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N9PMO > LETTER 05.09.19 18:37l 497 Lines 24333 Bytes #999 (0) @ ARRL
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Amateur Radio Resources Ready as Dorian Predicted to Become a "Major
Hurricane"
ARRL HF Band Planning Committee Reactivated to dress Spectrum Issues
160 Years Since The Carrington Event
The Doctor Will See You Now!
Efforts Continue to Enhance ARES Program, d Resources
The K7RA Solar Update
Just Ahead in Radiosport
Inter-American Proposal Removes 47 - 47.2 GHz from Bands under Study for 5G
Services
France Stands its Ground on 144 - 146 MHz Aeronautical Mobile Sharing
Proposal
In Brief...
Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
Amateur Radio Resources Ready as Dorian Predicted to Become a "Major
Hurricane"
Amateur Radio resources organized this week as Hurricane Dorian threatened
Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and worked its way through the Caribbean.
A change in direction spared Puerto Rico -- still recovering from hurricanes
Irma and Maria in 2017 -- from taking a direct hit; the Virgin Islands
suffered downed trees and widespread power outages. As of August 29, Dorian
was a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds near 85 MPH with higher
gusts. According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Dorian was expected
to become a major hurricane on Friday and remain an extremely dangerous
hurricane through the weekend, reaching Category 3 or 4 by September 1.
Heavy rainfall generated by Dorian could cause flash flooding, the NHC said.
"The risk of devastating hurricane-force winds along the Florida east coast
and peninsula late this weekend and early next week continues to increase,"
the NHC said on August 29.
"We are standing by in a ready-to-respond state, once a more definitive
track is known," Southern Florida Section Manager Barry Porter, KB1PA, told
ARRL Headquarters on August 29. "We will be holding a tri-Section conference
call tonight to firm up any plans." Porter said Florida Voluntary
Organizations Active in Disaster and Red Cross were in preparation mode.
On Wednesday, the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN), activated for about 9 hours on
14.325 MHz and 7.268 MHz, working in conjunction with WX4NHC at the NHC in
Miami to provide "ground truth" weather data to forecasters. The VoIP
Hurricane Net also activated.
The HWN has continued to closely monitor Dorian's progress. HWN Manager
Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, said the HWN tentatively plans reactivate on August 30
at 2100 UTC.
The ARRL Headquarters Emergency Response Team is also monitoring the
situation closely. ARRL officials are in regular communication with partner
agencies, particularly FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security. In
addition, ARRL HQ remains in close contact with Field Organization officials
in the affected region, where some ARRL Ham Aid equipment was previously
positioned.
W1AW, which had already planned to be in operation for the Hiram Percy Maxim
150th Birthday special event this weekend, will remain ready to assist with
emergency communications.
Visit the ARRL website or the Hurricane Watch Net website for updates on the
progress of Hurricane Dorian.
ARRL HF Band Planning Committee Reactivated to dress Spectrum Issues
In an effort to more effectively address HF digital technology issues, ARRL
President Rick Roderick, K5UR, has reactivated the ARRL Board of Directors'
HF Band Planning Committee. The six-member panel, chaired by First Vice
President Greg Widin, K0GW, will primarily focus on spectrum allocation
issues that have gained increased visibility with discussions on
accommodating automatically controlled digital stations (ACDS) -- many
employing Winlink email. The committee will also discuss operating
frequencies for FT4, FT8, and other digital modes. Widin says the committee
will meet next week to chart its course. Reactivation of the HF Band
Planning Committee came out of discussions during the July 2019 ARRL Board
meeting.
ARRL HF Band Planning Committee Chair and First Vice President Greg Widin,
K0GW
"ARRL is not trying to shut down digital communication or shut down Winlink
in particular," Widin said, adding that ARRL recognizes Winlink's proven
track record in emergency communication. His committee also will consider
Winlink supporters' calls for the expansion of the ACDS segments spelled out
in §97.221(b) of the amateur rules.
"This is not an easy task by any means," Widin allowed. "They're not making
more bandwidth."
"We're well aware that Winlink is the de facto standard supporting emergency
communications in many parts of the country, but we have to figure out how
it can operate with other modes, so that everybody can communicate, without
having one mode overrun any other mode," Widin said. The committee will not
address data encryption questions at this point, however.
In response to ARRL's 2013 petition to delete the so-called "symbol rate"
limit and replace it with a maximum bandwidth for data emissions of 2.8 kHz
below 29.7 MHz, the FCC proposed to eliminate symbol rate (baud rate)
limitations for data transmissions but declined to propose a bandwidth
limitation.
At its July meeting, the ARRL Board of Directors called for ARRL's
Washington Counsel to obtain FCC approval for several Part 97 rule changes.
The Board asked for a rulemaking petition to remove the current 300 baud
rate limitation; authorize all ACDS below 30 MHz, regardless of bandwidth,
to operate only within the ACDS bands designated in §97.221(b); require
digital stations operating with a bandwidth greater than 500 Hz to operate
within the ACDS bands, whether or not automatically controlled, and limit
the maximum bandwidth of digital signals below 29 MHz to 2.8 kHz.
"We still want to change the symbol rate limitation into a bandwidth
limitation, which makes a lot more sense in terms of current and future
modes," Widin said. The panel also hopes to work with the WSJT-X Development
Group to establish FT4 frequencies compatible with existing band plans. Read
more.
160 Years Since The Carrington Event
September 1 marks the 160th anniversary of the Carrington Event, the
strongest geomagnetic storm known to have hit Earth since at least the 14th
century. The event was named for British astronomer Richard Carrington, who
first viewed and sketched the huge sunspot complex on the sun from which a
gigantic solar flare -- a coronal mass ejection -- erupted, as he watched.
Within hours, Earth was virtually enveloped by an aurora borealis that was
visible even at lower latitudes and into the tropics. It was a truly
spectacular light show that in some places, turned night into day. When the
flare interacted with Earth's magnetosphere, however, it was another story.
This was the Victorian age, when practical wireless was still a few decades
off, but the "auroral phenomena," as it was called then, had "a remarkable
manifestation of magnetic influence" on telegraph wires -- the internet of
the day, as it were. So considerable was the effect that The New York Times
reported telegraph operators were able to disconnect the batteries that
normally operated the system and were "working by the atmospheric current
entirely!" Although the operators subsequently were able to reconnect their
batteries, the storm continued to affect the lines. A telegraph manager in
Pittsburgh reported "streams of fire" emitted from the circuits. In
Washington, DC, telegraph operator Frederick W. Royce was severely shocked
as his forehead grazed a ground wire. A witness said an arc of fire jumped
from Royce's head to the telegraphic equipment.
The Times account quoted an operator in Worcester, Massachusetts, who said,
"During ten years' experience in telegraphing, I have frequently observed
the effect of the Aurora Borealis on the wires, but never before have I seen
it so grand and appalling."
Operators said that at times the polarity of the battery power supply would
become reversed. "One moment the batteries would begin to boil over, and we
would have so strong a circuit that the armature would not come away from
the magnet; the next moment, there would be no current at all," a report
from Quebec recounted.
Based on examinations of ice samples, scientists believe that geomagnetic
storms two and three times stronger occurred prior to the 14th century.
After the Carrington Event, scientists began paying a lot more attention to
solar phenomena and sunspots. -- Thanks to Frank Donovan, W3LPL
The Doctor Will See You Now!
"Different Types of Grounds" is the topic of the new (August 29) 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.
Efforts Continue to Enhance ARES Program, d Resources
The ARRL Board of Directors, committees, and Headquarters administrative
staff are continuing efforts to enhance the venerable Amateur Radio
Emergency Service (ARESŪ) program. A major ARES Plan has been adopted,
providing new direction going forward. In addition, a standardized training
plan has been adopted, and a new ARES Emergency Communicator Individual Task
Book has been approved and published.
At its July meeting, the ARRL Board considered the report of its Public
Service Enhancement Working Group (PSEWG). A "change log" was proposed for
the Task Book that will highlight changes made as the document is
periodically revised and updated. ARES position guidelines were posted to
the online ARES Workbook and a major revision and update of ARRL's
Introduction to Emergency Communications course -- now designated as EC-001
-- has been completed.
The course is now available at no cost to any ARES registrant, and a
"mentor-less" format has been added as a parallel path for completing the
course. ditional mentors were recruited to assist in handling the initial
surge of interest. A self-guided version that leads up to the final exam is
also being implemented. An update and introduction of EC-016 -- Public
Service and Emergency Communications Management for Radio Amateurs -- has
been completed.
Veteran Ohio Section Manager Scott Yonally, N8SY, has been brought on board
to assist in implementing ARES Connect and to field questions about the new
software package from users. ARES Connect is a volunteer management system
covering event signup, reporting, and roster management, to simplify
managing volunteers and events.
Some modest procedural revisions have been made to the Ham Aid program. Read
more. -- Thanks to The ARES E-Letter
The K7RA Solar Update
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: The current stretch of spotless days has
continued for more than 3 weeks, according to Spaceweather.com. The
continuing quiet seems eerie. For the past reporting week, Thursday through
Wednesday, the average daily solar flux -- 10.7 GHz radiation that roughly
tracks with sunspot activity -- was only 66. I had to go back to the fall of
2007 to find average solar flux in that range.
Predicted solar flux for the next 45 days is 66 on August 29 - September 4;
67 on September 5 - 11; 68 on September 12 - 15; 67 on September 16 -
October 8, and 68 on October 9 - 12.
Predicted planetary A index is 5, 8, 20, 34, 16, and 8 on August 29 -
September 3; 5 on September 4 - 5; 8 on September 6 - 7; 5 on September 8 -
21; 10, 15, and 8 on September 22 - 24; 5 on September 25 - 27; 35, 18, and
10 on September 28 - 30; 5 on October 1 - 2; 10 and 8 on October 3 - 4, and
5 on October 5 - 12.
Spaceweather.com reported that a large recurring coronal hole is facing
Earth, and the effects are expected to be felt on September 1, when the
predicted planetary A index is 34.
Sunspot numbers for August 22 - 28 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, and 0, with a mean
of 0. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 65.7, 66.5, 66.3, 66, 65.8, 66.1, and
65.9, with a mean of 66. Estimated planetary A indices were 6, 4, 5, 4, 6,
10, and 5, with a mean of 5.7. Middle latitude A index was 7, 4, 5, 5, 6,
10, and 5, with a mean of 6.
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
August 31 - September 1 -- UK/EI DX Contest, SSB
August 31 - September 2 World Wide Digi DX Contest
August 31 - September 8 -- Hiram Percy Maxim Birthday Celebration
September 1 - 2 -- Tennessee QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
September 2 - 3 -- Michigan QRP Labor Day CW Sprint
September 3 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW)
September 4 -- UKEICC 80-Meter Contest (Phone)
September 5 -- NRAU 10-Meter Activity Contest (CW, phone, digital)
September 5 -- 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.
Inter-American Proposal Removes 47 - 47.2 GHz from Bands under Study for 5G
Services
The 34th meeting of the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL)
Permanent Consultative Committee II (PCC.II) concluded a week of meetings on
August 16 in Ottawa, Canada, in advance of World Radiocommunication
Conference (WRC-19). The meetings were aimed at reaching regional consensus
on WRC-19 agenda items. Attendees at PCC.II included ARRL Technical
Relations Specialist Jon Siverling, WB3ERA, who is on the US delegation to
WRC-19.
Radio amateurs present at the CITEL meeting tasked with looking out for
issues of concern to the Amateur Service were (from left to right) Bryan
Rawlings, VE3QN, a member of Canada's WRC-19 delegation and Radio Amateurs
of Canada (RAC) Special visor to World Radiocommunication Conferences;
George Gorsline, VE3YV, an IARU Region 2 Executive Committee member; Flavio
Archangelo, PY2ZX, a member of Brazil's WRC-19 delegation and the IARU
Region 2 CITEL coordinator; Sergio Bertuzzo, VA3SB, RAC International
Affairs Officer, and Jon Siverling, WB3ERA, a member of the US delegation to
WRC-19 and ARRL Technical Relations Officer.
"The big news is that the Inter-American Proposal (IAP) going forward to ITU
from CITEL countries has removed the 47 - 47.2 GHz Amateur Radio allocation
from WRC-19 agenda item 1.13," Siverling said. "We are putting forward a 'no
change' proposal." Supported by 13 member-states, the IAP would take
frequencies in that range off the table for possible sharing with 5G
International Mobile Telephony (IMT). Siverling conceded that other
administrations could raise the issue at WRC-19.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Radiocommunication Sector
(ITU-R) was to conduct and complete appropriate studies to determine
spectrum needs for the IMT terrestrial component in the 24.25 - 86 GHz
range, and studies on sharing and compatibility, while taking into account
the protection of services with primary allocations on the band. ITU-R has
not conducted any sharing studies between the IMT-2020 systems and incumbent
Amateur Radio and Amateur Satellite services. "Therefore, it has not been
demonstrated that the incumbent services can be protected, as required by
Resolution 238 (WRC-15), and no change is proposed for the 47 - 47.2 GHz
frequency band," the IAP said.
Under WRC-19 agenda item 10 (future agenda items), language to protect the
Amateur Radio primary 50 - 54 MHz allocation was included in a US proposal
to study implementing space-based Earth Exploration Satellite Service (EESS)
radars to operate in the 40 - 50 MHz range, in time for WRC-23, recognizing
that 50 - 54 MHz is primary in Regions 2 and 3, with an alternative primary
Amateur Service allocation in a number of Region 1 countries.
Also under agenda item 10, the frequency segment 47 - 47.2 GHz was removed
from a proposal to study several additional frequency ranges for the Fixed
Satellite Service (FSS).
Language in a Canadian contribution, with additions from the US delegation,
was added regarding WRC-19 agenda item 9.1.6, which seeks to identify
frequencies for medium- and high-power wireless charging of electric
vehicles (WPT-EV). Delegates to PCC.II forwarded an IAP of no change to the
Radio Regulations.
The recent CITEL meeting was the last prior to WRC-19. Read more. -- Thanks
to Jon Siverling, WB3ERA, and Bryan Rawlings, VE3QN
France Stands its Ground on 144 - 146 MHz Aeronautical Mobile Sharing
Proposal
Heading into this week's European Conference of Telecommunications and
Postal ministrations (CEPT) Conference Preparatory Group (CPG) meeting in
Turkey, France was holding firm on its proposal to have the Aeronautical
Mobile Service (AMS) share 144 - 146 with Amateur Radio. An "annex"
submitted for the CPG doubles down on that country's determination to secure
AMS access to that spectrum, although no longer on a primary basis. The CPG
meeting will consider CEPT ECC positions for World Radiocommunication
Conference 2019 this fall. In the annex, France counters contrary assertions
from International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) and continues to insist that
spectrum sharing is possible.
"France recognizes the wide range of amateur applications hosted by the 144
- 146 MHz band," the French annex document said. "The band will remain
available for all these applications after WRC-23. However, a clear vision
of the band segmentation per application and associated occupancy rates will
be necessary for the sharing and compatibility studies carried on during the
WRC-23 preparation cycle. Such studies are essential for assessing the
possibilities of frequency sharing and establishing, where appropriate, the
conditions that will ensure the continuity of operation and the protection
of existing services."
If the French proposal gets a thumbs up from at least 10 CEPT countries at
the CPG meeting -- with not more than 6 opposing -- the proposal could
appear on the agendas of WRC-19 and WRC-23, where a final decision will be
made.
In its own CPG meeting submission, the International Amateur Radio Union
(IARU) called the French proposal "unsound" and contended that sharing of
the current amateur allocation with AMS radio systems "is not possible
without a significant likelihood of mutual interference." Read more.
In Brief...
N1MM Logger+ users planning to operate the Hiram Percy Maxim 150th birthday
celebration event must first download the file HPM150.zip. Then, extract the
files into C:Users<your user name>(My) DocumentsN1MM
Logger+UserDefinedContests. "HPM 150" will show up as a contest choice when
you open a new log file. The event is August 31 - September 8. Operating FT4
or FT8 during HPM 150 is not quite as simple. According to WSJT-X developer
Joe Taylor, K1JT, the two digital modes are "not a good fit" for the HPM 150
event. "There's no built-in support for two stations using non-standard call
signs to work each other with standard auto-sequencing," Taylor said.
"Messages intended for Field Day support the exchange of ARRL/RAC sections,
but do not include signal reports." He said it's possible to piece together
the necessary contact information using free-text messages and manual
sequencing, "but most FT4/FT8 users would not find this convenient," he
added. -- Thanks to Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, and Joe Taylor, K1JT
Registration now is open for stations to register for Scouting's 2019
Jamboree on the Air (JOTA). JOTA will take place October 18 - 20. JOTA is
Scouting's largest event in the world and always takes place over the third
weekend of October. Click on "Sign Up Now" and register using your free
Scout.org user id. Use the same site to register for the 2019 Jamboree on
the Internet. Bill Stearns, NE4RD, has been named the Boy Scouts of America
(BSA) National Jamboree on the Air Task Force Chair. He has activated a
number of JOTA and Scout Camp stations from the Montana Scout Council and
served on the 2017 National Scout Jamboree K2BSA and 2019 World Scout
Jamboree NA1WJ staffs. The NA1WJ Amateur Radio operation at the 2019 World
Scout Jamboree in West Virginia reported that more than 3,000 Scouts took
part in the ham radio demonstrations, logging more than 4,000 contacts in 86
DXCC entities.
Sweden's Alexanderson Alternator station SAQ says it received 438 listener
reports -- "an incredible amount" -- for its June 30 Alexanderson Day
transmissions. The list included five reports from the US and three from
Canada. The historic electro-mechanical transmitter, which dates back to the
1920s, is fired up periodically throughout the year on 17.2 kHz. "We are
very thankful for all your enthusiastic and positive feedback, with images,
recordings, videos, and even Morse ink writer strips," SAQ said. The station
is a World Heritage Site in Grimeton, Sweden. SAQ's June 30 message
commemorated the 100th anniversary of the first east-to-west transatlantic
voice transmission from the Marconi station in Ireland to Cape Breton
Island, Nova Scotia. SAQ has posted an interactive map showing the locations
of all received listener reports from recent transmissions, including the
June 30 transmission, and video of the Alexanderson Day transmission event
has been posted to its YouTube channel.
Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
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
October 6 -- Iowa State Convention, West Liberty, Iowa
October 11 - 12 -- PNWVHFS Conference and Meeting, Issaquah, Washington
October 11 - 12 -- Florida State Convention, Melbourne, Florida
October 13 -- Connecticut State Convention, Meriden, Connecticut
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
Find conventions and hamfests in your area.
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