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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
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
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.
The Board will also receive and consider reports and recommendations from
committees and coordinators.
Additionally, the Board will consider recommendations of the Standing
Committees, including the Executive Committee, the Administration 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.
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 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.
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 Mayagüez, 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 Adobe
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 ž 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.
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.
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