********************************************
The ARRL Letter
Published by the American Radio Relay League ********************************************
September 20, 2018
Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME <
ww1me@arrl.org>
ARRL Home Page
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http://www.arrl.org/>
ARRL Letter Archive
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http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/>
Audio News
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http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/>
IN THIS ISSUE
- Amateur Radio Volunteers Still Dealing with Florence's Aftermath
- FCC Grants ARRL Temporary Waiver Request to Permit PACTOR 4 Use in
Hurricane Relief
- The Doctor Will See You Now!
- New Beta Version WSJT-X 2.0 Boasts Major Changes
- Puerto Rico Amateurs Beefing Up Hurricane Preparedness
- Emergency Preparedness Takes Center Stage for 2018 Simulated
Emergency Test
- Nominations Sought for 2018 ARRL Bill Leonard Award
- Proposals to Host Contacts with Space Station Crew Due by November 15
- "Get Your Park ON" Operating Event Set for October
- The K7RA Solar Update
- Just Ahead in Radiosport
- Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
ARRL Audio News on Hiatus for September 21 There will be no edition of
ARRL Audio News on Friday, September 21. It will resume on Friday,
September 28.
AMATEUR RADIO VOLUNTEERS STILL DEALING WITH FLORENCE'S AFTERMATH
Conventional telecommunications are starting to return to normal in
some communities affected by Hurricane Florence, but the now long-gone
storm set up others for persistent and record-breaking flooding,
primarily in eastern North Carolina and along several of the state's
rivers. The storm, which made landfall near Wilmington, North Carolina, primarily affected the Carolinas, Georgia, and Virginia.
"Things are back to normal communication status, and demobilization is occurring for folks deployed," South Carolina Section Emergency
Coordinator Billy Irwin, K9OH, said on September 19. At mid-week, the
FCC reported that nearly all cellular service had been restored in
South Carolina.
Over the weekend, ARES volunteers from several South Carolina counties
had pitched in to support emergency communication in the face of power
and telecommunication outages and heavy rainfall. ARES Richland County Emergency Coordinator Ronnie Livingston, W4RWL, said volunteers in his
county staffed the county Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and Red
Cross. operators at the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) kept
in contact with field volunteers in Marion and Dillon counties after conventional telecommunications failed there.
ARES District Emergency Coordinator EMEA Area 3 Earl Dean, W4ESD, said
ARES deployed assets as well as personnel who coordinated with the
appropriate agencies. Horry County ARES and ARRL South Carolina Section
Public Information Officer (PIO) Gordon Mooneyhan, W4EGM, said radio
amateurs set up and organized communication networks to assist local
government and emergency agencies, as well as to handle
health-and-welfare traffic for affected residents, to let their family
members outside the affected area know they were all right.
In North Carolina, storm surge had caused flooding in many communities.
Ham radio volunteers responded in counties along the coast, including Wilmington, Topsail Beach, Jacksonville, and Morehead City, staffing
both EOCs and shelters. Farther inland, numerous ARES teams activated
in the face of river flooding to address a combination of sheltering
needs for local residents and evacuees. Communication throughout the
state has been supplemented by neighborhood-based operators, who
reported emergencies to county EOCs. The FCC reported on September 19
that nearly one-third of cell service was out in Columbus, Pender, and
Onslow counties. The storm also took out several broadcast outlets in
the state.
The Salvation Army Team Emergency Network (SATERN
<
http://www.satern.org/>) activated on September 14 and 15. The net's
primary mission was the receipt and delivery of outbound
health-and-welfare messages from affected areas.
The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN <
http://www.hwn.org/>) shut down its
activation for Hurricane Florence after 38 hours, shortly after the
storm made landfall. The HWN operated on two frequencies simultaneously
-- its "home" 20-meter frequency of 14.325 MHz and its 40-meter
frequency of 7.268 MHz.
"While propagation was not good on 20 meters for the period, 40 meters
afforded a fairly consistent contact with stations in the area," HWN
Assistant Manager Stan Broadway, N8BHL, recounted. Broadway said nearly
200 stations checked in, and the net took in approximately twice that
number of reports, funneling important information via WX4NHC at the
National Hurricane Center (NHC). "Many were not at severe levels, but
all 'ground truth' [reports] assist in plotting the activity of the
storm," Broadway explained. WX4NHC monitored the HWN and the Voice over Internet Protocol Hurricane Net (VoIPWX <
http://voipwx.net/>) on
EchoLink Conference WX-Talk, node 7203 or IRLP 9219.
While the storm was still out in the Atlantic, ARRL shipped Ham Aid <
http://www.arrl.org/ham-aid> kits to the affected region -- the same
ones that ARRL volunteers took to Puerto Rico a year ago to assist with disaster communications following Hurricane Maria. The ARRL
Headquarters Emergency Response team activated on September 12 and
remained operational into the weekend. W1AW suspended its scheduled
bulletin and code practice transmission on September 14.
FCC GRANTS ARRL TEMPORARY WAIVER REQUEST TO PERMIT PACTOR 4 USE IN
HURRICANE RELIEF
The FCC has granted an ARRL request for a temporary waiver of
§97.307(f) of the FCC's Amateur Service rules to permit the use of
PACTOR 4 digital mode for Amateur Radio communication within the
continental US related to Hurricane Florence relief. A formal order
addressing the request for a 30-day waiver was released on September
17.
§97.307(f) of the Commission's Rules limits the digital data emissions
of amateur stations operating below 28 MHz to a symbol rate not to
exceed 300 baud, and in the 10-meter band (28.0 - 28.3 MHz) to a symbol
rate not to exceed 1,200 baud, thus precluding the use of PACTOR 4.
PACTOR 4 is a data protocol that permits relatively high-speed data transmission in the HF bands, and many amateur stations active in
emergency communications preparedness are capable of using PACTOR 4,
which was used to great advantage, pursuant to FCC temporary waivers,
in Hurricane Maria relief efforts, and, more recently in preparing for
typhoon relief communications in Hawaii.
ARRL dispatched PACTOR radio modems with PACTOR 3 and PACTOR 4
capabilities to the Carolinas.
ARRL's request proposed limiting the use of PACTOR 4 to radio amateurs
in the continental US who are directly involved with the hurricane
relief efforts involving the US mainland. "This request is without
prejudice to the resolution of Docket 16-239 [the so-called "symbol
rate" proceeding], which is presently pending and addresses the rule
section discussed herein," ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD,
wrote in submitting the request.
In the September 17 formal Order <
https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-18-956A1.pdf>, the FCC
noted that the "symbol rate" proceeding is currently pending, "but
there is consensus among submitted comments for eliminating the symbol
rate limits."
In response to a 2013 ARRL Petition for Rule Making (RM-11708 <
https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filing/6017477458/document/7520958815>), the
FCC proposed
<
https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-16-96A1.pdf> in 2016
to revise the Amateur Service Part 97 rules and invited comments. ARRL
had asked the FCC to amend the Part 97 rules to delete the symbol rate
limits in §97.307(f) and replace them with a maximum bandwidth for data emissions of 2.8 kHz on amateur frequencies below 29.7 MHz.
THE DOCTOR WILL SEE YOU NOW!
"Tools for the Amateur Station" is the topic of the current (September
13) episode of the "ARRL The Doctor is In <
http://www.arrl.org/doctor>" podcast. Listen...and learn!
Sponsored by DX Engineering <
http://www.dxengineering.com/>, "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 <
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/arrl-the-doctor-is-in/id1096749595?mt=2>, or by using your iPhone or iPad podcast app (just search for "ARRL The
Doctor is In"). You can also listen online at Blubrry <
https://www.blubrry.com/arrl_the_doctor_is_in/>, or at Stitcher <
https://www.stitcher.com/> (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 <
http://www.arrl.org/doctor>.
Just ahead: "Volt-Ohm Meters."
NEW BETA VERSION WSJT-X 2.0 BOASTS MAJOR CHANGES
As promised <
http://www.arrl.org/news/significant-changes-in-store-for-ft8-and-msk144-with- wsjt-x-version-2 -0>,
the WSJT-X Development Group has announced a new "candidate release,"
WSJT-X 2.0 rc1. This beta version of the popular digital mode suite incorporates many new FT8 and MSK144 features that will be of
particular interest to the Amateur Radio contesting community. It
includes all FT8 DXpedition Mode changes already developed in WSJT-X
1.9.1.
"Enhancements to the FT8 decoder ensure that in most situations
decoding sensitivity is slightly better than for the old protocol.
Symbol rates and occupied bandwidths are the same as before, and
false-decode rates are significantly lower," the user notes explain.
"The decoding threshold for MSK144 is a fraction of a decibel higher
than before, owing to the slightly larger message payload and higher
code rate." WSJT-X 2.0 introduces no significant changes to the JT4,
JT9, JT65, QRA64, ISCAT, Echo, or FreqCal protocols.
The new features are summarized <
http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/New_Features_WSJT-X_2.0.txt>
on the WSJT-X website and in the Quick-Start Guide to WSJT-X 2.0 <
http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/Quick_Start_WSJT-X_2.0.pdf>. Contest-related changes include:
- Support for standard ARRL Field Day exchanges, such as 6A SNJ.
- Better support for North American VHF contests, with improved
handling of grids and /r rover call sign designators.
- Six-character locators and call sign suffix support for portable
operators, focused on EU VHF contesting.
- Support for standard contest exchanges in the ARRL RTTY Roundup, such
as 579 MA or 559 0071.
- Support for call signs of up to 11 alphanumeric characters, to
accommodate non-standard and compound call signs.
Support for new exchanges should expand the ability of contesters to
use FT8 and other WSJT-X protocols during contests that allow digital
contacts and where the exchange is a traditional signal report and state/province/country.
According to the release notes, WSJT-X 2.0 also offers "significantly
better sensitivity" (about 1 dB) for the WSPR decoder. In addition,
color highlighting of decoded messages provides worked-before status
for call signs, grid locators, and DXCC entities on a by-band basis.
Color highlighting can also identify stations that have -- or have not
-- uploaded their logs to "Logbook of The World" (LoTW) within the past
year.
Those participating in WSJT-X beta tests are expected to report <
wsjt-devel@lists.sourceforge.net> their experiences to the developers
and upgrade to the general availability release when it becomes
available. Visit <
http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/wsjtx.html>
the WSJT-X web page for more information.
PUERTO RICO AMATEURS BEEFING UP HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS
September 20 is the first anniversary of Hurricane Maria's devastating
arrival in Puerto Rico. Today, many amateurs there are better prepared
for the next storm or other disaster that could disrupt conventional telecommunications. With this in mind, the ARRL Puerto Rico Section is
hosting monthly meetings in various cities around the island
commonwealth as part of an effort to establish an Amateur Radio
Emergency Service (ARES) organization in Puerto Rico, to be headed by
Section Manager Oscar Resto, KP4RF, and Section Emergency Coordinator
Juan Sepulveda, KP3CR. The overall initiative would involve recruiting volunteers and holding topic-specific workshops on several topics:
Using Winlink to send emails over the air, using radiograms,
introducing the National Traffic System (NTS), and explaining the new
ARES online filing system. Presenters would be Section Traffic Manager
Pedro Irizarry, KP3PI, and Section Technical Coordinator Carlos Roig,
WP4AOH.
Constructing NVIS antennas for local HF communication, updating the
WP4MR repeater system, where various nets take place, and assembling an
Amateur Radio "go-kit" for portable emergency communication.
Continuing to build relationships with hospitals and municipal
emergency management agencies, as well as maintaining the ones
established with the Red Cross and the Puerto Rico Energy Power
Authority (PREPA-AEE).
Based on the new Puerto Rico Emergency Management Bureau (PREMB -
NMEAD) zone divisions, a 2-meter simplex band plan has been developed,
in the event that repeaters go down. Many simplex drills and nets are
taking place on a weekly basis.
Puerto Rico Section Manager Oscar Resto, KP4RF.
At a September 8 meeting, it was decided to create a new formal net
for handling formal traffic via the 145.410 MHz repeater located on the
El Yunque summit. Radio amateurs living in the US Virgin Islands were
invited to participate as well. Eventually an HF net will be available
to send formal traffic to the NTS nets in the US mainland. The 2-meter
net is set to start on September 24 at 2200 UTC.
Special event station K1M will be on the air September 20 - 28 to
commemorate the anniversary of Hurricane Maria. "Kilo One Maria" was
the call sign used by US Amateur Radio volunteers deployed to Puerto
Rico as Red Cross volunteers to help with hurricane recovery. K1M will
operate on or around 14.292 MHz and 7.188 MHz. -- Thanks to Puerto Rico
Section Public Information Officer Angel Santana, WP3GW
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS TAKES CENTER STAGE FOR 2018 SIMULATED
EMERGENCY TEST
The 2018 ARRL Simulated Emergency Test (SET) is just ahead. The primary ARRL-sponsored national emergency exercise is designed to assess the
skills and preparedness of Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®) volunteers as well as those affiliated with other organizations
involved with emergency and disaster response. Although the main SET
weekend this year is October 6 - 7, local and Section-wide exercises
may take place throughout the fall. Those who already take part in
public service and emergency activities are getting ready for the
annual SET, a dress rehearsal, next month. But, the 2018 ARRL SET is an
open casting call for all radio amateurs interested in expanding their emergency preparedness knowledge and skill.
The annual SET encourages maximum participation by all Amateur Radio
operators, partner organizations, and national, state, and local
officials who typically engage in emergency or disaster response.
In addition to ARES volunteers, radio amateurs active in the National
Traffic System, Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES),
SKYWARNâ„¢, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN), and a variety of other allied groups
and public service-oriented radio amateurs are needed to fulfill
important roles in this nationwide exercise.
The SET allows volunteers to test equipment, modes, and skills under
simulated emergency conditions and scenarios. Individuals can use the
time to update a "go-kit" for use during deployments and to ensure
their home station's operational capability in an emergency or
disaster.
At the national level, ARRL has established formal working
relationships with partner organizations and agencies, such as the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the American National Red
Cross, the Salvation Army, the National Weather Service, the National Communications System, the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials- International (APCO-International), Citizen Corps, National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD), REACT
International, Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE), United States
Power Squadron, and Boy Scouts of America. Details <
http://www.arrl.org/served-agencies-and-partners> on these
organizations and how they work with ARRL and Amateur Radio operators
are on the ARRL website.
To get involved, contact your local ARRL Emergency Coordinator or Net
Manager. Check on upcoming planned activities through local, state, or Section-wide nets. If you don't know already, find out who the
Emergency Coordinator is and where the nearest ARES group <
http://www.arrl.org/groups/sections> meets. Your ARRL Section Manager
should be able to assist.
Additional background on the annual SET appears in the article, "2017
Simulated Emergency Test Results," in the July 2018 issue of QST.
Guidelines and specific SET reporting forms <
http://www.arrl.org/public-service-field-services-forms> for ARRL
Section and Field Organization leaders are posted on the ARRL website
for use by Emergency Coordinators and Net Managers, or by Section
leaders in charge of reporting this year's SET activity. -- Thanks to
Steve Ewald, WV1X
NOMINATIONS SOUGHT FOR 2018 ARRL BILL LEONARD AWARD
The ARRL Public Relations Committee is seeking nominations for the 2018
Bill Leonard Award <
http://www.arrl.org/bill-leonard-award>, which
recognizes this year's best newspaper, radio, or television news story
about Amateur Radio. The award honors professional journalists or
journalistic teams whose outstanding coverage highlights the enjoyment, importance, and public service value that Amateur Radio offers. It was
created as a tribute to the late CBS News President Bill Leonard,
W2SKE, an avid radio amateur and advocate. Awards are presented in
print, audio, and visual categories.
Members of the ARRL Public Relations Committee will judge nominations
and recommend winners to the ARRL Board of Directors, which will
announce winners at its annual meeting next January.
Award winners in each category (either an individual or a group) will
receive an engraved plaque, and a $250 contribution will be made in
each winning entrant's name to the charity of their choice.
Each nominee must be a professional journalist or a professional
journalistic team in print, electronic media, or multimedia. The
nominee's work must have appeared in English, between December 1, 2017,
and November 30, 2018, in a commercially published book, recognized general-circulation (non-trade) daily or weekly newspaper, general- or special-interest magazine (except publications predominantly about
Amateur Radio), commercial or public radio or television broadcast
(including services delivered via cable), a website operated by a
generally recognized journalistic organization (e.g., newspaper,
magazine, broadcast station, or network), or multimedia format intended
for and readily accessible to the general public within the US. The
scope of the work nominated may be a single story or series.
The story must be truthful, clear, and accurate, reflecting high
journalistic standards. Submission may be made by the authors of the
work or on their behalf by an individual who believes the work merits
the award.
Submit entries to ARRL Headquarters c/o Communication Manager, ARRL,
225 Main St., Newington, CT 06111, by 5 PM ET on November 30, 2018.
For more information about the award, contact <
disgur@arrl.org> ARRL Communications Manager David Isgur, N1RSN, or call (860) 594-0328. The nomination form <
http://www.arrl.org/bill-leonard-award> is on the ARRL website.
PROPOSALS TO HOST CONTACTS WITH SPACE STATION CREW DUE BY NOVEMBER
15
Proposals <
http://www.ariss.org/uploads/1/1/1/6/111680627/ariss_proposal_form_due_2018-11 -15.docx>
by school and educational organizations to host Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS <
http://www.ariss.org/>) contacts
with an International Space Station crew member next year will be
accepted starting on October 1. Completed proposals are due by November
15. ARISS anticipates that the contacts will be scheduled between July
1 and December 31, 2019, although crew schedules and ISS orbits
determine exact contact dates. A committee of educators evaluate and
approve proposals.
"ARISS contacts allow education audiences to learn firsthand from
astronauts what it is like to work and live in space," ARISS said.
"These scheduled contact opportunities are offered to formal and
informal education institutions and organizations, individually or
working together."
To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will a draw large number of participants and
integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. Because of
the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling
activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility
to accommodate changes in contact dates and times.
Educational proposals should include plans for students to study topics
related to space technology, space exploration, or space research, and
to learn about communication, wireless technology, and radio science.
The more advanced preparation educators make with educational plans,
the more learning and value the ARISS event will have for students,
ARISS said. A Proposal Guide <
http://www.ariss.org/uploads/1/1/1/6/111680627/2018-03-13-ariss_proposal_guide .pdf>
can help in planning and identifying what's necessary to host an ARISS scheduled contact.
Astronaut Reid Wiseman, KF5LKT, at the helm of NA1SS on the
International Space Station. [Image courtesy of NASA]
An ARISS Technical Mentor is assigned to assist educational
organizations with technical preparations and logistical coordination
of the contact. With the assistance of the ARISS team, ARRL and AMSAT
can help in locating a local Amateur Radio group to provide equipment
and expertise. In many cases, local ham radio club volunteers may also
be able to assist with lessons on communication, wireless technology,
or radio science.
ARRL ARISS-US Delegate Rosalie White, K1STO, quoted one educator who
wrote, "Many of our middle school students who participated in and
attended our ARISS contact have selected science courses in high school
as a result of that contact." Many teachers report setting up ham radio
clubs in schools and learning centers because of students' interest
prior to an ARISS contact.
Full information
<
http://www.ariss.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact-in-the-us.html> on
hosting an ARISS contact is available on the ARISS website.
Amateur Radio organizations around the world, NASA, and space agencies
in Russia, Canada, Japan, and Europe sponsor this educational
opportunity by providing equipment on the space station and operational
support to enable direct communication between crew on the ISS and
students around the world via Amateur Radio. In the US, the program is
managed by ARRL and AMSAT in partnership with NASA.
"GET YOUR PARK ON" OPERATING EVENT SET FOR OCTOBER
What is hoped will be the first annual "Get Your Park ON" operating
event will take place October 14 - 20, in celebration of Earth Science
Week. The event is open to Amateur Radio operators around the world and
is sponsored by the national affiliates of World Wide Flora and Fauna
(WWFF <
https://wwffkff.wordpress.com/>), which encourages radio
amateurs to operate outdoors in protected nature parks.
During this on-the-air celebration, hams can participate in one of two
ways. North American hams can opt to be Activators, setting up and
operating in geological and nature centers, such as national and state
parks and forests, national monuments, and protected nature habitats.
--- GoldED+/LNX 1.1.5-b20170303
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Limestone, TN, USA (1:18/200)
