archive is available on the ARRL website.
Hallas will continue to answer questions about amateur radio in QST's
"The Doctor is In" column.

The ARRL Audio News podcast will continue to provide a weekly summary
of news and activities within the amateur radio community.
FCC Formally opts Proposals to Remove Amateur 3 GHz Band, Invites
Comments

The FCC's plan to remove "existing non-federal secondary radiolocation
and amateur allocations" in the 3.3 - 3.55 GHz band and relocate
incumbent non-federal operations already has begun drawing fire. The
Commission formally adopted the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in
WT Docket 19-348 on December 12 and invited comments on appropriate
"transition mechanisms" to make the spectrum available for mobile and
fixed wireless broadband use. ARRL plans to oppose the move. The
amateur 9-centimeter allocation is 3.3 - 3.5 GHz.

"By proposing to delete the existing non-federal secondary allocations
from the 3.3 - 3.55 GHz band, we are taking an important initial step
towards satisfying Congress's directives and making as much as 250
megahertz of spectrum potentially available for advanced wireless
services, including 5G," the FCC said in the Introduction to its NPRM.

Some comments arrived before formal adoption of the NPRM, which was
circulated ahead of the December meeting. Kevin Milner, KD0MA, the
secretary/treasurer of the Ski Country Amateur Radio Club in Colorado,
argued that the club's equipment cannot be re-channeled below 3.4 GHz,
and the club is seeking relocation costs. Devin Ulibarri, W7ND, told
the FCC that amateur networks in the current band cannot move easily
into other amateur allocations because there is no readily available
commercial equipment to support the bandwidth, the FCC said in a
footnote.

Currently, the entire 3.1 - 3.55 GHz band is allocated for both federal
and non-federal radiolocation services, with non-federal users
operating on a secondary basis to federal radiolocation services.

With respect to amateur operations, the FCC invited comments on whether
sufficient amateur spectrum exists in other bands that can support the
operations currently conducted at 3.3 - 3.5 GHz. The 3.40 - 3.41 GHz
segment is earmarked for amateur satellite communication. The FCC said
if non-federal licensees are relocated to the 3.1 - 3.3 GHz band, it
proposes to have them continue to operate on a secondary basis to
federal operations, consistent with current band allocations.

Also at its December 12 meeting, the FCC considered another NPRM in WT
Docket 19-138 that would "take a fresh and comprehensive look" at the
rules for the 5.9 GHz band and propose, among other things, to make the
lower 45 MHz of the band available for unlicensed operations and to
permit "cellular vehicle-to-everything" (C-V2X) operations in the upper
20 MHz of the band. The FCC is not proposing to delete or otherwise
amend the 5-centimeter amateur 5.650 - 5.925 GHz allocation, which
would continue as secondary. The NPRM, if approved, would address the
top 75 MHz of that amateur secondary band. Although no changes are
proposed to the amateur allocation, an anticipated increase in primary
use could restrict secondary amateur use.

The Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network (AREDN) has offered its voice
in challenging the FCC proposals on both 9 and 5 centimeters, saying
their adoption would "eliminate our use of the most-effective resource
hams have to build its networks."

"The AREDN Project is able to leverage low-cost commercial devices
solely because they are designed to operate on adjacent allocations,"
AREDN said on its website. "Moving to other allocations would be
difficult if not impossible without a complete redesign, manufacture,
purchase, and installation of new custom amateur hardware and
software...raising the price out of reach for the typical ham."

FCC Proposes Largest-Ever Fine for Unlicensed Broadcasting

The FCC has proposed fining an alleged pirate broadcaster in the
Boston, Massachusetts area more than $450,000. According to the FCC,
Gerlens Cesar, who operated Radio TeleBoston, used three separate
transmitters for his broadcasting enterprise, resulting in three
separate violations of the law.

"The Commission proposed imposing the statutory maximum forfeiture
amount for each of these three apparent violations," the FCC said in a
Notice of Apparent Liability (NAL) released on December 12. Under the
Communications Act, it is illegal to transmit above certain low-power
levels, defined within FCC Part 15 rules, without an FCC license.

"Such pirate radio broadcasting can interfere with licensed
communications including public safety transmissions," the FCC said.
The FCC said Cesar apparently simulcasts Radio TeleBoston on three
unauthorized transmitters on two different frequencies. "His operation
thus had the potential to cause interference in various locations in
and around Boston and at different channels on the FM dial," the FCC
said. "As a result of the scale of this operation, its potential
impacts, and its continuous nature, the Commission proposed the maximum
penalty for all three transmitters."

The FCC reported receiving complaints from Boston-area residents of an
illegal station operating at both 90.1 and 92.1 MHz. One complaint
identified Cesar as the operator of Radio TeleBoston. The FCC said it
had issued multiple warnings. -- FCC Media Release
The Doctor Will See You Now!

The Doctor will open the mailbag for the last time in the final
(December 19) episode of the ARRL The Doctor is In podcast. "Best of
The Doctor is In" episodes will be released every other week until a
new podcast, Electic Tech," debuts in February.

Sponsored by DX Engineering, ARRL The Doctor is In is an informative
discussion of all things technical. Listen on your computer, tablet, or
smartphone -- whenever and wherever you like!

Every 2 weeks since 2016, your host, QST Editor-in-Chief Steve Ford,
WB8IMY, and the Doctor himself, Joel Hallas, W1ZR, have discussed a
broad range of technical topics and answered listeners' questions.

Enjoy ARRL The Doctor is In on Apple iTunes, or by using your iPhone or
iPad podcast app (just search for ARRL The Doctor is In). You can also
listen online at Blubrry, or at Stitcher (free registration required,
or browse the site as a guest) and through the free Stitcher app for
iOS, Kindle, or Android devices. If you've never listened to a podcast
before, download our beginner's guide.

AztechSat-1 CubeSat to Demonstrate Intra-Satellite Communication

The AztechSat-1 CubeSat, which traveled to the International Space
Station (ISS) earlier this month on the 19th Space-X Commercial
Resupply Services (CRS-19) mission for NASA, will listen for emergency
messages in the 439 MHz range and retransmit them for amateur radio
operators to copy on its 437.300 MHz downlink using the Winlink
protocol, once the CubeSat has been placed into orbit. The satellite is
a project of Mexico's Universidad Popular Aut�noma del Estado de Puebla
(UPAEP). Aztechsat-1 is set for deployment from the ISS in late
January.

"The primary objective of the project is to establish communication
with the commercial GlobalStar satellites in order to improve data
transmission to Earth," a UPAEP news release said. AztechSat-1 will
create a saturation map of 435 - 438 MHz by listening for the whole
orbit and returning captured data to the ground station on the 437.300
MHz amateur radio downlink (9k6 GMSK or FSK) plus a 1600 MHz GlobalStar
link. Emergency messages received via Globalstar to the AztechSat-1
ground station will be shared on the project's website.

A certificate will be available for amateur stations receiving the
emergency message(s) and reporting these for confirmation by the
AztechSat-1 team.

Details are on the AztechSat-1 website and on the IARU Amateur Radio
Satellite Communication page.

The project is part of NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative, which offers
universities, high schools, and nonprofit organizations the opportunity
to fly small satellites. "Innovative technology partnerships keep down
the cost, providing students a way to obtain hands-on experience
developing flight hardware," a NASA report said.

NASA explained, "The investigation demonstrates communication within a
satellite network in low-Earth orbit. Such intra-satellite
communication could reduce the need for ground stations, lowering the
cost and increasing the number of data downloads possible for satellite
applications."
The K7RA Solar Update

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: It's been 36 consecutive days with no
sunspots. Geomagnetic conditions were quiet until a minor solar wind
stream hit on December 18, driving the planetary A index to 13 from the
low single digits earlier in the week.

The average planetary A index for December 12 - 18 rose to 4.6, from
3.7 over the previous 7 days, while mid-latitude A index increased from
1.9 to 4. Predicted solar flux over the next 45 days is 70. The
predicted planetary A index is 10, 8, and 8 on December 19 - 21; 5 on
December 22 - January 4; 8 on January 5; 5 on January 6 - 8; 8 on
January 9 - 10; 5 on January 11 - 13; 12 on January 14; 10 on January
15 - 17; 5 on January 18 - 31, and 8 on February 1.

Because of weak solar activity, the ARRL 10 Meter Contest last weekend
was rather slow. QST's "The World Above 50 MHz" editor Jon Jones, N0JK,
in Kansas said he encountered a strong opening to Argentina and Chile
on Sunday. He said the propagation mechanism appeared to be sporadic E.
More details in the weekly bulletin on December 20.

Sunspot numbers for December 12 - 18 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, and 0, with
a mean of 0. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 70.5, 68.9, 70.3, 71, 70,
70.5, and 70.2, with a mean of 70.2. Estimated planetary A indices were
4, 4, 3, 5, 1, 2, and 13, with a mean of 4.6. Middle latitude A index
was 3, 3, 2, 5, 1, 2, and 12, with a mean of 4.

A comprehensive K7RA Solar Update is posted Fridays on the ARRL
website. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the
ARRL Technical Information Service, read "What the Numbers Mean...,"
and check out K9LA's Propagation Page.

A propagation bulletin archive is available. Monthly charts offer
propagation projections between the US and a dozen DX locations.

Share your reports and observations.

Just Ahead in Radiosport
* December 20 -- AGB-Party Contest (CW, phone, digital)
* December 20 -- Russian 160-Meter Contest (CW, phone)
* December 21 -- Feld Hell Sprint
* December 21 -- OK DX RTTY Contest
* December 21 - 22 -- Padang DX Contest (Phone)
* December 21 - 22 -- Gedebage CW Contest
* December 21 - 22 -- Croatian CW Contest
* December 22 -- RAEM Contest (CW)
* December 22 -- ARRL Rookie Roundup, CW
* December 25 -- SKCC Sprint (CW)
* December 26 -- DARC Christmas Contest (CW, phone)
* December 28 -- RAC Winter Contest (CW, phone)
* December 28 - 29 -- 1.8 Stew Perry Topband Challenge (CW)
* December 28 - 29 -- Original QRP Contest (CW)
* December 30 - 31 -- QCX Challenge (CW)
* December 31 -- Bogor Old and New Contest (Phone)
* January 1 -- Straight Key Night
* January 1 -- AGB New Year Snowball Contest (CW, phone, digital)
* January 1 -- SARTG New Year RTTY Contest
* January 1 -- AGCW Happy New Year Contest (CW)
* January 1 -- AGCW VHF/UHF Contest (CW)
* January 1 -- QRP ARCI New Year's Sprint (CW)
* January 1 -- 3.5 UKEICC 80-Meter Contest (Phone)
* January 2 -- NRAU 10-Meter Activity Contest (CW, phone, digital)
* January 2 -- SKCC Sprint Europe (CW)
* January 4 -- ARRL Kids Day (Phone)
* January 4 -- PODXS 070 Club PSKFest (Digital)
* January 4 -- RSGB AFS Contest, CW
* January 4 - 5 -- WW PMC Contest (CW, phone)
* January 4 - 5 -- ARRL RTTY Roundup
* January 4 - 5 -- EUCW 160-Meter Contest (CW)
* January 6 - 12 -- All IQRP Quarterly Marathon (CW, phone, digital)
* January 7 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW)
* January 8 - 12 -- AWA Linc Cundall Memorial CW Contest

See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. For in-depth
reporting on amateur radio contesting, subscribe to The ARRL Contest
Update via your ARRL member profile email preferences.
Volunteers Celebrate 98th Anniversary of ARRL Transatlantic Tests at
W1AW

A group of radio amateurs gathered on December 11 at W1AW to mark the
98th anniversary of the successful ARRL Transatlantic Tests. On
December 11, 1921, a message transmitted by a group of Radio Club of
America members at 1BCG in Greenwich, Connecticut, was copied by Paul
Godley, 2ZE, in Scotland. Reporting on the accomplishment, ARRL
Secretary Kenneth B. Warner, 1EH, declared "Excelsior!" Clark Burgard,
N1BCG -- who lives in Greenwich and styles his call sign as "n1BCG" to
honor the original 1BCG -- was among those on hand at the Maxim
Memorial Station.

Those pitching in to take part in
the day-long anniversary celebration
included (L-R) Michael Pfaeffle,
K3FEF; Lisa Kress; Brian Kress,
KB3WFV; Bob Allison, WB1GCM; Blaine
Morin, N1GTU, and Clark Burgard,
N1BCG. Not shown are Chris Codella,
W2PA; Glenn Cooper, W2BK, and Greg
Fiozzo, KD2HRD.

"We completed a successful special event yesterday at W1AW
commemorating the 98th anniversary of the Transatlantic Tests," Burgard
recounted. "This was particularly important historically to amateur
radio as it was originally organized by ARRL in 1921 to determine if
low-power amateur radio stations using shortwave frequencies could
actually be heard in Europe. Until then, it was thought impossible."

Burgard pointed out that the 1921 event changed radio history, was
covered in three issues of QST, and opened the door to the first
two-way transatlantic tests a couple of years later. The 1921
transatlantic success marked the beginning of what would become routine
communication between US radio amateurs and those in other parts of the
world -- literally the birth of DX.

NTIA Spectrum Manager Stephen Veader, N4DXS, SK

Stephen Veader, N4DXS, of Dale City, Virginia, a major
behind-the-scenes player in the effort that led to creation of amateur
radio's 60-meter band in the US, died on November 5. An ARRL Life
Member, he was 67.

As a spectrum manager for the National Telecommunications and
Information ministration (NTIA), Veader was deeply involved on the
behalf of NTIA in the effort to secure a new amateur band at 5 MHz.
According to Ross Merlin, WA2WDT, when it became clear that a proposal
for a 15 kHz band would not be approved, Veader was instrumental in
fashioning the compromise that led to the authorization of the five
discrete secondary channels radio amateurs have today, and other
countries copied that template for their 5 MHz amateur allocations.
Today, these spot frequencies serve as "interoperability channels" for
federal and amateur stations to share in emergencies and exercises.

Veader was active within the SHARES HF radio community as the
representative for NTIA. A native of Boston, Veader was a US Air Force
veteran. During his years at NTIA, he also provided regulatory guidance
on the use of SHARES for federal and non-federal radio users.

"Steve was a good friend to SHARES and to amateur radio," Merlin said.
Veader was also an avid RTTY enthusiast and was active in many contests
throughout the year. A service was held on November 15. -- Thanks to
Ross Merlin, WA2WDT
Bar Code Lead Developer George Laurer, K4HZE, SK

The lead developer of the bar code system that became the
now-ubiquitous Universal Product Code (UPC), George Laurer, K4HZE, of
Wendell, North Carolina, died on December 5. He was 94. While an
electrical engineer with IBM in North Carolina's Research Triangle Park
in the early 1970s, Laurer led the effort to develop the bar code
system. The UPC, composed of 30 unique black bars and a 12-digit
number, allows retailers to identify products and prices as they are
scanned. It was used for the first time in a retail setting in 1974.

Laurer also later patented one of the first handheld UPC scanners,
according to his obituary. As The Washington Post reported, "The
bar-code concept had originated in the 1940s, when N. Joseph Woodland
designed a bull's eye-shaped system of concentric circles, inspired by
the dots and dashes of Morse code." Woodland became a colleague of
Laurer's at IBM, and Laurer considered him "the father of the
supermarket scanning system."

A native of New York, Laurer served in the US Army during World War II
after being drafted while he was still a junior in high school. He
graduated from the University of Maryland in 1951 and spent 3 decades
working for IBM. Accounts describe Laurer as an inveterate tinkerer,
even up to his final years.

IBM never patented the bar code system, but made it publicly available
in order to sell the associated hardware.
In Brief...

Kids Day is Saturday, January 4 The first Saturday in January is Kids
Day -- the time to get youngsters on the air to share in the joy and
fun that amateur radio can provide. Kids Day gets under way on
Saturday, January 4, at 1800 UTC and concludes at 2359 UTC. Sponsored
by the Boring (Oregon) Amateur Radio Club, this event has a simple
exchange, suitable for younger operators: First name, age, location,
and favorite color. After that, the contact can be as long or as short
as each participant prefers. Kids Day is the perfect opportunity to
open your shack door and invite kids over to see what amateur radio has
to offer. Details are on the ARRL website.

ARRL Lifelong Learning Manager to Keynote Ham Radio University 2020 in
January ARRL Lifelong Learning Manager Kris Bickell, K1BIC, will be the
keynote speaker at Ham Radio University 2020 (HRU 2020). The annual
event, now in its 21st year, will take place on Saturday, January 4, in
the Hillwood Commons Student Center at Long Island University-Post, 720
Northern Blvd., Brookville, New York. HRU 2020 is billed as, "A day of
education to share ideas, experiences, knowledge, and fellowship among
amateur radio operators." Doors open at 7:30 AM. A Newcomer's Meeting
and HRU Orientation, geared toward first-time visitors, gets under way
at 8:30 AM. Thirty forums are on the schedule, with topics such as
typical HF antennas, ham radio logging programs, satellite operation,
and more. Hands-on workshops will cover such topics as cables and
connectors and electronic test equipment. mission is free, although a
$5 donation is suggested. Special event station W2HRU will be on the
air. Amateur radio license examinations will be given starting at 1:30
PM. Food and refreshments will be available.

SAQ, Sweden's Alexanderson Alternator, Announces Scheduled Christmas
Eve Transmission SAQ, the call sign of the 1920s vintage Alexanderson
transmitter in Grimeton, Sweden, is set to be on the air for its annual
Christmas Eve transmission. SAQ transmits CW with up to 200 kW on 17.2
kHz. Tune-up is scheduled to begin at around 0730 UTC, with the holiday
message transmitted at 0800 UTC. SAQ will livestream the event. SAQ has
introduced a new reception report form for listeners and has asked
listeners not to send SAQ reception reports via email. The SK6SAQ
amateur radio station will be active on 7.035 kHz and 14.035 MHz CW or
3.755 MHz SSB, with two stations on the air most of the time. Given its
age, the Alexanderson alternator does not always function as intended.
The transmitter experienced a failure during its scheduled UN Day
transmission on October 24.

FCC Invites Comments on Digital AM Broadcasting Proposal The FCC has
invited comments on a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), that would
allow AM broadcasters to transmit an all-digital signal using the HD
Radio in-band on-channel (IBOC) mode, known as MA3.1. "We tentatively
conclude that a voluntary transition to all-digital broadcasting has
the potential to benefit AM stations and provide improved AM service to
the listening public," the FCC said. "We seek comments on proposed
operating standards for all-digital stations and the impact of such
operations on existing analog stations and listeners." The proceeding
was initiated by a March 2019 Petition for Rulemaking (Petition) filed
by Bryan Broadcasting Corporation. "This proceeding continues the
Commission's efforts to improve and update the AM radio service to
provide a better listening experience for consumers and enhanced
service offerings, as part of our continuing effort to revitalize AM
broadcasting," the FCC said in the introduction to the NPRM. Comments
are due 60 days after the NPRM appears in The Federal Register.
Getting It Right!

In the article, "Collegiate QSO Party 2018 and 2019 Plaque Recipients
Announced," the 2018 second-place alumni low-power winner was
incorrect. The winner was Frank J. Maynard, NF8M.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
* January 4 -- New York City-Long Island Section Convention,
Brookville, New York
* January 17 - 18 -- North Texas Section Convention, Forest Hill,
Texas
* January 19 - 25 -- Quartzfest, Quartzsite, Arizona
* January 24 - 26 -- Puerto Rico State Convention, Hatillo, Puerto
Rico
* January 25 -- ARRL Midwest Conference, Collinsville, Illinois

Find conventions and hamfests in your area.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for
Amateur Radio News and Information.

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* Join or Renew Today! ARRL membership includes QST, amateur radio's
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each month.
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Free of charge to ARRL members...
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----------------------------------------------------------------------

The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 50 times each year. ARRL members
and registered guests may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing
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Copyright (c) 2019 American Radio Relay League, Incorporated. Use and
distribution of this publication, or any portion thereof, is permitted for
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purposes require written permission.


--- SendMsg/2

--- Squish/386 v1.11
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Limestone, TN, USA (1:18/200)

The ARRL Letter
December 19, 2019

* ARRL Reshapes Podcast Offerings for 2020
* FCC Formally opts Proposals to Remove Amateur 3 GHz Band, Invites
Comments
* FCC Proposes Largest-Ever Fine for Unlicensed Broadcasting
* The Doctor Will See You Now!
* AztechSat-1 CubeSat to Demonstrate Intra-Satellite Communication
* The K7RA Solar Update
* Just Ahead in Radiosport
* Volunteers Celebrate 98th Anniversary of ARRL Transatlantic Tests
at W1AW
* NTIA Spectrum Manager Stephen Veader, N4DXS, SK
* Bar Code Lead Developer George Laurer, K4HZE, SK
* In Brief...
* Getting It Right!
* Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions

-------------------------------------------------------------------

To Our Readers: This is the final edition of The ARRL Letter for 2019.
The newsletter will be on a holiday hiatus until January 9, 2020. ARRL
Audio News will be on break until January 10, 2020. ARRL Headquarters
will be closed on December 25 and on January 1, and there will be no
W1AW bulletin or code practice transmissions on those days. A reminder
that Straight Key Night (SKN) is January 1, 2020 (UTC) -- starting on
New Year's Eve in North American time zones. We wish everyone a safe
and enjoyable holiday season.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

ARRL Reshapes Podcast Offerings for 2020

In conjunction with the launch of its new On the Air magazine, which is
aimed at those just beginning their journey in amateur radio, ARRL is
reconfiguring its podcast lineup.

Heading up the new schedule will be a free companion podcast to the
bimonthly On the Air magazine. The monthly On the Air podcast will take
a deeper look into select features and projects from the magazine. Each
month, host and On the Air Editorial Director Becky Schoenfeld, W1BXY,
will offer additional resources, techniques, and hints to help
less-experienced radio amateurs to get the most from the magazine's
content.

In addition to the podcast, ARRL Product Development Manager Bob
Inderbitzen, NQ1R, will curate a free On the Air blog featuring content
from the communicators and makers who are the driving force of amateur
radio today. The blog will highlight opportunities and activities
available to new licensees. The On the Air blog is intended as an entry
point into the world of amateur radio for those seeking original voices
and perspectives. Readers will be invited to take part in the
conversation by sharing their stories and experiences.

ARRL's current So Now What? podcast will cease production in January,
as the full complement of On the Air content is rolled out. The catalog
of So Now What? episodes is available for listening or downloading.

In addition, The Doctor is In podcast, which has served
more-experienced amateurs since 2016, will conclude its 4-year run with
its December 19 episode. Eclectic Tech, a new biweekly podcast designed
to appeal to experienced amateurs, will launch in February.

Hosted by QST Editor Steve Ford, WB8IMY, Eclectic Tech will highlight
technical topics involving amateur and non-amateur technology, offer
brief interviews with individuals involved in projects of interest to
amateurs, and include practical information of immediate benefit to
today's hams.

The Doctor is In co-host Joel Hallas, W1ZR, is selecting some of his
favorite podcast episodes for re-broadcast in the interim between the
end of production for The Doctor is In and the debut of Eclectic Tech.
The complete The Doctor is In archive is available on the ARRL website.
Hallas will continue to answer questions about amateur radio in QST's
"The Doctor is In" column.

The ARRL Audio News podcast will continue to provide a weekly summary
of news and activities within the amateur radio community.
FCC Formally opts Proposals to Remove Amateur 3 GHz Band, Invites
Comments

The FCC's plan to remove "existing non-federal secondary radiolocation
and amateur allocations" in the 3.3 - 3.55 GHz band and relocate
incumbent non-federal operations already has begun drawing fire. The
Commission formally adopted the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in
WT Docket 19-348 on December 12 and invited comments on appropriate
"transition mechanisms" to make the spectrum available for mobile and
fixed wireless broadband use. ARRL plans to oppose the move. The
amateur 9-centimeter allocation is 3.3 - 3.5 GHz.

"By proposing to delete the existing non-federal secondary allocations
from the 3.3 - 3.55 GHz band, we are taking an important initial step
towards satisfying Congress's directives and making as much as 250
megahertz of spectrum potentially available for advanced wireless
services, including 5G," the FCC said in the Introduction to its NPRM.

Some comments arrived before formal adoption of the NPRM, which was
circulated ahead of the December meeting. Kevin Milner, KD0MA, the
secretary/treasurer of the Ski Country Amateur Radio Club in Colorado,
argued that the club's equipment cannot be re-channeled below 3.4 GHz,
and the club is seeking relocation costs. Devin Ulibarri, W7ND, told
the FCC that amateur networks in the current band cannot move easily
into other amateur allocations because there is no readily available
commercial equipment to support the bandwidth, the FCC said in a
footnote.

Currently, the entire 3.1 - 3.55 GHz band is allocated for both federal
and non-federal radiolocation services, with non-federal users
operating on a secondary basis to federal radiolocation services.

With respect to amateur operations, the FCC invited comments on whether
sufficient amateur spectrum exists in other bands that can support the
operations currently conducted at 3.3 - 3.5 GHz. The 3.40 - 3.41 GHz
segment is earmarked for amateur satellite communication. The FCC said
if non-federal licensees are relocated to the 3.1 - 3.3 GHz band, it
proposes to have them continue to operate on a secondary basis to
federal operations, consistent with current band allocations.

Also at its December 12 meeting, the FCC considered another NPRM in WT
Docket 19-138 that would "take a fresh and comprehensive look" at the
rules for the 5.9 GHz band and propose, among other things, to make the
lower 45 MHz of the band available for unlicensed operations and to
permit "cellular vehicle-to-everything" (C-V2X) operations in the upper
20 MHz of the band. The FCC is not proposing to delete or otherwise
amend the 5-centimeter amateur 5.650 - 5.925 GHz allocation, which
would continue as secondary. The NPRM, if approved, would address the
top 75 MHz of that amateur secondary band. Although no changes are
proposed to the amateur allocation, an anticipated increase in primary
use could restrict secondary amateur use.

The Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network (AREDN) has offered its voice
in challenging the FCC proposals on both 9 and 5 centimeters, saying
their adoption would "eliminate our use of the most-effective resource
hams have to build its networks."

"The AREDN Project is able to leverage low-cost commercial devices
solely because they are designed to operate on adjacent allocations,"
AREDN said on its website. "Moving to other allocations would be
difficult if not impossible without a complete redesign, manufacture,
purchase, and installation of new custom amateur hardware and
software...raising the price out of reach for the typical ham."

FCC Proposes Largest-Ever Fine for Unlicensed Broadcasting

The FCC has proposed fining an alleged pirate broadcaster in the
Boston, Massachusetts area more than $450,000. According to the FCC,
Gerlens Cesar, who operated Radio TeleBoston, used three separate
transmitters for his broadcasting enterprise, resulting in three
separate violations of the law.

"The Commission proposed imposing the statutory maximum forfeiture
amount for each of these three apparent violations," the FCC said in a
Notice of Apparent Liability (NAL) released on December 12. Under the
Communications Act, it is illegal to transmit above certain low-power
levels, defined within FCC Part 15 rules, without an FCC license.

"Such pirate radio broadcasting can interfere with licensed
communications including public safety transmissions," the FCC said.
The FCC said Cesar apparently simulcasts Radio TeleBoston on three
unauthorized transmitters on two different frequencies. "His operation
thus had the potential to cause interference in various locations in
and around Boston and at different channels on the FM dial," the FCC
said. "As a result of the scale of this operation, its potential
impacts, and its continuous nature, the Commission proposed the maximum
penalty for all three transmitters."

The FCC reported receiving complaints from Boston-area residents of an
illegal station operating at both 90.1 and 92.1 MHz. One complaint
identified Cesar as the operator of Radio TeleBoston. The FCC said it
had issued multiple warnings. -- FCC Media Release
The Doctor Will See You Now!

The Doctor will open the mailbag for the last time in the final
(December 19) episode of the ARRL The Doctor is In podcast. "Best of
The Doctor is In" episodes will be released every other week until a
new podcast, Electic Tech," debuts in February.

Sponsored by DX Engineering, ARRL The Doctor is In is an informative
discussion of all things technical. Listen on your computer, tablet, or
smartphone -- whenever and wherever you like!

Every 2 weeks since 2016, your host, QST Editor-in-Chief Steve Ford,
WB8IMY, and the Doctor himself, Joel Hallas, W1ZR, have discussed a
broad range of technical topics and answered listeners' questions.

Enjoy ARRL The Doctor is In on Apple iTunes, or by using your iPhone or
iPad podcast app (just search for ARRL The Doctor is In). You can also
listen online at Blubrry, or at Stitcher (free registration required,
or browse the site as a guest) and through the free Stitcher app for
iOS, Kindle, or Android devices. If you've never listened to a podcast
before, download our beginner's guide.

AztechSat-1 CubeSat to Demonstrate Intra-Satellite Communication

The AztechSat-1 CubeSat, which traveled to the International Space
Station (ISS) earlier this month on the 19th Space-X Commercial
Resupply Services (CRS-19) mission for NASA, will listen for emergency
messages in the 439 MHz range and retransmit them for amateur radio
operators to copy on its 437.300 MHz downlink using the Winlink
protocol, once the CubeSat has been placed into orbit. The satellite is
a project of Mexico's Universidad Popular Aut�noma del Estado de Puebla
(UPAEP). Aztechsat-1 is set for deployment from the ISS in late
January.

"The primary objective of the project is to establish communication
with the commercial GlobalStar satellites in order to improve data
transmission to Earth," a UPAEP news release said. AztechSat-1 will
create a saturation map of 435 - 438 MHz by listening for the whole
orbit and returning captured data to the ground station on the 437.300
MHz amateur radio downlink (9k6 GMSK or FSK) plus a 1600 MHz GlobalStar
link. Emergency messages received via Globalstar to the AztechSat-1
ground station will be shared on the project's website.

A certificate will be available for amateur stations receiving the
emergency message(s) and reporting these for confirmation by the
AztechSat-1 team.

Details are on the AztechSat-1 website and on the IARU Amateur Radio
Satellite Communication page.

The project is part of NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative, which offers
universities, high schools, and nonprofit organizations the opportunity
to fly small satellites. "Innovative technology partnerships keep down
the cost, providing students a way to obtain hands-on experience
developing flight hardware," a NASA report said.

NASA explained, "The investigation demonstrates communication within a
satellite network in low-Earth orbit. Such intra-satellite
communication could reduce the need for ground stations, lowering the
cost and increasing the number of data downloads possible for satellite
applications."
The K7RA Solar Update

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: It's been 36 consecutive days with no
sunspots. Geomagnetic conditions were quiet until a minor solar wind
stream hit on December 18, driving the planetary A index to 13 from the
low single digits earlier in the week.

The average planetary A index for December 12 - 18 rose to 4.6, from
3.7 over the previous 7 days, while mid-latitude A index increased from
1.9 to 4. Predicted solar flux over the next 45 days is 70. The
predicted planetary A index is 10, 8, and 8 on December 19 - 21; 5 on
December 22 - January 4; 8 on January 5; 5 on January 6 - 8; 8 on
January 9 - 10; 5 on January 11 - 13; 12 on January 14; 10 on January
15 - 17; 5 on January 18 - 31, and 8 on February 1.

Because of weak solar activity, the ARRL 10 Meter Contest last weekend
was rather slow. QST's "The World Above 50 MHz" editor Jon Jones, N0JK,
in Kansas said he encountered a strong opening to Argentina and Chile
on Sunday. He said the propagation mechanism appeared to be sporadic E.
More details in the weekly bulletin on December 20.

Sunspot numbers for December 12 - 18 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, and 0, with
a mean of 0. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 70.5, 68.9, 70.3, 71, 70,
70.5, and 70.2, with a mean of 70.2. Estimated planetary A indices were
4, 4, 3, 5, 1, 2, and 13, with a mean of 4.6. Middle latitude A index
was 3, 3, 2, 5, 1, 2, and 12, with a mean of 4.

A comprehensive K7RA Solar Update is posted Fridays on the ARRL
website. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the
ARRL Technical Information Service, read "What the Numbers Mean...,"
and check out K9LA's Propagation Page.

A propagation bulletin archive is available. Monthly charts offer
propagation projections between the US and a dozen DX locations.

Share your reports and observations.

Just Ahead in Radiosport
* December 20 -- AGB-Party Contest (CW, phone, digital)
* December 20 -- Russian 160-Meter Contest (CW, phone)
* December 21 -- Feld Hell Sprint
* December 21 -- OK DX RTTY Contest
* December 21 - 22 -- Padang DX Contest (Phone)
* December 21 - 22 -- Gedebage CW Contest
* December 21 - 22 -- Croatian CW Contest
* December 22 -- RAEM Contest (CW)
* December 22 -- ARRL Rookie Roundup, CW
* December 25 -- SKCC Sprint (CW)
* December 26 -- DARC Christmas Contest (CW, phone)
* December 28 -- RAC Winter Contest (CW, phone)
* December 28 - 29 -- 1.8 Stew Perry Topband Challenge (CW)
* December 28 - 29 -- Original QRP Contest (CW)
* December 30 - 31 -- QCX Challenge (CW)
* December 31 -- Bogor Old and New Contest (Phone)
* January 1 -- Straight Key Night
* January 1 -- AGB New Year Snowball Contest (CW, phone, digital)
* January 1 -- SARTG New Year RTTY Contest
* January 1 -- AGCW Happy New Year Contest (CW)
* January 1 -- AGCW VHF/UHF Contest (CW)
* January 1 -- QRP ARCI New Year's Sprint (CW)
* January 1 -- 3.5 UKEICC 80-Meter Contest (Phone)
* January 2 -- NRAU 10-Meter Activity Contest (CW, phone, digital)
* January 2 -- SKCC Sprint Europe (CW)
* January 4 -- ARRL Kids Day (Phone)
* January 4 -- PODXS 070 Club PSKFest (Digital)
* January 4 -- RSGB AFS Contest, CW
* January 4 - 5 -- WW PMC Contest (CW, phone)
* January 4 - 5 -- ARRL RTTY Roundup
* January 4 - 5 -- EUCW 160-Meter Contest (CW)
* January 6 - 12 -- All IQRP Quarterly Marathon (CW, phone, digital)
* January 7 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW)
* January 8 - 12 -- AWA Linc Cundall Memorial CW Contest

See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. For in-depth
reporting on amateur radio contesting, subscribe to The ARRL Contest
Update via your ARRL member profile email preferences.
Volunteers Celebrate 98th Anniversary of ARRL Transatlantic Tests at
W1AW

A group of radio amateurs gathered on December 11 at W1AW to mark the
98th anniversary of the successful ARRL Transatlantic Tests. On
December 11, 1921, a message transmitted by a group of Radio Club of
America members at 1BCG in Greenwich, Connecticut, was copied by Paul
Godley, 2ZE, in Scotland. Reporting on the accomplishment, ARRL
Secretary Kenneth B. Warner, 1EH, declared "Excelsior!" Clark Burgard,
N1BCG -- who lives in Greenwich and styles his call sign as "n1BCG" to
honor the original 1BCG -- was among those on hand at the Maxim
Memorial Station.

Those pitching in to take part in
the day-long anniversary celebration
included (L-R) Michael Pfaeffle,
K3FEF; Lisa Kress; Brian Kress,
KB3WFV; Bob Allison, WB1GCM; Blaine
Morin, N1GTU, and Clark Burgard,
N1BCG. Not shown are Chris Codella,
W2PA; Glenn Cooper, W2BK, and Greg
Fiozzo, KD2HRD.

"We completed a successful special event yesterday at W1AW
commemorating the 98th anniversary of the Transatlantic Tests," Burgard
recounted. "This was particularly important historically to amateur
radio as it was originally organized by ARRL in 1921 to determine if
low-power amateur radio stations using shortwave frequencies could
actually be heard in Europe. Until then, it was thought impossible."

Burgard pointed out that the 1921 event changed radio history, was
covered in three issues of QST, and opened the door to the first
two-way transatlantic tests a couple of years later. The 1921
transatlantic success marked the beginning of what would become routine
communication between US radio amateurs and those in other parts of the
world -- literally the birth of DX.

NTIA Spectrum Manager Stephen Veader, N4DXS, SK

Stephen Veader, N4DXS, of Dale City, Virginia, a major
behind-the-scenes player in the effort that led to creation of amateur
radio's 60-meter band in the US, died on November 5. An ARRL Life
Member, he was 67.

As a spectrum manager for the National Telecommunications and
Information ministration (NTIA), Veader was deeply involved on the
behalf of NTIA in the effort to secure a new amateur band at 5 MHz.
According to Ross Merlin, WA2WDT, when it became clear that a proposal
for a 15 kHz band would not be approved, Veader was instrumental in
fashioning the compromise that led to the authorization of the five
discrete secondary channels radio amateurs have today, and other
countries copied that template for their 5 MHz amateur allocations.
Today, these spot frequencies serve as "interoperability channels" for
federal and amateur stations to share in emergencies and exercises.

Veader was active within the SHARES HF radio community as the
representative for NTIA. A native of Boston, Veader was a US Air Force
veteran. During his years at NTIA, he also provided regulatory guidance
on the use of SHARES for federal and non-federal radio users.

"Steve was a good friend to SHARES and to amateur radio," Merlin said.
Veader was also an avid RTTY enthusiast and was active in many contests
throughout the year. A service was held on November 15. -- Thanks to
Ross Merlin, WA2WDT
Bar Code Lead Developer George Laurer, K4HZE, SK

The lead developer of the bar code system that became the
now-ubiquitous Universal Product Code (UPC), George Laurer, K4HZE, of
Wendell, North Carolina, died on December 5. He was 94. While an
electrical engineer with IBM in North Carolina's Research Triangle Park
in the early 1970s, Laurer led the effort to develop the bar code
system. The UPC, composed of 30 unique black bars and a 12-digit
number, allows retailers to identify products and prices as they are
scanned. It was used for the first time in a retail setting in 1974.

Laurer also later patented one of the first handheld UPC scanners,
according to his obituary. As The Washington Post reported, "The
bar-code concept had originated in the 1940s, when N. Joseph Woodland
designed a bull's eye-shaped system of concentric circles, inspired by
the dots and dashes of Morse code." Woodland became a colleague of
Laurer's at IBM, and Laurer considered him "the father of the
supermarket scanning system."

A native of New York, Laurer served in the US Army during World War II
after being drafted while he was still a junior in high school. He
graduated from the University of Maryland in 1951 and spent 3 decades
working for IBM. Accounts describe Laurer as an inveterate tinkerer,
even up to his final years.

IBM never patented the bar code system, but made it publicly available
in order to sell the associated hardware.
In Brief...

Kids Day is Saturday, January 4 The first Saturday in January is Kids
Day -- the time to get youngsters on the air to share in the joy and
fun that amateur radio can provide. Kids Day gets under way on
Saturday, January 4, at 1800 UTC and concludes at 2359 UTC. Sponsored
by the Boring (Oregon) Amateur Radio Club, this event has a simple
exchange, suitable for younger operators: First name, age, location,
and favorite color. After that, the contact can be as long or as short
as each participant prefers. Kids Day is the perfect opportunity to
open your shack door and invite kids over to see what amateur radio has
to offer. Details are on the ARRL website.

ARRL Lifelong Learning Manager to Keynote Ham Radio University 2020 in
January ARRL Lifelong Learning Manager Kris Bickell, K1BIC, will be the
keynote speaker at Ham Radio University 2020 (HRU 2020). The annual
event, now in its 21st year, will take place on Saturday, January 4, in
the Hillwood Commons Student Center at Long Island University-Post, 720
Northern Blvd., Brookville, New York. HRU 2020 is billed as, "A day of
education to share ideas, experiences, knowledge, and fellowship among
amateur radio operators." Doors open at 7:30 AM. A Newcomer's Meeting
and HRU Orientation, geared toward first-time visitors, gets under way
at 8:30 AM. Thirty forums are on the schedule, with topics such as
typical HF antennas, ham radio logging programs, satellite operation,
and more. Hands-on workshops will cover such topics as cables and
connectors and electronic test equipment. mission is free, although a
$5 donation is suggested. Special event station W2HRU will be on the
air. Amateur radio license examinations will be given starting at 1:30
PM. Food and refreshments will be available.

SAQ, Sweden's Alexanderson Alternator, Announces Scheduled Christmas
Eve Transmission SAQ, the call sign of the 1920s vintage Alexanderson
transmitter in Grimeton, Sweden, is set to be on the air for its annual
Christmas Eve transmission. SAQ transmits CW with up to 200 kW on 17.2
kHz. Tune-up is scheduled to begin at around 0730 UTC, with the holiday
message transmitted at 0800 UTC. SAQ will livestream the event. SAQ has
introduced a new reception report form for listeners and has asked
listeners not to send SAQ reception reports via email. The SK6SAQ
amateur radio station will be active on 7.035 kHz and 14.035 MHz CW or
3.755 MHz SSB, with two stations on the air most of the time. Given its
age, the Alexanderson alternator does not always function as intended.
The transmitter experienced a failure during its scheduled UN Day
transmission on October 24.

FCC Invites Comments on Digital AM Broadcasting Proposal The FCC has
invited comments on a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), that would
allow AM broadcasters to transmit an all-digital signal using the HD
Radio in-band on-channel (IBOC) mode, known as MA3.1. "We tentatively
conclude that a voluntary transition to all-digital broadcasting has
the potential to benefit AM stations and provide improved AM service to
the listening public," the FCC said. "We seek comments on proposed
operating standards for all-digital stations and the impact of such
operations on existing analog stations and listeners." The proceeding
was initiated by a March 2019 Petition for Rulemaking (Petition) filed
by Bryan Broadcasting Corporation. "This proceeding continues the
Commission's efforts to improve and update the AM radio service to
provide a better listening experience for consumers and enhanced
service offerings, as part of our continuing effort to revitalize AM
broadcasting," the FCC said in the introduction to the NPRM. Comments
are due 60 days after the NPRM appears in The Federal Register.
Getting It Right!

In the article, "Collegiate QSO Party 2018 and 2019 Plaque Recipients
Announced," the 2018 second-place alumni low-power winner was
incorrect. The winner was Frank J. Maynard, NF8M.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
* January 4 -- New York City-Long Island Section Convention,
Brookville, New York
* January 17 - 18 -- North Texas Section Convention, Forest Hill,
Texas
* January 19 - 25 -- Quartzfest, Quartzsite, Arizona
* January 24 - 26 -- Puerto Rico State Convention, Hatillo, Puerto
Rico
* January 25 -- ARRL Midwest Conference, Collinsville, Illinois

Find conventions and hamfests in your area.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 50 times each year. ARRL members
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--- SendMsg/2

--- Squish/386 v1.11
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Limestone, TN, USA (1:18/200)

The ARRL Letter
December 19, 2019

* ARRL Reshapes Podcast Offerings for 2020
* FCC Formally opts Proposals to Remove Amateur 3 GHz Band, Invites
Comments
* FCC Proposes Largest-Ever Fine for Unlicensed Broadcasting
* The Doctor Will See You Now!
* AztechSat-1 CubeSat to Demonstrate Intra-Satellite Communication
* The K7RA Solar Update
* Just Ahead in Radiosport
* Volunteers Celebrate 98th Anniversary of ARRL Transatlantic Tests
at W1AW
* NTIA Spectrum Manager Stephen Veader, N4DXS, SK
* Bar Code Lead Developer George Laurer, K4HZE, SK
* In Brief...
* Getting It Right!
* Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions

-------------------------------------------------------------------

To Our Readers: This is the final edition of The ARRL Letter for 2019.
The newsletter will be on a holiday hiatus until January 9, 2020. ARRL
Audio News will be on break until January 10, 2020. ARRL Headquarters
will be closed on December 25 and on January 1, and there will be no
W1AW bulletin or code practice transmissions on those days. A reminder
that Straight Key Night (SKN) is January 1, 2020 (UTC) -- starting on
New Year's Eve in North American time zones. We wish everyone a safe
and enjoyable holiday season.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

ARRL Reshapes Podcast Offerings for 2020

In conjunction with the launch of its new On the Air magazine, which is
aimed at those just beginning their journey in amateur radio, ARRL is
reconfiguring its podcast lineup.

Heading up the new schedule will be a free companion podcast to the
bimonthly On the Air magazine. The monthly On the Air podcast will take
a deeper look into select features and projects from the magazine. Each
month, host and On the Air Editorial Director Becky Schoenfeld, W1BXY,
will offer additional resources, techniques, and hints to help
less-experienced radio amateurs to get the most from the magazine's
content.

In addition to the podcast, ARRL Product Development Manager Bob
Inderbitzen, NQ1R, will curate a free On the Air blog featuring content
from the communicators and makers who are the driving force of amateur
radio today. The blog will highlight opportunities and activities
available to new licensees. The On the Air blog is intended as an entry
point into the world of amateur radio for those seeking original voices
and perspectives. Readers will be invited to take part in the
conversation by sharing their stories and experiences.

ARRL's current So Now What? podcast will cease production in January,
as the full complement of On the Air content is rolled out. The catalog
of So Now What? episodes is available for listening or downloading.

In addition, The Doctor is In podcast, which has served
more-experienced amateurs since 2016, will conclude its 4-year run with
its December 19 episode. Eclectic Tech, a new biweekly podcast designed
to appeal to experienced amateurs, will launch in February.

Hosted by QST Editor Steve Ford, WB8IMY, Eclectic Tech will highlight
technical topics involving amateur and non-amateur technology, offer
brief interviews with individuals involved in projects of interest to
amateurs, and include practical information of immediate benefit to
today's hams.

The Doctor is In co-host Joel Hallas, W1ZR, is selecting some of his
favorite podcast episodes for re-broadcast in the interim between the
end of production for The Doctor is In and the debut of Eclectic Tech.
The complete The Doctor is In archive is available on the ARRL website.
Hallas will continue to answer questions about amateur radio in QST's
"The Doctor is In" column.

The ARRL Audio News podcast will continue to provide a weekly summary
of news and activities within the amateur radio community.
FCC Formally opts Proposals to Remove Amateur 3 GHz Band, Invites
Comments

The FCC's plan to remove "existing non-federal secondary radiolocation
and amateur allocations" in the 3.3 - 3.55 GHz band and relocate
incumbent non-federal operations already has begun drawing fire. The
Commission formally adopted the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in
WT Docket 19-348 on December 12 and invited comments on appropriate
"transition mechanisms" to make the spectrum available for mobile and
fixed wireless broadband use. ARRL plans to oppose the move. The
amateur 9-centimeter allocation is 3.3 - 3.5 GHz.

"By proposing to delete the existing non-federal secondary allocations
from the 3.3 - 3.55 GHz band, we are taking an important initial step
towards satisfying Congress's directives and making as much as 250
megahertz of spectrum potentially available for advanced wireless
services, including 5G," the FCC said in the Introduction to its NPRM.

Some comments arrived before formal adoption of the NPRM, which was
circulated ahead of the December meeting. Kevin Milner, KD0MA, the
secretary/treasurer of the Ski Country Amateur Radio Club in Colorado,
argued that the club's equipment cannot be re-channeled below 3.4 GHz,
and the club is seeking relocation costs. Devin Ulibarri, W7ND, told
the FCC that amateur networks in the current band cannot move easily
into other amateur allocations because there is no readily available
commercial equipment to support the bandwidth, the FCC said in a
footnote.

Currently, the entire 3.1 - 3.55 GHz band is allocated for both federal
and non-federal radiolocation services, with non-federal users
operating on a secondary basis to federal radiolocation services.

With respect to amateur operations, the FCC invited comments on whether
sufficient amateur spectrum exists in other bands that can support the
operations currently conducted at 3.3 - 3.5 GHz. The 3.40 - 3.41 GHz
segment is earmarked for amateur satellite communication. The FCC said
if non-federal licensees are relocated to the 3.1 - 3.3 GHz band, it
proposes to have them continue to operate on a secondary basis to
federal operations, consistent with current band allocations.

Also at its December 12 meeting, the FCC considered another NPRM in WT
Docket 19-138 that would "take a fresh and comprehensive look" at the
rules for the 5.9 GHz band and propose, among other things, to make the
lower 45 MHz of the band available for unlicensed operations and to
permit "cellular vehicle-to-everything" (C-V2X) operations in the upper
20 MHz of the band. The FCC is not proposing to delete or otherwise
amend the 5-centimeter amateur 5.650 - 5.925 GHz allocation, which
would continue as secondary. The NPRM, if approved, would address the
top 75 MHz of that amateur secondary band. Although no changes are
proposed to the amateur allocation, an anticipated increase in primary
use could restrict secondary amateur use.

The Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network (AREDN) has offered its voice
in challenging the FCC proposals on both 9 and 5 centimeters, saying
their adoption would "eliminate our use of the most-effective resource
hams have to build its networks."

"The AREDN Project is able to leverage low-cost commercial devices
solely because they are designed to operate on adjacent allocations,"
AREDN said on its website. "Moving to other allocations would be
difficult if not impossible without a complete redesign, manufacture,
purchase, and installation of new custom amateur hardware and
software...raising the price out of reach for the typical ham."

FCC Proposes Largest-Ever Fine for Unlicensed Broadcasting

The FCC has proposed fining an alleged pirate broadcaster in the
Boston, Massachusetts area more than $450,000. According to the FCC,
Gerlens Cesar, who operated Radio TeleBoston, used three separate
transmitters for his broadcasting enterprise, resulting in three
separate violations of the law.

"The Commission proposed imposing the statutory maximum forfeiture
amount for each of these three apparent violations," the FCC said in a
Notice of Apparent Liability (NAL) released on December 12. Under the
Communications Act, it is illegal to transmit above certain low-power
levels, defined within FCC Part 15 rules, without an FCC license.

"Such pirate radio broadcasting can interfere with licensed
communications including public safety transmissions," the FCC said.
The FCC said Cesar apparently simulcasts Radio TeleBoston on three
unauthorized transmitters on two different frequencies. "His operation
thus had the potential to cause interference in various locations in
and around Boston and at different channels on the FM dial," the FCC
said. "As a result of the scale of this operation, its potential
impacts, and its continuous nature, the Commission proposed the maximum
penalty for all three transmitters."

The FCC reported receiving complaints from Boston-area residents of an
illegal station operating at both 90.1 and 92.1 MHz. One complaint
identified Cesar as the operator of Radio TeleBoston. The FCC said it
had issued multiple warnings. -- FCC Media Release
The Doctor Will See You Now!

The Doctor will open the mailbag for the last time in the final
(December 19) episode of the ARRL The Doctor is In podcast. "Best of
The Doctor is In" episodes will be released every other week until a
new podcast, Electic Tech," debuts in February.

Sponsored by DX Engineering, ARRL The Doctor is In is an informative
discussion of all things technical. Listen on your computer, tablet, or
smartphone -- whenever and wherever you like!

Every 2 weeks since 2016, your host, QST Editor-in-Chief Steve Ford,
WB8IMY, and the Doctor himself, Joel Hallas, W1ZR, have discussed a
broad range of technical topics and answered listeners' questions.

Enjoy ARRL The Doctor is In on Apple iTunes, or by using your iPhone or
iPad podcast app (just search for ARRL The Doctor is In). You can also
listen online at Blubrry, or at Stitcher (free registration required,
or browse the site as a guest) and through the free Stitcher app for
iOS, Kindle, or Android devices. If you've never listened to a podcast
before, download our beginner's guide.

AztechSat-1 CubeSat to Demonstrate Intra-Satellite Communication

The AztechSat-1 CubeSat, which traveled to the International Space
Station (ISS) earlier this month on the 19th Space-X Commercial
Resupply Services (CRS-19) mission for NASA, will listen for emergency
messages in the 439 MHz range and retransmit them for amateur radio
operators to copy on its 437.300 MHz downlink using the Winlink
protocol, once the CubeSat has been placed into orbit. The satellite is
a project of Mexico's Universidad Popular Aut�noma del Estado de Puebla
(UPAEP). Aztechsat-1 is set for deployment from the ISS in late
January.

"The primary objective of the project is to establish communication
with the commercial GlobalStar satellites in order to improve data
transmission to Earth," a UPAEP news release said. AztechSat-1 will
create a saturation map of 435 - 438 MHz by listening for the whole
orbit and returning captured data to the ground station on the 437.300
MHz amateur radio downlink (9k6 GMSK or FSK) plus a 1600 MHz GlobalStar
link. Emergency messages received via Globalstar to the AztechSat-1
ground station will be shared on the project's website.

A certificate will be available for amateur stations receiving the
emergency message(s) and reporting these for confirmation by the
AztechSat-1 team.

Details are on the AztechSat-1 website and on the IARU Amateur Radio
Satellite Communication page.

The project is part of NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative, which offers
universities, high schools, and nonprofit organizations the opportunity
to fly small satellites. "Innovative technology partnerships keep down
the cost, providing students a way to obtain hands-on experience
developing flight hardware," a NASA report said.

NASA explained, "The investigation demonstrates communication within a
satellite network in low-Earth orbit. Such intra-satellite
communication could reduce the need for ground stations, lowering the
cost and increasing the number of data downloads possible for satellite
applications."
The K7RA Solar Update

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: It's been 36 consecutive days with no
sunspots. Geomagnetic conditions were quiet until a minor solar wind
stream hit on December 18, driving the planetary A index to 13 from the
low single digits earlier in the week.

The average planetary A index for December 12 - 18 rose to 4.6, from
3.7 over the previous 7 days, while mid-latitude A index increased from
1.9 to 4. Predicted solar flux over the next 45 days is 70. The
predicted planetary A index is 10, 8, and 8 on December 19 - 21; 5 on
December 22 - January 4; 8 on January 5; 5 on January 6 - 8; 8 on
January 9 - 10; 5 on January 11 - 13; 12 on January 14; 10 on January
15 - 17; 5 on January 18 - 31, and 8 on February 1.

Because of weak solar activity, the ARRL 10 Meter Contest last weekend
was rather slow. QST's "The World Above 50 MHz" editor Jon Jones, N0JK,
in Kansas said he encountered a strong opening to Argentina and Chile
on Sunday. He said the propagation mechanism appeared to be sporadic E.
More details in the weekly bulletin on December 20.

Sunspot numbers for December 12 - 18 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, and 0, with
a mean of 0. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 70.5, 68.9, 70.3, 71, 70,
70.5, and 70.2, with a mean of 70.2. Estimated planetary A indices were
4, 4, 3, 5, 1, 2, and 13, with a mean of 4.6. Middle latitude A index
was 3, 3, 2, 5, 1, 2, and 12, with a mean of 4.

A comprehensive K7RA Solar Update is posted Fridays on the ARRL
website. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the
ARRL Technical Information Service, read "What the Numbers Mean...,"
and check out K9LA's Propagation Page.

A propagation bulletin archive is available. Monthly charts offer
propagation projections between the US and a dozen DX locations.

Share your reports and observations.

Just Ahead in Radiosport
* December 20 -- AGB-Party Contest (CW, phone, digital)
* December 20 -- Russian 160-Meter Contest (CW, phone)
* December 21 -- Feld Hell Sprint
* December 21 -- OK DX RTTY Contest
* December 21 - 22 -- Padang DX Contest (Phone)
* December 21 - 22 -- Gedebage CW Contest
* December 21 - 22 -- Croatian CW Contest
* December 22 -- RAEM Contest (CW)
* December 22 -- ARRL Rookie Roundup, CW
* December 25 -- SKCC Sprint (CW)
* December 26 -- DARC Christmas Contest (CW, phone)
* December 28 -- RAC Winter Contest (CW, phone)
* December 28 - 29 -- 1.8 Stew Perry Topband Challenge (CW)
* December 28 - 29 -- Original QRP Contest (CW)
* December 30 - 31 -- QCX Challenge (CW)
* December 31 -- Bogor Old and New Contest (Phone)
* January 1 -- Straight Key Night
* January 1 -- AGB New Year Snowball Contest (CW, phone, digital)
* January 1 -- SARTG New Year RTTY Contest
* January 1 -- AGCW Happy New Year Contest (CW)
* January 1 -- AGCW VHF/UHF Contest (CW)
* January 1 -- QRP ARCI New Year's Sprint (CW)
* January 1 -- 3.5 UKEICC 80-Meter Contest (Phone)
* January 2 -- NRAU 10-Meter Activity Contest (CW, phone, digital)
* January 2 -- SKCC Sprint Europe (CW)
* January 4 -- ARRL Kids Day (Phone)
* January 4 -- PODXS 070 Club PSKFest (Digital)
* January 4 -- RSGB AFS Contest, CW
* January 4 - 5 -- WW PMC Contest (CW, phone)
* January 4 - 5 -- ARRL RTTY Roundup
* January 4 - 5 -- EUCW 160-Meter Contest (CW)
* January 6 - 12 -- All IQRP Quarterly Marathon (CW, phone, digital)
* January 7 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW)
* January 8 - 12 -- AWA Linc Cundall Memorial CW Contest

See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. For in-depth
reporting on amateur radio contesting, subscribe to The ARRL Contest
Update via your ARRL member profile email preferences.
Volunteers Celebrate 98th Anniversary of ARRL Transatlantic Tests at
W1AW

A group of radio amateurs gathered on December 11 at W1AW to mark the
98th anniversary of the successful ARRL Transatlantic Tests. On
December 11, 1921, a message transmitted by a group of Radio Club of
America members at 1BCG in Greenwich, Connecticut, was copied by Paul
Godley, 2ZE, in Scotland. Reporting on the accomplishment, ARRL
Secretary Kenneth B. Warner, 1EH, declared "Excelsior!" Clark Burgard,
N1BCG -- who lives in Greenwich and styles his call sign as "n1BCG" to
honor the original 1BCG -- was among those on hand at the Maxim
Memorial Station.

Those pitching in to take part in
the day-long anniversary celebration
included (L-R) Michael Pfaeffle,
K3FEF; Lisa Kress; Brian Kress,
KB3WFV; Bob Allison, WB1GCM; Blaine
Morin, N1GTU, and Clark Burgard,
N1BCG. Not shown are Chris Codella,
W2PA; Glenn Cooper, W2BK, and Greg
Fiozzo, KD2HRD.

"We completed a successful special event yesterday at W1AW
commemorating the 98th anniversary of the Transatlantic Tests," Burgard
recounted. "This was particularly important historically to amateur
radio as it was originally organized by ARRL in 1921 to determine if
low-power amateur radio stations using shortwave frequencies could
actually be heard in Europe. Until then, it was thought impossible."

Burgard pointed out that the 1921 event changed radio history, was
covered in three issues of QST, and opened the door to the first
two-way transatlantic tests a couple of years later. The 1921
transatlantic success marked the beginning of what would become routine
communication between US radio amateurs and those in other parts of the
world -- literally the birth of DX.

NTIA Spectrum Manager Stephen Veader, N4DXS, SK

Stephen Veader, N4DXS, of Dale City, Virginia, a major
behind-the-scenes player in the effort that led to creation of amateur
radio's 60-meter band in the US, died on November 5. An ARRL Life
Member, he was 67.

As a spectrum manager for the National Telecommunications and
Information ministration (NTIA), Veader was deeply involved on the
behalf of NTIA in the effort to secure a new amateur band at 5 MHz.
According to Ross Merlin, WA2WDT, when it became clear that a proposal
for a 15 kHz band would not be approved, Veader was instrumental in
fashioning the compromise that led to the authorization of the five
discrete secondary channels radio amateurs have today, and other
countries copied that template for their 5 MHz amateur allocations.
Today, these spot frequencies serve as "interoperability channels" for
federal and amateur stations to share in emergencies and exercises.

Veader was active within the SHARES HF radio community as the
representative for NTIA. A native of Boston, Veader was a US Air Force
veteran. During his years at NTIA, he also provided regulatory guidance
on the use of SHARES for federal and non-federal radio users.

"Steve was a good friend to SHARES and to amateur radio," Merlin said.
Veader was also an avid RTTY enthusiast and was active in many contests
throughout the year. A service was held on November 15. -- Thanks to
Ross Merlin, WA2WDT
Bar Code Lead Developer George Laurer, K4HZE, SK

The lead developer of the bar code system that became the
now-ubiquitous Universal Product Code (UPC), George Laurer, K4HZE, of
Wendell, North Carolina, died on December 5. He was 94. While an
electrical engineer with IBM in North Carolina's Research Triangle Park
in the early 1970s, Laurer led the effort to develop the bar code
system. The UPC, composed of 30 unique black bars and a 12-digit
number, allows retailers to identify products and prices as they are
scanned. It was used for the first time in a retail setting in 1974.

Laurer also later patented one of the first handheld UPC scanners,
according to his obituary. As The Washington Post reported, "The
bar-code concept had originated in the 1940s, when N. Joseph Woodland
designed a bull's eye-shaped system of concentric circles, inspired by
the dots and dashes of Morse code." Woodland became a colleague of
Laurer's at IBM, and Laurer considered him "the father of the
supermarket scanning system."

A native of New York, Laurer served in the US Army during World War II
after being drafted while he was still a junior in high school. He
graduated from the University of Maryland in 1951 and spent 3 decades
working for IBM. Accounts describe Laurer as an inveterate tinkerer,
even up to his final years.

IBM never patented the bar code system, but made it publicly available
in order to sell the associated hardware.
In Brief...

Kids Day is Saturday, January 4 The first Saturday in January is Kids
Day -- the time to get youngsters on the air to share in the joy and
fun that amateur radio can provide. Kids Day gets under way on
Saturday, January 4, at 1800 UTC and concludes at 2359 UTC. Sponsored
by the Boring (Oregon) Amateur Radio Club, this event has a simple
exchange, suitable for younger operators: First name, age, location,
and favorite color. After that, the contact can be as long or as short
as each participant prefers. Kids Day is the perfect opportunity to
open your shack door and invite kids over to see what amateur radio has
to offer. Details are on the ARRL website.

ARRL Lifelong Learning Manager to Keynote Ham Radio University 2020 in
January ARRL Lifelong Learning Manager Kris Bickell, K1BIC, will be the
keynote speaker at Ham Radio University 2020 (HRU 2020). The annual
event, now in its 21st year, will take place on Saturday, January 4, in
the Hillwood Commons Student Center at Long Island University-Post, 720
Northern Blvd., Brookville, New York. HRU 2020 is billed as, "A day of
education to share ideas, experiences, knowledge, and fellowship among
amateur radio operators." Doors open at 7:30 AM. A Newcomer's Meeting
and HRU Orientation, geared toward first-time visitors, gets under way
at 8:30 AM. Thirty forums are on the schedule, with topics such as
typical HF antennas, ham radio logging programs, satellite operation,
and more. Hands-on workshops will cover such topics as cables and
connectors and electronic test equipment. mission is free, although a
$5 donation is suggested. Special event station W2HRU will be on the
air. Amateur radio license examinations will be given starting at 1:30
PM. Food and refreshments will be available.

SAQ, Sweden's Alexanderson Alternator, Announces Scheduled Christmas
Eve Transmission SAQ, the call sign of the 1920s vintage Alexanderson
transmitter in Grimeton, Sweden, is set to be on the air for its annual
Christmas Eve transmission. SAQ transmits CW with up to 200 kW on 17.2
kHz. Tune-up is scheduled to begin at around 0730 UTC, with the holiday
message transmitted at 0800 UTC. SAQ will livestream the event. SAQ has
introduced a new reception report form for listeners and has asked
listeners not to send SAQ reception reports via email. The SK6SAQ
amateur radio station will be active on 7.035 kHz and 14.035 MHz CW or
3.755 MHz SSB, with two stations on the air most of the time. Given its
age, the Alexanderson alternator does not always function as intended.
The transmitter experienced a failure during its scheduled UN Day
transmission on October 24.

FCC Invites Comments on Digital AM Broadcasting Proposal The FCC has
invited comments on a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), that would
allow AM broadcasters to transmit an all-digital signal using the HD
Radio in-band on-channel (IBOC) mode, known as MA3.1. "We tentatively
conclude that a voluntary transition to all-digital broadcasting has
the potential to benefit AM stations and provide improved AM service to
the listening public," the FCC said. "We seek comments on proposed
operating standards for all-digital stations and the impact of such
operations on existing analog stations and listeners." The proceeding
was initiated by a March 2019 Petition for Rulemaking (Petition) filed
by Bryan Broadcasting Corporation. "This proceeding continues the
Commission's efforts to improve and update the AM radio service to
provide a better listening experience for consumers and enhanced
service offerings, as part of our continuing effort to revitalize AM
broadcasting," the FCC said in the introduction to the NPRM. Comments
are due 60 days after the NPRM appears in The Federal Register.
Getting It Right!

In the article, "Collegiate QSO Party 2018 and 2019 Plaque Recipients
Announced," the 2018 second-place alumni low-power winner was
incorrect. The winner was Frank J. Maynard, NF8M.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
* January 4 -- New York City-Long Island Section Convention,
Brookville, New York
* January 17 - 18 -- North Texas Section Convention, Forest Hill,
Texas
* January 19 - 25 -- Quartzfest, Quartzsite, Arizona
* January 24 - 26 -- Puerto Rico State Convention, Hatillo, Puerto
Rico
* January 25 -- ARRL Midwest Conference, Collinsville, Illinois

Find conventions and hamfests in your area.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for
Amateur Radio News and Information.

.

.
* Join or Renew Today! ARRL membership includes QST, amateur radio's
most popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox
each month.
* Listen to ARRL Audio News, available every Friday.

Subscribe to...
* NCJ -- National Contest Journal. Published bimonthly, features
articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA
Sprint, and QSO parties.
* QEX -- A Forum for Communications Experimenters. Published
bimonthly, features technical articles, construction projects,
columns, and other items of interest to radio amateurs and
communications professionals.

Free of charge to ARRL members...
* Subscribe to the ARES E-Letter (monthly public service and
emergency communications news), the ARRL Contest Update (biweekly
contest newsletter), Division and Section news alerts -- and much
more!
* Find ARRL on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram!
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 50 times each year. ARRL members
and registered guests may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing
their profile.

Copyright (c) 2019 American Radio Relay League, Incorporated. Use and
distribution of this publication, or any portion thereof, is permitted for
non-commercial or educational purposes, with attribution. All other
purposes require written permission.


--- SendMsg/2

--- Squish/386 v1.11
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Limestone, TN, USA (1:18/200)

The ARRL Letter
January 9, 2020

* ARRL's New On the Air Magazine on its Way to Members
* Volunteer Monitor Program Coordinator Looks Forward to a Positive
2020
* ARRL CEO Challenges Members: "Dare to Imagine"
* So Now What? Podcast
* Strong Earthquake Shakes Puerto Rico; Generating Capacity Severely
Compromised
* Australian Bushfires Causing Major Telecommunication Outages, Hams
on Duty
* Radio Amateurs of Canada Announces a New Section
* China Telecoms Regulator Proposing to Delete Some Current Amateur
Allocations
* The K7RA Solar Update
* Just Ahead in Radiosport
* ARISS Next-Generation Radio System Ready for Launch to Space
Station
* CAMSAT Says CAS-6 Activation for Amateur Use Has Been Delayed
* In Brief...
* Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
ARRL's New On the Air Magazine on its Way to Members

The premiere issue of ARRL's On the Air magazine has left the printer
and is on its way to member subscribers. The magazine should be in
mailboxes within the next 10 days.


On the Air is the newest ARRL member benefit to help new licensees and
beginner-to-intermediate radio communicators navigate the world of
amateur radio. Eligible US-based members can elect to receive On the
Air or QST magazine in print when they join or when they renew their
ARRL membership.

Delivered six times a year, the magazine will present articles and tips
on selecting equipment, building projects, and getting involved in
emergency communication. On the Air will also spotlight the experiences
of those involved in public service communication and casual operating.

All members will be able to access digital editions of On the Air
magazine. The first digital issue of On the Air will be available
beginning January 14, supported by a new version of ARRL's digital
magazine app. With one app, members will be able to access On the Air
and QST.
Volunteer Monitor Program Coordinator Looks Forward to a Positive 2020

In a holiday season message to ARRL leadership and to members of the
new ARRL Volunteer Monitor (VM) program, its coordinator, Riley
Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, expressed his gratitude to all involved for their
contributions to getting the program off to a solid start in January.

"It will be a good year," Hollingsworth said. "We will have fun, you
will enjoy it more than you probably think, and -- thanks to the talent
and generosity of one of our VMs -- a computer program will make your
reporting much easier (there will be no need for bi-monthly reports!),"
he wrote. "This is our opportunity to help amateur radio last another
hundred years and to pay forward this wonderful avocation that joyfully
occupies our lives. This could be our legacy if we do it with all the
energy and devotion that characterized the Official Observer (OO)
program for decades."

Hollingsworth said the success of the OO program convinced the FCC to
trust ARRL with the responsibilities now to be taken up by the
Volunteer Monitor program. "Those of you who are former OOs have an
extra reason to be proud, and amateur radio is grateful to you more
than you will ever know," Hollingsworth concluded. "Thank you. It will
be a privilege to work with you this new year."

Approved by the ARRL Board of Directors in 2018, the Volunteer Monitor
program supplants the venerable OO program. The VM program represents a
formal agreement between the FCC and ARRL in which volunteers trained
and vetted by ARRL will monitor the airwaves and collect evidence that
can be used to correct misconduct. The program also will recognize
exemplary on-air operation, something not done during the OO program.
Cases of flagrant violations will be referred to the FCC by ARRL for
action in accordance with FCC guidelines.

The FCC proposed the new program in the wake of several FCC regional
office closures and a reduction in field staff. It will give
enforcement priority to cases developed by the Volunteer Monitor
program without ARRL's having to refer cases through the FCC online
complaint process.

ARRL CEO Challenges Members: "Dare to Imagine"

In his January 2020 QST "Second Century" editorial, ARRL CEO Howard
Michel, WB2ITX, challenges members to imagine what ARRL and amateur
radio will look like in 5 years and beyond and to dare to imagine
change.

"Younger hams are not just younger versions of you or me," Michel
writes. "They have grown up in a different world." He points out that
75% of non-members hold Technician licenses. "But more than license
class, their interests are different. Their demographics are different.
They are different, and they want different things," he said. His
approach is to target specific interest groups, which he calls
"verticals," that will allow ARRL to provide individual members what
they want.

"We can try to mold the future generation of hams to our image, or we
can embrace new hams for what they are," Michel asserted. "ARRL needs
to do the latter."

In addition to initiatives such as the new On the Air magazine,
debuting this month in print and digital editions, and the Lifelong
Learning program to engage new licensees, Michel is proposing verticals
focusing on radiosport, experimentation, and emergency communication.
He's recommending a new family of "mini-magazines" to reach niche
membership interests. "To jump start the mini-mag revolution," he said,
"We will offer NCJ and QEX in digital form to everyone." ARRL also
plans to hire a national club coordinator this year.

"Our focus will be on developing ways, and an infrastructure, that
members can use to organize themselves in ways they want, to do things
that they consider meaningful," Michel said.

He has invited members' comments.
So Now What? Podcast

In the final episode of So Now What? hosts Michelle Patnode, W3MVP, and
Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, will speak with ARRL VEC Assistant Manager Amanda
Grimaldi, N1NHL.

An archive of So Now What? episodes will remain on Blubrry and will be
accessible via the podcast's web page. Users can still direct questions
regarding the podcast via email.

Thank you to LDG Electronics for sponsoring the show and thanks to
everyone for listening!

Strong Earthquake Shakes Puerto Rico; Generating Capacity Severely
Compromised

ARRL Puerto Rico Section Manager Oscar Resto, KP4RF, says small tremors
continue on the island in the wake of the 6.4 magnitude earthquake that
struck the southwestern part of the island on January 7. A magnitude
5.8 quake struck a day earlier. The Puerto Rico Electric Power
Authority (PREPA) reported widespread power outages after generating
plants automatically activated protective shutdown systems following
the earthquake. But Resto told ARRL this week that considerable
generating capacity was lost due to earthquake damage, and that it will
take at least several days before replacement units can be brought back
on line. Only about 20% of the island has electric power at this point,
he estimated.

"We have a shortage of about 1,100 megawatts of power," Resto told
ARRL. "We normally need about 2,000 megawatts for the island."

Resto cited the largely operational telecommunications network as the
reason why no Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) activations have
been necessary. "We have cell phones all over the island working," he
said. Resto told ARRL that he's been working up a list of ready and
resilient amateur radio volunteers who would be able to muster if
needed to assist the American Red Cross, with which Puerto Rico ARES
has a memorandum of understanding. "We are in continuous communication
with the ARC in case we're needed."

Resto stressed that he wants to avoid situations where volunteers
activate only to be told they're not needed.

The worst-impacted cities were Guayanilla, Pe�uelas, Yauco, and
Gu�nica. Resto said engineers have determined that 80% of the houses in
the earthquake's impact zone are uninhabitable. Residents are sleeping
outdoors, Resto said.

Puerto Rico Section Public Information Officer Angel Santana, WP3GW,
told ARRL that VHF and UHF repeaters with emergency power have carried
reports of power and water outages, the continuing aftershocks, and
other information on an informal basis. Bottled water and canned food
have been in high demand, he said. Santana said the PREMA Emergency
Operations Center (EOC) has been activated.

Resto earlier this week called the situation "scary, with houses,
schools, and roads collapsing." At least one death has resulted from
the earthquake. He said the earthquake disaster definitely was a
setback for the US territory as it continues its long recovery from
severe hurricane damage in 2017. But, he added, the restored
telecommunications infrastructure is more robust, to minimize damage in
future disasters.
Australian Bushfires Causing Major Telecommunication Outages, Hams on
Duty

Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA) President Greg Kelly, VK2GPK,
says the bushfires in Australia have caused significant disruption of
telecommunication services in the states of Victoria and New South
Wales. Radio amateurs are supporting relief operations and
communication.

WICEN (Wireless Institute Civil Emergency Network) in New South Wales
reports it has been active assisting in a number of multi-agency
activities during the bushfire emergency, in its role as a support
squad of the NSW Volunteer Rescue Association (VRA) operations center
in Bega. WICEN teams in NSW and in the Australian Capital Territory
(ACT) have sent a team to Bega to help re-establish radio communication
services, disrupted by fire activity.

WICEN and other VRA squads continue to support the Rural Fire Service
(RFS) at various Fire Control Centers and the Bushfire Information
Line. Other WICEN members remain active with the RFS and the State
Emergency Service.

Kelley has asked radio amateurs in International Amateur Radio Union
(IARU) Region 3 to monitor the emergency communications frequencies,
per the IARU Region 3 band plan, whenever possible, as well as
repeaters. "Amateurs seeking to establish emergency communication
should use these EMCOMM frequencies in the first instance, or repeaters
if available," he said in a statement posted on the IARU Region 3
website.

"Radio amateurs who are volunteers for [WICEN and other emergency
communication organizations] should keep themselves updated," Kelley
advised. "Emergency communication is one of the main reasons radio
amateurs have access to RF spectrum. Please assist if and when you
can."

The IARU Region 3 emergency "center of activity" frequencies are 3.600,
7.110, 14.300, 18.160, and 21.360 MHz. These are not net frequencies,
but they are recommended as starting points for emergency traffic, and
activity may extend 5 kHz above or below the designated center
frequency.

South of NSW in the state of Victoria, WICEN VIC reports that the
amateur repeater network is largely off the air, possibly due to a lack
of power. "Some sites may have been directly affected by fire," WICEN
VIC said on January 4. "It could be some weeks until the sites can be
reached for inspection."

Radio Amateurs of Canada Announces a New Section

The number of Sections needed for a clean sweep in the ARRL November
Sweepstakes (SS) will rise to 84 in 2020, with the addition of a new
Prince Edward Island (PE) Section. Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) has
announced that the new Section will become effective on April 1.

Prince Edward Island has been in the Maritimes (MAR) Section. RAC said
its Prince Edward Island members have been working for some time to
create a separate Section for RAC ARES activities there. The provinces
of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick will remain in the Maritimes Section.

In addition to Field Day and Sweepstakes, the new Section in Canada
will affect the ARRL 160-Meter Contest but not the ARRL 10-Meter
Contest, which uses individual states/provinces for US and Canadian
multipliers. The change will mean that logging software developers will
have to update their software to include the PE Section as a valid
exchange element for any affected operating events.

RAC also announced an adjustment in two of its Ontario Sections.
Effective April 1, radio amateurs in the City of Hamilton and in the
Regional Municipality of Niagara will shift to the Greater Toronto Area
(GTA) Section from the Ontario South (ONS) Section.
China Telecoms Regulator Proposing to Delete Some Current Amateur
Allocations

China's telecommunications regulator has proposed amending the Measures
for the ministration of Amateur Radio Stations, and some amateur
bands are in danger of being eliminated. Lide Zhang, BI8CKU, told ARRL
that the proposal would prohibit amateur operation on the 2200-meter
band as well as on 146 - 148 MHz, 1260 - 1300 MHz, 3400 - 3500 MHz,
5650 - 5725 MHz, and all bands above 10 GHz.

Radio communications engineer and Chinese Amateur Satellite Group
(CAMSAT) CEO Alan Kung, BA1DU, told ARRL that government efforts to
eliminate some amateur bands are nothing new, but proposals that have
been aired for a while now are on the regulatory agency's schedule.
Kung said he does not anticipate that all of the bands proposed will be
taken away, but he conceded that the climate will "undoubtedly" become
increasingly more dangerous for China's amateur radio community.

"The attempt to crowd out the amateur radio bands has a long history
throughout the world," he said, "but it may never have become so urgent
for the amateur radio community as it is today. We all understand that
radio spectrum resources have become a bottleneck for further
development." He said today's radio communication industry "is working
hard to share spectrum resources."

Kung characterized spectrum as "the soil on which amateur radio
depends."

The K7RA Solar Update

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Sunspots appeared recently, all
indicating that they belong to Cycle 25 due to their polarity, which is
just the opposite from Cycle 24 spots. Sunspots appeared December 24 -
26, and what appeared to be a new Cycle 25 spot showed up on January 1.
NOAA did not report it, but Spaceweather.com reported a sunspot number
of 11 for January 1.

Predicted solar flux for the next 45 days is higher than in recent
forecasts: 72 on January 2-9; 70 on January 10-11; 72 on January 12-25;
70 on January 26 - February 7, and 72 on February 8-15.

Predicted planetary A index is 5 on January 2-13; 12 on January 14-15;
5 on January 16-25; 8 on January 2-28; 5 on January 29 - February 9; 10
on February 10-11, and 5 on February 12-15.

Sunspot numbers for December 19-25 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 24, and 23, with
a mean of 6.7. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 69.9, 70, 70.6, 71, 72.6,
72.7, and 72.1, with a mean of 71.3. Estimated planetary A indices were
13, 5, 5, 4, 4, 3, and 4, with a mean of 5.4. The middle latitude A
index was 12, 4, 4, 2, 2, 2, and 3, with a mean of 4.1.

Sunspot numbers for December 26 - January 1 were 11, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, and
11, with a mean of 3.1. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 72.1, 72.4, 72.2,
72, 70.9, 70.5, and 71.8, with a mean of 71.7. Estimated planetary A
indices were 5, 3, 2, 2, 3, 4, and 3, with a mean of 3.1. Middle
latitude A index was 3, 2, 0, 0, 2, 4, and 3, with a mean of 2.

A comprehensive K7RA Solar Update is posted Fridays on the ARRL
website. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the
ARRL Technical Information Service, read "What the Numbers Mean...,"
and check out K9LA's Propagation Page.

A propagation bulletin archive is available. Monthly charts offer
propagation projections between the US and a dozen DX locations.

Share your reports and observations.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Just Ahead in Radiosport
* January 11 -- YB DX Contest (Phone)
* January 11 -- Old New Year Contest (CW, phone)
* January 11 - 12 -- UBA PSK63 Prefix Contest
* January 11 - 12 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon (CW)
* January 11 - 12 -- North American QSO Party, CW
* January 12 -- NRAU-Baltic Contest, SSB, CW (separate events)
* January 12 -- DARC 10-Meter Contest (CW, phone)
* January 12 -- RSGB AFS Contest, Data
* January 12 - 15 -- Classic Exchange (CW)
* January 13 -- 4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint (CW, phone)
* January 16 -- NAQCC CW Sprint (CW)

See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. For in-depth
reporting on amateur radio contesting, subscribe to The ARRL Contest
Update via your ARRL member profile email preferences.
ARISS Next-Generation Radio System Ready for Launch to Space Station

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) reports that
its first Interoperable Radio System (IORS) flight unit -- serial
number 1001 -- has been delivered to NASA's Johnson Space Center for
launch in early March. The IORS represents the first major upgrade in
ARISS equipment on the International Space Station since Amateur Radio
gained a permanent presence onboard the ISS in 2000. In December, ARISS
received approval from NASA Safety to launch the IORS on SpaceX CRS-20
and stow the radio system on the ISS for future installation.

"The IORS is a foundational element of the ARISS next-generation radio
system and is an incredible engineering achievement by the ARISS
hardware team," ARISS International President Frank Bauer, KA3HDO,
said. "This first element delivery will support easier radio mode
transitions and enable new, exciting capabilities for hams, students,
and the general public."

The new system includes a higher-power radio, an enhanced voice
repeater, and updated digital packet radio (APRS) and slow-scan
television (SSTV) capabilities for both the US and Russian space
station segments. The IORS consists of a custom-modified JVC Kenwood
TM-D710GA transceiver, an AMSAT-developed multi-voltage power supply,
and interconnecting cables.

The IORS set to launch in March will be installed in the ISS Columbus
module; a second flight unit is expected to be launched later this year
for installation in the Russian Service module. The ARISS hardware team
will assemble four flight units -- and 10 IORS units in all -- to
support onboard flight operations, training, operations planning, and
hardware testing.

ARISS International President Frank
Bauer, KA3HDO.

"Future upgrades and enhancements to the next-generation system are in
various stages of design and development," Bauer said. "These include a
repaired Ham Video system -- currently planned for launch in
mid-to-late 2020, L-band (uplink) repeater, ground command operations
capability, LimeSDR signal reception, a microwave 'Ham Communicator,'
and Lunar Gateway prototype experiment."

Bauer said a lot of "heavy lifting" remains to prepare the IORS for
operation on the space station. "ARISS has 92 engineering requirements
and our operations Phase III safety review to complete," he explained.
"The space agencies take a position of 'trust, but verify.' Thus, these
engineering and safety 'verifications' all need to be closed out before
the IORS can be unstowed and turned on. This will be the ARISS hardware
team's focus over the next few months."

Bauer reminded that ARISS is almost entirely run by volunteers and
encouraged donations for next-generation hardware developments,
operations, education, and administrative functions.
CAMSAT Says CAS-6 Activation for Amateur Use Has Been Delayed

Chinese Amateur Satellite Group (CAMSAT) CEO Alan Kung, BA1DU, told
ARRL this week that some problems with the precise attitude
determination of the newly launched CAS-6 amateur radio satellite have
delayed deployment of the antennas. The satellite was to have been put
into service within 3 days.

"If the V/UHF antennas are deployed now, additional torque may affect
determination of the satellite attitude," Kung said. "Engineers need to
modify and upload the software, which will take some time." He said
that taking into consideration the upcoming long Chinese New Year
holiday, the test work is planned to be completed sometime in late
February or early March. At that time, VHF/UHF antennas will be
deployed, and the amateur radio payload will be available for use.

Kung points out that the satellite's CW beacon has been turned on,
although the antenna has not yet been deployed. "If you have a 'big
ear,' you may be able to receive weak signal leaked from an undeployed
antenna on 145.910 MHz," he said. "A polyimide cover on the antenna
chassis can help to leak some RF signal."

CAMSAT has provided CAS-6 Satellite Digital Telemetry Description and
CW Telemetry Beacon Encoding Format documents. -- Thanks to Alan Kung,
BA1DU
In Brief...

ARRL San Joaquin Valley Section Manager Dan Pruitt, AE6SX, of Fresno,
California, died on December 27. He was 68 and had been hospitalized as
a result of a fall. First licensed in 1965, Pruitt had served as SJV SM
since 2009 and had begun a new 2-year term last year. Assistant SM John
Litz, NZ6Q, has been appointed to succeed him. Pruitt had previously
served as Fresno County Emergency Coordinator, and his focus has been
on improving emergency communication in his region, working with the
Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES), the National Traffic
System, the Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS), the American Red
Cross, the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), and the System for
ministration, Training, and Educational Resources for NASA. He had
also served as SJV Public Information Officer. Litz, an ARRL Life
Member from Stockton, California, was first licensed in 1974. He is
active in many facets of Amateur Radio, and has served as an Assistant
Section Manager in San Joaquin Valley for the past year.

Tickets for three traditional dinners held in association with the 2020
Dayton Hamvention^(R) in May are now available. The DX Dinner, the Top
Band Dinner, and the Contest Dinner. Inductees to the CQ DX and CQ
Contest Halls of Fame will be announced at the DX Dinner and Contest
Dinner, respectively. Hall of Fame nominations are due by March 1. Read
more.

ARRL West Central Florida Section Celebrating its 20th Anniversary this
Year The ARRL West Central Florida Section is marking its 20th
anniversary this year. The Section newsletter, the WCF Presser,
includes information on celebratory activities. A K4WCF special event
in January will activate all 10 of the Section's counties, with
additional K4WCF special events later in the year. The West Central
Florida Section website also has a new look for the 20th anniversary
celebration, its first since January 2015. West Central Florida was
ARRL's 71st Section. It includes Charlotte, DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands,
Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, and Sarasota counties.
Darrell Davis, KT4WX, is the West Central Florida Section Manager.

Wolf Hadel, DK2OM, stepped down at year's end as coordinator of the
International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 Monitoring System (IARUMS).
IARU Region 1 President Don Beattie, G3BJ, announced in December that,
after many years of monitoring and tracking intruders on the amateur
bands, Hadel has been awarded the IARU President's Diamond Award in
recognition of his efforts. Hadel worked for the Deutscher Amateur
Radio Club (DARC) monitoring system for more than 30 years and has
coordinated IARUMS since 2005. IARUMS Region 1 Vice Coordinator Peter
Jost, HB9CET, will take over as coordinator for the time being. Read
more.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
* January 17 - 18 -- North Texas Section Convention, Forest Hill,
Texas
* January 19 - 25 -- Quartzfest, Quartzsite, Arizona
* January 25 -- ARRL Midwest Conference, Collinsville, Illinois
* February 1 -- South Carolina State Convention, North Charleston,
South Carolina
* February 1 -- Virginia State Convention, Richmond, VA
* February 7 - 9 -- Northern Florida Section Convention, Orlando,
Florida
* February 14 - 15 -- Southwest Division Convention, Yuma, Arizona

Find conventions and hamfests in your area.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for
Amateur Radio News and Information.

.

.
* Join or Renew Today! ARRL membership includes QST, amateur radio's
most popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox
each month.
* Listen to ARRL Audio News, available every Friday.

Subscribe to...
* NCJ -- National Contest Journal. Published bimonthly, features
articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA
Sprint, and QSO parties.
* QEX -- A Forum for Communications Experimenters. Published
bimonthly, features technical articles, construction projects,
columns, and other items of interest to radio amateurs and
communications professionals.

Free of charge to ARRL members...
* Subscribe to the ARES E-Letter (monthly public service and
emergency communications news), the ARRL Contest Update (biweekly
contest newsletter), Division and Section news alerts -- and much
more!
* Find ARRL on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram!
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 50 times each year. ARRL members
and registered guests may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing
their profile.

Copyright (c) 2020 American Radio Relay League, Incorporated. Use and
distribution of this publication, or any portion thereof, is permitted for
non-commercial or educational purposes, with attribution. All other
purposes require written permission.


--- SendMsg/2

--- Squish/386 v1.11
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Limestone, TN, USA (1:18/200)

The ARRL Letter
January 16, 2020

* ARRL On the Air Podcast Premieres January 16
* Leadership Elections to Highlight January 17 - 18 ARRL Annual Board
Meeting
* US Air Force Space Fence Nearing Operational Acceptance
* Puerto Rico Earthquake Relief Effort Continues, with Help from Ham
Radio
* 2019 ARRL Periodicals Available on DVD and via Download
* The K7RA Solar Update
* Just Ahead in Radiosport
* YOTA Month Reported a Success in the Americas
* Nominations Solicited for Six ARRL Awards
* In Brief...
* Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
ARRL On the Air Podcast Premieres January 16

ARRL's new On the Air podcast for those just getting started on their
amateur radio journey will debut this Thursday, January 16, with a new
episode posted each month. The podcast is a companion to the new
bimonthly On the Air magazine, which is already on its way to member
subscribers. On the Air magazine's Editorial Director Becky Schoenfeld,
W1BXY, will be the host of the new podcast. Both the podcast and the
magazine are aimed at offering new and beginner-to-intermediate-level
radio amateurs a fresh approach to exploring radio communication.

Listeners can find the On the Air podcast at Blubrry, Apple iTunes (or
by using your iPhone or iPad podcast app -- search for On the Air), and
Stitcher (or through the free Stitcher app for iOS, Kindle, or Android
devices). Episodes will be archived on the ARRL website.

Each On the Air podcast will take a deeper dive into the articles and
issues raised in the magazine, including advice and insight on topics
covering the range of amateur radio interests and activities: radio
technology, operating, equipment, project building, and emergency
communication.

Supplementing On the Air will be a new Facebook page for those who
share a love of radio communication and are looking to learn and
explore more about their interests.

The biweekly Eclectic Tech podcast for experienced radio amateurs will
launch on February 13. Hosted by QST Editor Steve Ford, WB8IMY,
Eclectic Tech will highlight topics involving amateur and non-amateur
technology, offer brief interviews with individuals involved in
projects of interest to amateurs, and include practical information of
immediate benefit to today's hams. Eclectic Tech will be available via
iTunes and Stitcher.

The ARRL Mags apps including QST and On the Air are now live on Apple
iTunes and Google Play. The digital edition of On the Air magazine is
also live and linked from the On the Air page on the ARRL website.
Leadership Elections to Highlight January 17 - 18 ARRL Annual Board
Meeting

Southeastern
Division
Director
Mickey
Baker, N4MB.
[Michelle
Patnode,
W3MVP,
photo]

The ARRL Board of Directors will elect officers when it meets for its
2020 annual meeting on January 17 - 18 in Windsor, Connecticut. The
Board will hear nominations and then vote, as necessary, for ARRL
president, first and second vice presidents, international affairs vice
president, secretary, treasurer, chief executive officer, and chief
financial officer. The Board will also choose members to serve on the
Executive Committee and on the ARRL Foundation. Successful candidates
will take office after the Board meeting adjourns.

Some new faces will be around the table. The ARRL Southeastern Division
has entirely new leadership.

Southeastern
Division Vice
Director James
Schilling,
KG4JSZ. [Michelle
Patnode, W3MVP,
photo]

In last year's elections, Mickey Baker, N4MB, defeated Greg Sarratt,
W4OZK, to become the new Southeastern Division Director, while James
Schilling, KG4JSZ, won a three-way race for Vice Director.

In the Southwest Division, new Vice Director Mark Weiss, K6FG, was the
sole candidate to succeed Ned Stearns, AA7A, who decided not to stand
for another term.

The Board will hear officers' reports and receive financial reports.
Members will also hear reports from ARRL's Washington Counsel, David
Siddall, K3ZJ, and from its Connecticut Counsel.

Southwestern
Division Vice
Director Mark
Weiss, K6FG.
[Michelle
Patnode, W3MVP,
photo]

The Board will also receive and consider reports and recommendations
from committees and coordinators.

ditionally, the Board will consider recommendations of the Standing
Committees, including the Executive Committee, the ministration and
Finance Committee, and the Programs and Services Committee and consider
additional recommendations as contained in reports.

The meeting will hear any motions that the 15 individual Directors may
offer for Board consideration.

US Air Force Space Fence Nearing Operational Acceptance

According to NASA's most recent Orbital Debris Quarterly News, the
space agency calculates about 17.6 million pounds of objects are in
earth orbit, a number that will grow as launches proliferate --
including thousands of small satellites -- presenting a huge problem.
The US Air Force Space Fence -- a second-generation space surveillance
system now nearing completion -- is expected to play a crucial role.

Space Fence is located on Kwajalein
Atoll in the Marshall Islands. [US
Army photo]

Using advanced solid-state S-band radar technology, Space Fence is
located on Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Such critical
space-based technologies as weather forecasting, banking, global
communications, and GPS navigation are under threat from space junk
orbiting Earth. Collisions already are frequent, and defunct satellites
and rocket boosters have increased the amount of space debris.

The Air Force Space Surveillance Network tracks about 25,000 objects.
When Space Fence comes online, the catalog will expand considerably,
and when fully operational, it will be the world's largest and most
advanced radar system, offering unprecedented space situational
awareness. Beyond cataloging objects, Space Fence will detect closely
spaced objects, breakups, maneuvers, launches, and more.

Contractor Lockheed Martin reported last spring that Space Fence was
able to detect debris from a microsatellite destroyed by India as part
of an anti-satellite test. It then was able to determine the orbit of
the remnants and predict when the space junk would pass through the
fence again.

Space Fence is expected to become fully operational this year. --
Thanks to AMSAT News Service via Milsat Magazine; Lockheed Martin
Puerto Rico Earthquake Relief Effort Continues, with Help from Ham
Radio

In Puerto Rico, Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers
continue to operate from the American Red Cross distribution center in
Yauco -- one of the towns hit the hardest by the recent earthquakes and
ongoing aftershocks on the island. The Red Cross requested assistance
last week to identify undeclared refugee camps and to report on closed
or damaged roadways and bridges. ARES District 5

Volunteers Eduardo Hernandez, WP4RAF
(left), and Herb Perez, WP4ZZ.
[Photo courtesy of Oscar Resto,
KP4RF]

Emergency Coordinator Herb Perez, WP4ZZ, who is among those
volunteering for the Red Cross at Yauco, reported on January 14 that
he, Melvin Velazquez, WP4RAP, and Yolanda Garcia, WP4QZF, were on duty
there.

"Today, we were able to occupy our space with no major incident other
than the usual shaking of the entire structure. More than 10 per hour,"
Perez said. "One of our members, Jared Martinez, KP4LCO, was able to
search near his hometown of Lajas and was able to locate more than 10
unidentified campsites around the area." Perez said such reports enable
the Red Cross to provide necessary assistance to those left homeless as
a result of the earthquakes.

Perez said volunteers were able to collect food from a church-run food
pantry in Sabana Grande for isolated communities in the mountain
region. He said local members of the General Mobile Radio Service
(GMRS) and Citizens Band radio communities have been pitching in.

Operations from Yauco have been on VHF and UHF, although commercial
telecommunication services remain in operation for the most part.
Another station has been established at the Red Cross Headquarters in
the capital of San Juan, which is not in the earthquake zone. Puerto
Rico Section Manager Oscar Resto, KP4RF, said the stations are
operating as a backbone, in the event of new or stronger earthquakes.
HF equipment has been safely stowed if communications fail, Resto said.
Most of Puerto Rico now has power and water.

Puerto Rico Section Manager Oscar
Resto, KP4RF, installs an antenna at
Red Cross Headquarters in San Juan.

ARRL is shipping six VHF/UHF base/repeater antennas and six 50-foot
rolls of LMR-400 coax through the Ham Aid Fund. Resto said a new Red
Cross warehouse will be placed in Mayag�ez, where he will install a
third station for backbone communication. "That is the reason for the
new antennas," he said. "We already have the radios. In case we need to
escalate to HF, we are ready with ARRL go-kits from Hurricane Maria."

A lot of seismic activity was reported on January 15. "Many more or
less 3.1 quakes were felt during the day," Perez said. That included a
magnitude 5.1 temblor that shook the facilities.

The ARES team in Yauco has also been handling health-and-welfare
traffic from the earthquake zone. Operations are running from 9 AM
until 5 PM each day.

A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck the southwestern part of Puerto Rico
on January 7, fast on the heels of a magnitude 5.8 tremor the day
before. The worst-impacted cities were Guayanilla, Pe�uelas, Yauco, and
Gu�nica, where most homes are no longer habitable.

2019 ARRL Periodicals Available on DVD and via Download

The 2019 ARRL Periodicals DVD is now available and includes the
complete, fully searchable collection of three ARRL publications --
QST, the official membership journal of ARRL, QEX Forum for
Communications Experimenters, and National Contest Journal (NCJ). In
addition, the DVD includes source code for software projects and PC
board patterns; Section News, and the ever-popular Contest Soapbox and
Contest Results.

Search the full text of every article by entering titles, call signs,
or names. See every word, photo, drawing, and table in technical and
general-interest features, columns and product reviews, plus all
advertisements. Print what you see, or copy it into other applications.
System requirements: Microsoft Windows and Macintosh systems, using
obe Acrobat Reader software.

The 2019 ARRL Periodicals DVD is available from the ARRL Store or your
ARRL Dealer. (ARRL Item no. 1274, ISBN: 978-1-62595-127-4, $24.95
retail, plus shipping. Call 860-594-0355 or toll-free in the US,
888-277-5289. 2019 ARRL Periodicals is also available as a download in
a Windows version (ARRL Item no. 1274_WD) and Mac/Linux version (ARRL
Item no. 1274_MLD).
The K7RA Solar Update

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Solar Cycle 25 sunspots persisted on
January 9 - 10, with daily sunspot numbers of 14 and 11, respectively.
This brought the weekly average daily sunspot number from 8.4 last week
to 3.6 this week. Average daily solar flux edged up from 71.8 to 72.5.

The average daily planetary A index declined from 6.3 to 5.6, and the
average middle latitude A index went from 5.3 to 3.7.

Predicted solar flux for the next 45 days is 71 on January 16 - 18; 70
on January 19 - 23; 72 on January 24 - 25; 70 on January 26 - February
7; 72 on February 8 - 22, and 70 on February 23 - 29.

Predicted planetary A index is 5 on January 16 - 18; 8 on January 19 -
20; 5 on January 21 - 31; 8 on February 1 - 2; 5 on February 3; 10 on
February 4 - 6; 5 on February 7 - 9; 10 on February 10 - 11; 5 on
February 12 - 22; 8 on February 23 - 24; 5 on February 25 - 27, and 8
on February 28 - 29.

Sunspot numbers for January 9 - 15 were 14, 11, 0, 0, 0, 0, and 0, with
a mean of 3.6. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 74.4, 72.8, 73.5, 71.9,
71.5, 71.9, and 71.2, with a mean of 72.5. Estimated planetary A
indices were 12, 7, 6, 4, 3, 3, and 4, with a mean of 5.6. The middle
latitude A index was 8, 6, 4, 2, 2, 2, and 2, with a mean of 3.7.

A comprehensive K7RA Solar Update is posted Fridays on the ARRL
website. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the
ARRL Technical Information Service, read "What the Numbers Mean...,"
and check out K9LA's Propagation Page.

A propagation bulletin archive is available. Monthly charts offer
propagation projections between the US and a dozen DX locations.

Just Ahead in Radiosport
* January 17 -- LZ Open Contest (CW)
* January 18 -- RSGB AFS Contest, SSB
* January 18 -- WAB 1.8 MHz Phone/CW
* January 18 - 19 -- Hungarian DX Contest (CW, phone)
* January 18 - 19 -- North American QSO Party, SSB
* January 18 - 19 -- NA Collegiate Championship, SSB
* January 18 - 19 -- Feld Hell Sprint
* January 18 - 20 -- ARRL January VHF Contest (CW, phone, digital)
* January 20 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW)
* January 22 -- SKCC Sprint (CW)
* January 23 -- NAQCC CW Sprint

See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. For in-depth
reporting on amateur radio contesting, subscribe to The ARRL Contest
Update via your ARRL member profile email preferences.
YOTA Month Reported a Success in the Americas

For several years now, Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) has sponsored YOTA
Month each December, primarily involving young radio amateurs in Europe
and Africa. In December, youth-operated amateur radio stations in the
Americas picked up the ball to contribute more than 12,000 contacts to
the worldwide event. Eighteen operators aged 25 or younger deployed
special event 1 * 1 call signs -- K8Y, K8O, K8T, and K8A -- to promote
youth in amateur radio. Fifteen young operators across the US took
turns using these call signs throughout December. They logged 10,474
contacts using those call signs on SSB, CW, digital modes, and
satellites. Some operators also aired the call signs during contests.
Participants in the Americas offered opinions on what made the event
special for them.

"Operating-wise, it was definitely the pileups...I love a good pileup,"
said Mason Matrazzo, KM4SII. "Apart from that, it was great getting to
be part of a group of youngsters that are all into the hobby. Even
though we weren't physically working together, we all got to be part of
the YOTA program over the air."

Audrey McElroy, KM4BUN, also cited the on-air camaraderie. "My favorite
part of YOTA month was getting the wonderful experience of talking to
other youth all over the world and sharing our experiences," she said.
"It gives us hope to know the future of amateur radio is in the hands
of these great kids." Her brother Jack, KM4ZIA, also took part.

In Canada, David Samu, VE7DZO, signed VE7YOTA in December, making 458
contacts on CW. "My favorite part was seeing all the YOTA stations on
the air throughout December and seeing all the high energy youth
activity," he said.

YOTA Month in the Americas
Coordinator Bryant Rascoll, KG5HVO,
at WRTC-2018.

Mathias Acevedo, CE2LR, activated XR2YOTA, and met another young
operator from Chile, Manu Pardo, CA3MPR, through YOTA month. Between
them, they put 1,535 contacts into the log on CW, SSB, and digital
modes.

Bryant Rascoll, KG5HVO, coordinated the efforts of the 17 participants
and the logs for the US stations. "I learned much during the month
about the importance of teamwork and communication...just like
baseball," Bryant said about his role as coordinator. "I think YOTA
month was a great success considering the short amount of time we had
to plan this all out. I had a lot of fun operating this event, but it
was even more rewarding to see other youth here in the Americas make
tons of QSOs during December."

The first Youth On The Air camp in the US will take place June 21 - 26
at the National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting in West Chester
Township, Ohio. Read more.

Nominations Solicited for Six ARRL Awards

ARRL is inviting nominations for awards that recognize educational and
technological pursuits in amateur radio. Nominations are also open for
ARRL's premier award to honor a young licensee.
* The Hiram Percy Maxim Award recognizes a radio amateur and ARRL
member younger than age 21, whose accomplishments and contributions
are of the most exemplary nature within the framework of amateur
radio activities. Nominations for this award are made through ARRL
Section Managers, who will forward nominations to ARRL
Headquarters. The deadline is March 31, 2020.
* The ARRL Herb S. Brier Instructor of the Year Award honors an ARRL
volunteer amateur radio instructor or ARRL professional classroom
teacher who uses creative instructional approaches and reflects the
highest values of the amateur radio community. The award highlights
quality of and commitment to licensing instruction. Nominations are
due by March 16, 2020.
* The ARRL Microwave Development Award pays tribute to a radio
amateur or group of radio amateurs who contribute to the
development of the amateur radio microwave bands. The nomination
deadline is March 31, 2020.
* The ARRL Technical Service Award recognizes an individual radio
amateur or group of radio amateurs who provide amateur radio
technical assistance or training. The nomination deadline is March
31, 2020.
* The ARRL Technical Innovation Award is conferred on an individual
radio amateur or group of radio amateurs who develop and apply new
technical ideas or techniques in amateur radio. The nomination
deadline is March 31, 2020.
* The Knight Distinguished Service Award recognizes exceptional
contributions by a Section Manager to the health and vitality of
ARRL. The nomination deadline is April 30, 2020.

The ARRL Board of Directors selects award recipients, and winners are
typically announced following the Board's July meeting. More
information about these awards on the ARRL website, or contact Steve
Ewald, WV1X, telephone (860) 594-0265.
In Brief...

W1AW will be on the air for Winter Field Day. Members of the Warren
County (New York) Amateur Radio Club (W2WCR) will activate Maxim
Memorial Station W1AW for Winter Field Day 2020 over the January 25 -
26 weekend. Winter Field Day is sponsored by the Winter Field Day
Association (WFDA), which believes that emergency communication is
important throughout the year. Winter Field Day is open to radio
amateurs worldwide. The WFDA's goal is to help enhance operating skills
and to prepare participants for all environmental conditions. Winter
Field Day runs for 24 hours. Station set-up may start no earlier than
1900 UTC on the day before the event and may not take any longer than
12 hours in total. Expect activity on all amateur bands except 12, 17,
30, and 60 meters. All modes that can handle the required exchange are
welcome; this does not include FT8. Entry categories include indoor,
outdoor, and home. Full details are on the Winter Field Day website.

The free ARRL Events app, which will be featured at Orlando HamCation,
is now available for both Apple iOS and Android devices. A web-browser
version, optimized for nearly any browser or other mobile device type,
is also available to view. Orlando HamCation 2020 takes place February
7 - 9 and has been sanctioned as the 2020 ARRL Northern Florida Section
Convention. Hosted annually by the Orlando Amateur Radio Club,
HamCation is one of the largest annual amateur radio gatherings in the
US.

Marvin Hoffman, WA4NC, will take over this spring as ARRL North
Carolina Section Manager. Hoffman, of Boone, was the sole nominee to
succeed incumbent Section Manager Karl Bowman, W4CHX, of Raleigh, who
decided not to run for a new term after serving since 2014. Because no
challengers came forward by the nomination deadline, no contested SM
elections took place during the winter election cycle. These incumbent
Section Managers will begin new terms in 2020: John Fritze, K2QY,
Eastern New York; George Miller, W3GWM, Eastern Pennsylvania; John Mark
Robertson, K5JMR, Louisiana; Joe Speroni, AH0A, Pacific; Dave
Kaltenborn, N8KBC, San Diego; Chris Stallkamp, KI0D, South Dakota, and
Joe Palsa, K3WRY, Virginia. New 2-year terms of office begin on April
1.

The fourth annual AM Rally operating event will take place February 1 -
3 (UTC). The annual AM Rally encourages all operators to explore
amateur radio's original voice mode by showcasing the various types of
AM equipment in use today, ranging from early vacuum-tube rigs to the
newest SDR-based transceivers. "Both new and experienced ops are
discovering that AM can sound quite good, enhancing the enjoyment of
contacts," said Clark Burgard, N1BCG, an enthusiastic promoter of the
event. "The AM Rally provides a great reason to give it a try." The AM
Rally is open to all radio amateurs capable of running full-carrier,
amplitude modulation (standard AM) using any type of radio equipment --
modern, vintage, tube, solid-state, software-defined, military, boat
anchor, broadcast, homebrew, or commercially manufactured -- are
encouraged to join in the AM fun on 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, and 6
meters. Details are on the AM Rally website or contact Burgard via
email. The AM Rally is sponsored by ARRL, Radio Engineering Associates,
and iNetRadio.

An international team of 10 operators will be active as W8S from Swains
Island from March 10 to March 25. The DXpedtion team will be active on
all HF bands on CW, SSB, FT8, and RTTY. Operation will be from two
separate camps on the island -- a Red Camp and a Blue Camp -- each with
two stations. The four stations will be on the air 24/7. The station
equipment complements are identical. Two stations will be dedicated for
160 and 80 meters. A WiFi network will link the Red and Blue camps to
network all logging laptops. Hans Griessl, DL6JGN, and Ronald Stuy,
PA3EWP, are co-leaders. Swains Island (Olohega) is an atoll in the
Tokelau chain. Swains is a US territory and considered part of American
Samoa. Swains Island is the 34th most-wanted DXCC entity, according to
Club Log.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
* January 17 - 18 -- North Texas Section Convention, Forest Hill,
Texas
* January 19 - 25 -- Quartzfest, Quartzsite, Arizona
* January 25 -- ARRL Midwest Conference, Collinsville, Illinois
* February 1 -- South Carolina State Convention, North Charleston,
South Carolina
* February 1 -- Virginia State Convention, Richmond, VA
* February 7 - 9 -- Northern Florida Section Convention, Orlando,
Florida
* February 14 - 15 -- Southwest Division Convention, Yuma, Arizona

Find conventions and hamfests in your area.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for
Amateur Radio News and Information.

.

.
* Join or Renew Today! ARRL membership includes QST, amateur radio's
most popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox
each month.
* Listen to ARRL Audio News, available every Friday.

Subscribe to...
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articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA
Sprint, and QSO parties.
* QEX -- A Forum for Communications Experimenters. Published
bimonthly, features technical articles, construction projects,
columns, and other items of interest to radio amateurs and
communications professionals.

Free of charge to ARRL members...
* Subscribe to the ARES E-Letter (monthly public service and
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----------------------------------------------------------------------

The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 50 times each year. ARRL members
and registered guests may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing
their profile.

Copyright (c) 2020 American Radio Relay League, Incorporated. Use and
distribution of this publication, or any portion thereof, is permitted for
non-commercial or educational purposes, with attribution. All other
purposes require written permission.


--- SendMsg/2

--- Squish/386 v1.11
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Limestone, TN, USA (1:18/200)

The ARRL Letter
January 23, 2020

* Barry Shelley, N1VXY, is ARRL Interim CEO
* ARES Volunteers Establish "Plan B" Communication Network in Puerto
Rico
* Massachusetts Club Offers Support to Arecibo Observatory Following
Earthquakes
* New Book from ARRL: Amateur Radio Contesting for Beginners
* The K7RA Solar Update
* Just Ahead in Radiosport
* IARU Region 1 Youngsters On The Air Summer Camp 2020 Will Be in
Croatia
* AMSAT: GOLF-TEE Initiative Meets Major Milestone
* ITU Development Sector Publication Highlights Amateur Radio's Role
in Emergency Communication
* ARISS Opens Window for ISS Ham Radio Contact Proposals on February
1
* In Brief...
* Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
Barry Shelley, N1VXY, is ARRL Interim CEO

At its January 17 - 18 meeting, the ARRL Board of Directors did not
elect Howard Michel, WB2ITX, as the ARRL Chief Executive Officer.

As of January 20, Barry Shelley, N1VXY, became interim CEO. Mr. Shelley
was ARRL's Chief Financial Officer for 28 years and CEO during 2018
before his retirement.

The Board has created a search committee to select the next CEO. More
details on this and other matters that took place at the Board meeting
will be released shortly.
ARES Volunteers Establish "Plan B" Communication Network in Puerto Rico

Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES^(R)) volunteers in Puerto Rico
continued over the weekend to report for daily duty at an American Red
Cross (ARC) distribution center in Mayag�ez and at ARC Headquarters in
San Juan. The two sites are ready to provide a "Plan B" communication
backbone in the event the seismic situation worsens. A magnitude 6.4
earthquake struck southwestern Puerto Rico on January 7, fast on the
heels of a magnitude 5.8 tremor the day before, damaging homes in
Guayanilla, Pe�uelas, Yauco, and Gu�nica. ARRL Puerto Rico Section
Manager Oscar Resto, KP4RF, told ARRL this week that the situation is
relatively "calm and quiet" for now and starting on January 22,
volunteers began monitoring from their homes or vehicles, permitting
most, including Resto himself, to get back to their jobs and homes.

ARES volunteers had been deployed to an ARC distribution center in
Yauco, but that part of the operation was shifted to Mayag�ez over the
weekend, because it was considered safer there. An ARRL-provided
VHF/UHF radio and antenna have been set up at the Mayag�ez facility.
Resto said a second operating position is being added at the San Juan
ARC Headquarters site.

Resto said Red Cross officials know that they can rely on amateur
radio, if the situation calls for it, but for now commercial
communications are fully operational, although aftershocks from the
January 7 quake persist. "In case the situation escalates, the ARES
team will immediately mobilize at the ARC sites and establish
communication (VHF/UHF or HF) as required," Resto said.

The ARRL Ham
Aid program
provided this
antenna,
installed in
Mayag�ez.
[Oscar Resto,
KP4RF, photo]

Last week, the Red Cross had requested assistance from the ARES
volunteers as well as volunteers from the CB radio and GMRS
communities, to identify undeclared refugee camps and to report on
close or damaged roadways and bridges. Resto said the ARES volunteers
"did a marvelous job" that earned praise from Red Cross officials.

Resto said about two dozen volunteers have made themselves available in
the Mayag�ez area. In the event they're needed, Resto said, he has
seven or eight HF radios and 15 VHF/UHF transceivers left over from the
Hurricane Maria emergency response. He said the HF equipment has been
safely stowed for use in case of another major earthquake, when they
might be needed.

He was expecting additional antennas and feed lines provided through
ARRL's Ham Aid program to show up this week.

Massachusetts Club Offers Support to Arecibo Observatory Following
Earthquakes

Although not in the hardest-hit earthquake zone, Puerto Rico's Arecibo
Observatory nonetheless has been affected by the recent spate of
earthquakes and aftershocks. The landmark Arecibo radio telescope and
ionospheric radar facility was a victim of the devastation wrought by
Hurricane Maria in 2017.

Members of the Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club (NVARC) have stepped
up to assist in support and recovery efforts for the Arecibo
Observatory radio telescope and ionospheric radar facility. NVARC
members Phil Erickson, W1PJE; Rod Hersh, WA1TAC, and Jim Wilber, AB1WQ,
participated in daily scheduled radio contacts with Arecibo's lead
telescope operator and spectrum manager, Angel Vazquez, WP3R. Other
NVARC members volunteered to serve as back-up stations.

"All AO staff members are safe, and our technical teams have completed
preliminary visual analysis of the primary structure and have found no
immediate damage/issues, however a more detailed inspection needs to be
completed once the aftershocks subside," said Francisco C�rdova,
Arecibo Observatory's director, at the University of Central Florida.

Site operations were suspended and access was limited to essential
personnel, according to the latest information available from the
Arecibo Observatory website.

Over several days, when commercial power and water were not available
near Arecibo, club members inquired about potential assistance.
Although conditions are slowly improving on the northern portion of the
island where the observatory is located, Vazquez noted that thousands
of people displaced from their homes in the hard-hit southern part of
the island had to camp outside, due to extensive structural damage and
ongoing aftershocks.

NVARC members were also able to provide messages of support from MIT's
Haystack Observatory in Westford, Massachusetts, and from program
officers at the National Science Foundation (NSF) Geospace Facilities
Division in Washington, DC. NSF funds the observation programs and
scientific research at Arecibo Observatory. NVARC said the radio
contacts would continue as the recovery proceeds.
New Book from ARRL: Amateur Radio Contesting for Beginners

Contesting is one of the most exciting aspects of amateur radio -- and
for some, it's their primary ham radio activity. Amateur Radio
Contesting for Beginners by contesting veteran Doug Grant, K1DG, offers
practical information and ideas that will help you get started in
contesting -- "radiosport" -- or to build your skills, if you're
already active.

Contesting tests station capability and operator skill, and it really
is a sport, with a typical objective of contacting as many stations and
multipliers -- ARRL Sections, states, grids, or DXCC entities, for
example -- within the contest period.

"Doug Grant has written the ideal guide for anyone interested in
contesting," said QST Editor Steve Ford, WB8IMY.

Grant's book explains what equipment you need, typical contest formats,
details of some more popular events, operating techniques, how to
submit an entry, and how to improve your scores. No matter how modest
your station or experience, you can compete too!

Just ahead is Winter Field Day, January 25 - 26. See the ARRL Contest
Calendar for information on other events.

Amateur Radio Contesting for Beginners is available from the ARRL Store
or your ARRL Dealer. (ARRL Item no. 1243, ISBN: 978-1-62595-124-3,
$27.95 retail, special ARRL Member Price $24.95). Call 860-594-0355 or,
toll-free in the US, 888-277-5289. It's also available as an e-book for
the Amazon Kindle.

For more information about ARRL-sponsored contests, including rules and
results, and to view the contest photo gallery, visit the ARRL Contests
page.

The K7RA Solar Update

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: No sunspots appeared over the January
16 - 22 reporting week. On January 22, Spaceweather.com reported the
consecutive period of spotless days is 11, but all recent sunspots have
had Cycle 25 polarity.

The average daily solar flux dipped from 72.5 to 71.2. The average
daily planetary A index went from 5.6 to 4.1, and the middle latitude A
index dropped from 3.7 to 3.

Predicted solar flux is 72 on January 23 - February 5; 71 on February 6
- 20; 72 on February 21 - March 3; 71 on March 4, and 70 on March 5 -
7.

Predicted planetary A index is 5 on January 23 - 31; 10 on February 1 -
5; 5 on February 6 - 27; 10 on February 28 - March 3, and 5 on March 4
- 7.

When there are no sunspots, 160 meters seems to improve, probably
because of lower associated geomagnetic activity. The CW portion of the
CQ World Wide 160-Meter Contest takes place this weekend.

Sunspot numbers for January 16 - 22 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, and 0, with
a mean of 0. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 71.8, 70.1, 71.3, 71.8, 71.2,
70.5, and 71.9, with a mean of 71.2. Estimated planetary A indices were
5, 3, 4, 3, 2, 6, and 6, with a mean of 4.1. Middle latitude A index
was 4, 2, 3, 2, 2, 4, and 4, with a mean of 3.

A comprehensive K7RA Solar Update is posted Fridays on the ARRL
website. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the
ARRL Technical Information Service, read "What the Numbers Mean...,"
and check out K9LA's Propagation Page.

A propagation bulletin archive is available. Monthly charts offer
propagation projections between the US and a dozen DX locations.

Share your reports and observations.

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Just Ahead in Radiosport
* January 23 -- NAQCC CW Sprint
* January 24 - 26 -- CQ 160-Meter Contest (CW)
* January 25 - 26 -- REF Contest (CW)
* January 25 - 26 -- BARTG RTTY Sprint
* January 25 - 26 -- UBA DX Contest, SSB
* January 25 - 26 -- Winter Field Day (CW, phone, digital)
* January 27 -- QCX Challenge (CW)
* January 29 -- UKEICC 80-Meter Contest (CW)

See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. For in-depth
reporting on amateur radio contesting, subscribe to The ARRL Contest
Update via your ARRL member profile email preferences.

IARU Region 1 Youngsters On The Air Summer Camp 2020 Will Be in Croatia

The 10th annual Youngsters On The Air (YOTA) camp will be held this
summer in Karlovac, Croatia -- not far from the capital city of Zagreb
-- International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 1 Youth Working
Group Chair Lisa Leenders, PA2LS, has announced. The Croatian Amateur
Radio Association -- Croatia's IARU member-society -- will serve as
host of the August 8 - 15 event. Participation is aimed at young radio
amateurs living in IARU Region 1 (Europe, Africa, and the Middle East).

"In this YOTA Camp we will be continuing with our train-the-trainer
(TTT) program, which will be the main theme of the week," Leenders
said. "Participants will be working on the future of amateur radio and
will be involved in workshops where they gain skills to start similar
amateur radio youth events when they are back home. With this, we are
aiming to create a snowball effect, so there will be more and more YOTA
events all over the world. This also allows other youngsters and
newcomers to enjoy amateur radio."

Leenders said camp participants will also be able to enjoy getting on
the air, as well as building electronic kits.

Each IARU member-society in Region 1 is invited to sponsor teams of up
to four camp participants. Team members will be age 15 to 25 and not
have attended a previous YOTA camp. Overall participation is limited to
80 campers.

The inaugural Youth On The Air Camp in the Americas will take place
this June 21 - 26 at the National Voice of America Museum of
Broadcasting in West Chester Township, Ohio. For more information,
email Camp Director Neil Rapp, WB9VPG, or call 812-327-0749.
AMSAT: GOLF-TEE Initiative Meets Major Milestone

AMSAT reports that an array of GOLF-TEE (Greater Orbit Larger Footprint
- Technology Evaluation Environment) satellite prototype boards
transmitted telemetry for the first time on January 14.

"The boards are laid out on a bench as a 'flat-sat,' with
interconnecting wires, bench power supplies, and a dummy load on the
transmitter," AMSAT said. The interconnected boards include an early
radiation-tolerant internal housekeeping unit (IHU, i.e., computer)
prototype; a control interface prototype, and a set of spare boards
from HuskySat-1 that act as prototypes for the legacy IHU and legacy
VHF/UHF RF components.

"Now that the development team has reached this point, it has RF to use
as a basis for developing a GOLF-TEE decoder for FoxTelem, the ground
telemetry receiver software," AMSAT said. "Thousands of hours of work
by many AMSAT volunteers have gone into the hardware and software that
got GOLF-TEE this far, with much work yet to be done before flight
units are ready."

GOLF-TEE is designed as a low-Earth orbit testbed for technologies
necessary for successful CubeSat missions to a wide variety of orbits,
including medium- and high-Earth orbits. "Higher is clearly better when
it comes to amateur radio satellites," AMSAT says on its website
explanation of the GOLF program. "The larger footprint, which brings
more DX opportunities and more good passes per day, also provides for a
longer orbital lifetime, and slower motion across the sky. This results
in longer pass durations and easier tracking." Higher orbits introduce
a new set of engineering challenges, AMSAT concedes, including higher
power and antennas with greater gain.

"GOLF is designed to continue the growth of AMSAT's CubeSat abilities,
incorporating new systems such as software-defined radios and
deployable solar panels into a 3U spaceframe." AMSAT explained. "GOLF
will also continue AMSAT's educational partnership outreach that takes
advantage of the synergies that amateur radio satellites and education
have to offer the public."

AMSAT has invited donations to further the project. It's also seeking
additional volunteers. -- Thanks to AMSAT News Service

ITU Development Sector Publication Highlights Amateur Radio's Role in
Emergency Communication

Amateur radio is featured in the publication ITU Guidelines for
national emergency telecommunication plans, published by the
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Development Sector (ITU-D).
The publication notes that radio amateurs have supported communication
in emergency situations on a voluntary basis since the dawn of radio.

"They are experts in radio communications and have the equipment,
skills, and necessary frequencies allocated by ITU to deploy networks
in emergency events quickly and efficiently," the publication says.
ITU-D said amateur radio support offers "great coverage due to the
large number of amateur radio stations available;" training programs
and exercises that have been developed for emergency communication;
"qualified temporary volunteers who provide skills and experience
essential for emergency telecommunications;" problem-solving skills for
working with "often very limited resources," and the ability to work
with alternative power sources.

Past ARRL President and IARU Secretary Rod Stafford, W6ROD, represents
the International Amateur Radio Union at ITU-D meetings. -- Thanks to
Southgate Amateur Radio News; IARU
ARISS Opens Window for ISS Ham Radio Contact Proposals on February 1

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is once again
seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations --
individually or working together -- interested in hosting an amateur
radio contact with an International Space Station (ISS) crew member. A
window to accept proposals will open on February 1 for contacts that
would be scheduled between January and June 2021. The majority of ARISS
contacts involve schools and educational institutions. ARISS is looking
for organizations able to attract a large number of participants that
can integrate the contact opportunity into a well-developed education
plan.

"ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn
firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and
to learn about space research conducted on the ISS," ARISS said in
announcing the proposal period. "Students will also have an opportunity
to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio
science."

Proposal information and documents are available on the ARISS website.
Two identical ARISS introductory webinars have been set for January 23
at 9 PM EST (0200 UTC on January 24) and for January 27 at 6 PM EST
(2300 UTC). Registration is required.

Contacts with ISS crew members run approximately 10 minutes in length
and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a
question-and-answer session. ARISS contacts are voice-only amateur
radio communication opportunities. Schools and organizations typically
work with a local amateur radio club to assist in handling the
technical aspects of carrying out a successful contact with the ISS.

Astronaut Reid Wiseman, KF5LKT, on
the air at NA1SS on board the ISS in
2014. [NASA, photo]

ARISS stresses that because of the nature of human spaceflight and the
complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, schools and
organizations must be flexible in accommodating changes in radio
contact dates and times.

"Amateur radio organizations around the world with the support of NASA
and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan, and Europe present
educational organizations with this opportunity," ARISS said. "The ham
radio organizations' volunteer efforts provide the equipment and
operational support to enable communication between crew on the ISS and
students around the world using amateur radio."

Proposal information and more details are available on the ARISS
website. Contact ARISS with any questions.
In Brief...

The ARRL Events app is available to use with Apple iOS and Android
devices. A web-browser version, optimized for most browsers and other
types of mobile devices, is also available. ARRL Events will be
featured at Orlando HamCation 2020, February 7 - 9, which has been
sanctioned as the 2020 ARRL Northern Florida Section Convention.

The Perseverance DX Group VP8PJ DXpedition to South Orkney has received
permission from the National Science Foundation to land and camp on the
Antarctic island. Receipt of the Antarctic Conservation Act Permit
culminates a months-long approval process involving several
governmental agencies. VP8PJ is expected to commence operation on
February 20 and continue until March 5. The DXpedition's equipment
container arrived by sea in Punta Arenas, Chile, on January 13, and the
MV Braveheart will transport the operating team and the gear from there
to the South Orkneys and back. Set-up on the island is expected to take
2 days. Contact the DXpedition for more information.

The Lagunaria DX Group is planning a "large-scale DXpedition" to
Timor-Leste (4W) in the October/November 2020 timeframe. "We currently
have one team member in Timor-Leste negotiating with different
ministries, companies, and accommodation facilities," said team member
Chris Janssen, DL1MGB. "Right now, we have positive feedback from all.
We even already have a confirmed reservation for two close-by lodges to
have enough space to host up to 10 stations." Janssen said the team
will consist of 18 operators and will participate seriously in both CQ
World Wide DX contests this fall. ditional details will be available
soon on the DXpedition website. Timor-Leste is the 67th most-wanted
DXCC entity, according to Club Log. -- Thanks to The Daily DX

A team of German DXers will operate as HU1DL from the Central American
country of El Salvador, starting in late January and continuing until
February 13. "Everything is well prepared. We are ready!" said an
announcement from Rolf Thieme, DL7VEE. The team will be transporting
its own equipment, which will include Elecraft K3 transceivers and
full-power amplifiers. Three stations will be on the air around the
clock on CW, SSB, RTTY, and FT8, with a focus on the lower bands.
Thieme said HU1DL will operate mostly in FT8 fox/hound mode. HU1DL
plans to be active on 60 meters, CW, and FT8. -- Thanks to The Daily DX

Spanish radio amateurs may exchange their current longer-format call
signs for permanent 2 * 1 call signs, and some familiar Spanish call
signs are likely to be changing. Salva Moreno, EA5BB, told ARRL that
hams in Spain who decided to make the change are now awaiting the
official license documents, so they can use their new call signs on the
air. Moreno's new call sign will be EA5U. To be eligible, applicants
must have held a license issued by Spanish authorities without any
sanctions and have at least 15 years of experience in "international
amateur radio."

The 17th International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) High Speed Telegraphy
(HST) World Championship will take place August 20 - 24 in Ulaanbaatar,
Mongolia. Europe's HST Cup and Balkan HST Championships will take place
May 8 - 12 in Elbasan, Albania. Although not an IARU-recognized event,
this international competition is widely accepted by the HST community
as an opportunity for top competitors to check their form before the
world championship, for teams to test new candidates for a national
team, and for those unable to participate at the World Championship to
still enjoy top-level competition. -- Thanks to IARU Region 1

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
* January 25 -- ARRL Midwest Conference, Collinsville, Illinois
* February 1 -- South Carolina State Convention, North Charleston,
South Carolina
* February 1 -- Virginia State Convention, Richmond, VA
* February 7 - 9 -- Northern Florida Section Convention, Orlando,
Florida
* February 14 - 15 -- Southwest Division Convention, Yuma, Arizona
* March 7 - Delta Division Convention, Russellville, Arkansas
* March 13 - 14 -- North Carolina Section Convention, Concord, North
Carolina
* March 14 - 15 -- Great Lakes Division Convention, Perrysburg, OH
* March 14 -- Nebraska State Convention, Lincoln, NE
* March 14 -- West Virginia Section Convention, Charleston, West
Virginia
* March 21 -- West Texas Section Convention, Midland, Texas

Find conventions and hamfests in your area.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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* Origin: Outpost BBS * Limestone, TN, USA (1:18/200)