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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 Advisor 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.
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) Administrative 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
RamĒn 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. Additionally, 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.
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