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N9PMO > LETTER 20.07.19 18:36l 544 Lines 25946 Bytes #999 (0) @ ARRL
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No Consensus Reached for FCC on "Symbol Rate" Issues
HWN and National Hurricane Center's WX4NHC Activate for Tropical Storm
Barry
Centenarian Radio Amateur's Efforts Helped Pave the Way to the Moon
The Doctor Will See You Now!
Major WSJT-X Upgrade Boosts FT4 into "a Finished Protocol for HF
Contesting"
The K7RA Solar Update
Just Ahead in Radiosport
New Summer EURAO Party to Premier FT4
World Wide Radio Operators Foundation Announces Global Digital DX
Contest
Dayton Hamvention 2019 Attendance Approaches All-Time Peak
IARU Represents Amateur Radio at CEPT Meetings
2018 Leonard Award for Outstanding Video Journalism Presented
In Brief...
Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
No Consensus Reached for FCC on "Symbol Rate" Issues
ARRL-initiated efforts for rival parties to reach consensus on issues
raised in the so-called "Symbol Rate" proceeding have ended. In April,
the FCC granted ARRL's request for a 90-day hold in the proceeding, FCC
Docket WT 16-239, to provide an opportunity for ARRL to lead an effort
to determine whether consensus could be reached on some or all of the
issues that commenters raised in the FCC's proceeding. The FCC already
has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in WT 16-239, which stemmed
from ARRL's rulemaking petition RM-11708.
Discussions were since widened to include issues raised in another
Petition for Rule Making, RM-11831, filed by Ron Kolarik, K0IDT, that
seeks, "to ensure Amateur Radio digital modes remain openly decodable
and available for monitoring" by the FCC and by other third parties,
including other radio amateurs. His petition also aims to limit
Automatically Controlled Digital Stations (ACDS) to identified subbands
on HF, to reduce interference. Last month, ARRL filed an interim report
with the FCC summarizing its efforts to bring all sides to the table,
and on June 28, ARRL requested an additional 60-day pause to pursue
promising talks.
"In seeking the delay, it was the ARRL's intent to facilitate
discussions between the opposing parties in an effort to explore the
possibility of an agreed resolution that would better protect users of
the Amateur Radio spectrum from interference and would permit all
members of the Amateur Radio service to continue to contribute to the
advancement of the radio art," ARRL Washington Counsel David Siddall,
K3ZJ, said, summarizing the situation in a July 15 letter to the FCC.
"The end purpose, if a binding agreement between the opposing parties
could not be reached, was to provide the strongest possible basis for
the ARRL to file its recommendations on a fair and equitable resolution
of the issues."
Siddall said that despite difficulties "partially attributable to the
passions of the respective parties," ARRL was able to schedule meetings
with both sides and, eventually, facilitate joint discussions among the
respective parties.
Siddall said in his letter, "At the beginning of our meetings there
emerged consensus on the issues to be discussed. By the end, the parties
had reached consensus on some of the issues, but not all. Despite our
best efforts, some of the parties did not agree to submit to the
Commission any of the recommendations on which there had been an
apparent consensus, having negotiated with an 'all or nothing'
approach."
Despite the disappointing conclusion, Siddall expressed confidence that
a better understanding of issues and positions of the various interests
exists among all of the parties who participated in the in-person
meetings and teleconferences, and that this will have an overall
positive effect upon the outcome of the proceeding. Read more.
HWN and National Hurricane Center's WX4NHC Activate for Tropical Storm
Barry
Responding to then-Tropical Storm Barry, the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN)
and WX4NHC -- the Amateur Radio station at the National Hurricane Center
(NHC) in Miami -- activated on July 12. The HWN's primary frequency is
14.325 MHz with 7.268 MHz as a secondary channel, depending upon
propagation. This time, the HWN fired up on both bands.
Net Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, noted that the HWN would be available
to provide back-up communication to official agencies in the affected
area and would collect and report "significant damage assessment data"
to FEMA officials at the National Hurricane Center.
The HWN works in concert with WX4NHC at the NHC to help forecasters get
a better sense of ground-level meteorological data such as wind speed,
barometric pressure, and rainfall.
Forecasters predicted that Barry would develop into a Category 1
hurricane before making landfall, and the storm lived up to those
expectations. Dangerous storm surge, heavy rainfall, and high wind
conditions were expected across the north-central Gulf Coast.
The major fear was that heavy rainfall could generate additional
flooding in the region. NHC forecasters said Barry was expected to
produce total rain accumulations of 10 to 20 inches over south-central
and southeast Louisiana, as well as over southwest Mississippi, with
isolated maximum amounts of 25 inches. The actual rainfall was somewhat
less but still significant.
WX4NHC volunteers Susie Blank, WX2L (left), and Alan Wolfe, WB4L
(right), with WX4NHC Coordinator John McHugh, K4AG, at the Hurricane
Barry activation. [Julio Ripoll, WD4R, photo]
The HWN officially secured operations for Hurricane Barry on July 13,
after the storm made landfall on the Louisiana coast. Graves said the
activation for Barry "proved to be a good training platform for our
newest members" and an opportunity to test new systems.
WX4NHC remained active for 2 days, gathering surface reports from
stations located in the affected areas for use by forecasters. "We
received many reports about the flooding, downed trees, road closures,
and power outages," said WX4NHC Assistant Coordinator Julio Ripoll,
WD4R. He expressed gratitude for the support of the Hurricane Watch Net
and the EchoLink VoIP Hurricane Net (WX_TALK).
"Remember, the season is still young, so please, don't drop your guard,"
Graves advised
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Centenarian Radio Amateur's Efforts Helped Pave the Way to the Moon
The Nashville Tennessean newspaper recently featured the story of a
104-year-old ARRL member who contributed to NASA's effort to put the
first humans on the moon 50 years ago this month. Cary Nettles, W5SRR,
of Columbia, Tennessee -- who calls himself the nation's oldest rocket
scientist still alive -- was a NASA project manager and research
engineer on rocket propulsion systems in the 1950s and 1960s.
While working on the Centaur second-stage rocket program, Nettles
determined that the rocket engine failures NASA was experiencing were a
result of misdirected exhaust destroying the vehicles' engines. Nettles
told the Tennessean he came up with an "exhaust pipe" that solved the
problem. In May 1966, an Atlas-Centaur launcher propelled the first
Surveyor lander toward the moon. That year, NASA awarded Nettles and
colleague Ed Jonash with its Distinguished Service Medal for "their
superhuman effort in turning the troubled rocket into a reliable upper
stage," according to a 2004 NASA publication, "Taming Liquid Hydrogen --
The Centaur Upper Stage Rocket 1958 - 2002."
On July 16, 1969, a Saturn V rocket with a liquid hydrogen-fueled second
stage carried astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael
Collins to their rendezvous with the moon. Nettles retired from NASA the
following year.
Nettles got his Amateur Radio license in 1945 and remains active on 40
meters as well as on VHF and UHF repeaters. He is a member of the Maury
Amateur Radio Club. In addition to sustaining his interest in ham radio
over the decades, Nettles is an enthusiast of "large-scale" steam
trains, which he works on in his basement. Look for him Tuesdays at 1400
UTC on 7.215 MHz on the Steam Railroad Net.
In 2015, the year he turned 100, the ARRL Tennessee Section presented
Nettles with its Elder Statesman Award.
The Doctor Will See You Now!
"Antenna Polarization" is the topic of the new (July 18) 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.
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Major WSJT-X Upgrade Boosts FT4 into "a Finished Protocol for HF
Contesting"
The WSJT Development Group has announced the "general availability"
release of WSJT-X version 2.1.0. This major upgrade formally introduces
FT4 as "a finished protocol for HF contesting." Users have been advised
to discontinue using any "release candidate" (beta) versions of the
software that WSJT-X version 2.1.0 supplants. The latest edition of the
popular digital software suite also includes improvements and bug fixes
in several areas, including FT8. The list includes:
FT8 waveform generated with GMSK and fully backward compatible
User options for waterfall and spectrum display
Contest logging
Rig control
User interface
The WSJT-X Development Group is providing a separate WSJT-X version
2.1.0 installation package for 64-bit Windows that offers significant
improvements in decoding speed.
A detailed list of program changes since WSJT-X version 2.0.1 is
included in the cumulative release notes. Upgrading from earlier
versions of WSJT-X should be seamless, with no need to uninstall a
previous version or to move any files.
Installation packages for Windows, Linux, and Macintosh are available.
Visit the FT8/FT4/JT9: WSJT 2-Way Narrow Modes for Amateur Radio
Facebook page for additional information. Read more.
The K7RA Solar Update
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Very low solar activity continues;
there were no sunspots. Over the past week, average daily solar flux
changed insignificantly, from 67.1 to 67. Average daily planetary A
index changed from 8.4 to 5.9, while mid-latitude A index changed from
8.6 to 6.7. Conditions remain quiet. Predicted solar flux is 68 for July
18 - 24, and 67 for July 25 - August 31.
The predicted planetary A index is 5 on July 18 - 22; 8 on July 23; 5 on
July 24 - 27; 8 on July 28; 5 on July 29 - August 3; 8, 15, 15, and 8 on
August 4 - 7; 5 on August 8 - 10; 10, 12, and 8 on August 11 - 13; 5 on
August 14 - 23; 8 on August 24; 5 on August 25 - 30, and 8 on August
31.
On July 17, Spaceweather.com reported a coronal hole spewing a stream of
solar wind, with arrival expected to cause minor geomagnetic upset in
the July 19 - 20 time frame. Spaceweather also reported that, so far
this calendar year, 64% of all days were without sunspots. Last year the
total percentage of spotless days was 61%, 28% in 2017, 9% in 2016, and
nearly 0% in 2011 - 2015.
N4SO in Alabama reported some success on July 13 running FT8 with 15 W
while testing a new antenna. He contacted stations in Texas, California,
Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Oregon, and Guatemala.
On July 12, KD4SR reported contacting Puerto Rico, Haiti, Hawaii,
Brazil, and Canada from central Florida on 6 meters, running FT8 and 100
W to modest antennas.
Sunspot numbers for July 11 - 17 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, and 0, with a
mean of 0. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 67.1, 66.8, 66, 67.2, 67.1,
67.2, and 67.8, with a mean of 67. Estimated planetary A indices were 8,
5, 6, 5, 7, 4, and 6, with a mean of 5.9. Middle latitude A index was 9,
5, 6, 6, 8, 5, and 8, with a mean of 6.7.
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.
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Just Ahead in Radiosport
July 20 -- NAQCC CW Sprint
July 20 -- Russian Radio Team Championship (CW, phone)
July 20 -- Trans-Tasman Low-Bands Challenge (CW, phone, digital)
July 20 -- Feld Hell Sprint
July 20 -- SA Sprint Contest (CW, phone)
July 20 - 21 -- North American QSO Party, RTTY
July 20 - 21 -- CQ Worldwide VHF Contest (CW, phone, digital)
July 21 -- RSGB Low Power Contest (CW)
July 21 -- CQC Great Colorado Gold Rush (CW)
July 22 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW)
July 24 -- SKCC Sprint (CW)
July 25 -- RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship (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.
New Summer EURAO Party to Premier FT4
The motto of the new European Radio Amateurs' Organization (EURAO)
Summer Party is "Premiering FT4." This is not a contest but an
on-the-air radio gathering with some suggested guidelines. The event is
set for July 27 - 28 UTC.
A new "general availability" release of WSJT-X that includes the latest
FT4 protocol for HF contesting was released on July 15 as part of WSJT-X
2.1.0. FT4 is designed to be suitable for contesting in a manner similar
to RTTY. Recommended frequencies for FT4 are 3.595, 7.090, 10.140,
14.140, 18.104, 21.140, 24.919, 28.180, 50.318, and 144.170 MHz.
Exchanges are limited to what FT4 can accommodate, such as call sign,
grid square, and signal report. For statistical purposes, EURAO is
asking participants to submit logs in ADIF format, with your call sign
as the file name. No results will be published, only statistical
information.
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World Wide Radio Operators Foundation Announces Global Digital DX
Contest
The World Wide Radio Operators Foundation (WWROF), in collaboration with
the Slovenia Contest Club (SCC), has announced the World Wide Digi DX
Contest (WW Digi), which it hopes will become an annual event. The
inaugural running of the 24-hour contest will take place on August 31 -
September 1. The new contest aims to tap into the enthusiasm being
generated by the new digital modes pioneered by Joe Taylor, K1JT, and
the WSJT-X Development Group. Participants will use FT4 and FT8 on 160,
80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters. The WW Digi will utilize a distance-based
scoring system, with participants earning points based on the distance
between grid square centers of the two stations in a given contact.
"This will encourage operators to seek out long-distance, weak-signal
contacts that highlight the technical advantages of the new digital
modes," WWROF's announcement said.
To encourage activity across all bands, each new two-character grid
field contacted on each band will be a multiplier. The final score will
the product of total contact points and grid field (i.e., the initial
two letters) contacts. Single-operator and multioperator entries are
invited to take part.
"The contest has been designed to enable making contacts utilizing
standard WSJT-X software behavior, making it easy for non-contesters to
participate," the announcement said. "At the same time, the contest
supports some new techniques that will encourage operating innovation,
such as permitting stations to work up to three 'QSO streams' on a band
at one time. Robotic operation is specifically prohibited in order to
keep the human element as part of the game."
Plaques will be awarded to top scorers. Read more.
Dayton Hamvention 2019 Attendance Approaches All-Time Peak
The Hamvention Executive Team announced July 15 that attendance at
Dayton Hamvention® 2019 was 32,472, the second-largest ever. This marks
the highest attendance recorded since Hamvention moved from Hara Arena
to the Greene County Fairgrounds and Exposition Center in Xenia, Ohio.
This year's attendance also approached an all-time Hamvention high.
Attendance at the show peaked in 1993, while Hamvention was still being
held at Hara Arena, at 33,669, before the 1996 change in date from April
to May. Last year, Hamvention welcomed 28,417 visitors in its second
year in Xenia. Attendance in 2016 for the show's final year at Hara was
25,364. Hamvention hosted the ARRL 2019 National Convention, and both
embraced the theme of "Mentoring the Next Generation."
"Our early indications were that 2019 would be a big year, and it lived
up to our expectations," Hamvention General Chair Jack Gerbs, WB8SCT,
said. "Our more than 700 volunteers worked hard to ensure that we
presented a great show for our visitors. It wouldn't have been possible
without them. I also want to thank all our vendors and visitors and hope
they will all be back next year."
Hamvention officials suggested that a small factor behind the increased
attendance might have been the free admission on Sunday, an effort to
allow local non-hams to experience Hamvention. Free Sunday admission is
expected to be continued next year.
The world's largest Amateur Radio exposition, Dayton Hamvention is
sponsored by the Dayton Amateur Radio Association (DARA) every third
full weekend in May. Hamvention 2020 will take place on May 15, 16, and
17. Read more.
IARU Represents Amateur Radio at CEPT Meetings
International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 (IARU R1) reports that a
further meeting to address the topic of Wireless Power Transmission
(WPT) took place earlier this month. A subgroup of the European
Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT)
Committee SE24, charged with work on a report on generic WPT devices,
met in Copenhagen, Denmark in early July. IARU Region 1 President Don
Beattie, G3BJ, provided input on projections of harmful emissions from
WPT systems -- both generic and WPT for electric vehicles -- operating
at existing harmonic emission limits.
IARU also reported on tests carried out on small WPT devices, and a full
report is to be considered at the next meeting in September. IARU
continues to argue for tighter emission limits on harmonics and other
spurious emissions from WPT systems, which have the potential to cause
sustained harmful interference to incumbent radio services.
IARU also was represented at a recent meeting in Switzerland of the CEPT
Project Team D. This was the last of the CEPT project team meetings
preparing European Common Proposals (ECP) for a number of agenda items
for World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 (WRC-19) this fall in
Egypt.
WRC-19 agenda item 1.1, which addresses the possibility of a
"harmonized" Region 1 allocation at 50 MHz, was the key issue to be
resolved. The project team agreed on the text of an ECP for WRC-19,
which, if adopted by the delegates, would see an entry in the
International Table of Allocations for Region 1 and allocate 50 - 52 MHz
to Amateur Radio on a secondary basis.
In addition, the team agreed upon the addition of a footnote to the
International Table to permit individual CEPT countries to introduce a
national primary allocation in the 50.0 - 50.5 MHz subband.
IARU will attend the final meeting of CEPT's Conference Preparatory
Group (CPG) in late August and finalize CEPT's input to WRC-19. That
meeting will consider a proposal by France to allocate 144 - 146 MHz to
the Aeronautical Service on a primary basis.
2018 Leonard Award for Outstanding Video Journalism Presented
ARRL Hudson Division Director Ria Jairam, N2RJ, and Vice Director Bill
Hudzik, W2UDT, recently presented the ARRL 2018 Leonard Award for
Outstanding Video Journalism to NJTV public television correspondent
Andrew Schmertz. The presentation took place in at NJTV in Newark, New
Jersey.
2018 Leonard Award for Outstanding Video Journalism recipient Andrew
Schmertz of NJTV is flanked by Hudson Division Director Ria Jairam, N2RJ
(left), and Vice Director Bill Hudzik, W2UDT.
Schmertz was recognized for his story that featured interviews with New
Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) Assistant Research Professor
Nathan Frissell, W2NAF, co-founder of HamSCI and the Solar Eclipse QSO
Party, as well as numerous faculty members, members of the NJIT Amateur
Radio station K2MFF, and attendees at a February 2018 HamSCI conference
at NJIT that Frissell spearheaded. The conference focused on the
significance of measuring the effects of solar activity on radio
communication. Through HamSCI, Frissell was instrumental in enlisting
the global Amateur Radio community to gauge the effects of the August
2017 solar eclipse on propagation.
The ARRL Board of Directors conferred the Leonard Award on Schmertz upon
recommendation of the ARRL Public Relations Committee, which oversees
the Leonard Awards for Outstanding Journalism in print, audio, and
video. The award's namesake is the late CBS News President Bill Leonard,
W2SKE.
In Brief...
The ARRL Board of Directors will meet July 19 - 20 in Windsor,
Connecticut, for its second meeting of 2019. According to the agenda,
the Board will hear reports from officers and committees as well as from
some Headquarters staff managers. Representatives of the International
Amateur Radio Union (IARU) and Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) are
expected to attend as guests of the Board.
Language in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization
Act of 2018 will exclude all but a small number of Amateur Radio towers
from marking requirements. Thanks to action taken in 2017 and 2018 by
ARRL, the bill's original language was amended to the extent that
amateur towers, as well as residential towers used for over-the-air TV
reception, were effectively exempted from marking requirements. The
topic was addressed at the annual "Ham Radio and the Law" forum at the
Dayton Hamvention® this past May. Some key points from that
presentation: (1) Towers covered by the rules are structures at least 50
feet tall that support an antenna and are located in a rural area or on
farmland or immediately adjacent to such land. (2) According to the Act,
the term "covered tower" does not include any structure that is adjacent
to a house, barn, or other building, and "is within the curtilage of a
farmstead or adjacent to another building or visible structure." ARRL
Regulatory Information Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, explains that, while
a few Amateur Radio towers will fall under the Act's marking
requirements and will have to be registered, towers in residential yards
or within farmland are specifically exempted. More information is on the
ARRL website.
AMSAT has issued a first call for papers for its anniversary symposium
this fall. The 50th anniversary AMSAT Annual Meeting and Space Symposium
will be held October 18 - 20 at The Hilton Arlington, 950 North Stafford
Street, Arlington, Virginia. Proposals for papers, symposium
presentations, and poster presentations are invited on any topic of
interest to the Amateur Satellite community. AMSAT request a working
title for presentations, with final presentations submitted by September
23 for inclusion in the printed proceedings. Send abstracts and papers
to Dan Schultz, N8FGV. -- Thanks to AMSAT
Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
July 19 - 21 -- Nevada State Convention, Reno, Nevada
July 25 - 27 -- Central States VHF Conference, Lincoln, Nebraska
July 26 - 27 -- Ham Holiday, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
August 2 - 3 -- Austin Summerfest, Austin, Texas
August 3 - 4 -- Cedar Valley ARC Hamfest/Midwest STEM Techfest, Central
City, Iowa
August 8 - 10 -- Rocky Mountain Division Convention, Ogden, Utah
August 9 - 11 -- Pacific Northwest DX Convention, Everett, Washington
August 17 - 18 -- Huntsville Hamfest, Alabama State Convention,
Huntsville, Alabama
August 24 -- Society of Midwest Contesters Specialty Convention, Normal,
Illinois
August 23 - 25 -- West Virginia State Convention, Weston, West Virginia
September 6 - 7 -- Arkansas State Convention, Mena, Arkansas
September 6 - 7 -- Wyoming State Convention, Gillette, Wyoming
September 6 - 8 -- New England Division Convention, Boxborough,
Massachusetts
September 7 -- Virginia Section Convention, Virginia Beach, Virginia
September 13 - 14 -- W9DXCC 2019, St. Charles, Illinois
September 21 - 22 -- New Mexico State Convention, Albuquerque, New
Mexico
September 27 - 28 -- Central Division Convention, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
September 28 -- Dakota Division Convention, West Fargo, North Dakota
September 28 -- Washington State Convention, Spokane Valley, Washington
Find conventions and hamfests in your area.
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