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The ARRL Letter

May 4, 2017
Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME

 *  Carole Perry, WB2MGP, Set to Host Her 30th Hamvention(R) Youth Forum
 *  Amateur Radio Volunteers Support 2017 Boston Marathon
 *  Important Notice -- New MF and LF Bands are Not Yet Available to Use!
 *  The Doctor Will See You Now!
 *  FCC Personal Radio Service Revisions Will Affect GMRS, FRS, CB, Other
    Part 95 Devices
 *  More Arduino Projects for Ham Radio by Glen Popiel, KW5GP, Now Available
 *  Harvard Wireless Club Sponsors Inaugural Amateur Radio Symposium
 *  Broadcast Industry Radio Amateurs Gather at Annual NAB Convention in
    Vegas
 *  In Brief...
 *  The K7RA Solar Update
 *  Just Ahead in Radiosport
 *  Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions


Carole Perry, WB2MGP, Set to Host Her 30th Hamvention(R) Youth Forum

Carole Perry, WB2MGP, who may be Amateur Radio's premier supporter of youth,
will moderate her 30th Hamvention Youth Forum later this month, when
Hamvention(R) convenes for the first time at its new venue in Xenia, Ohio, May
19-21. And she is showing no signs of slowing down. The Youth Forum is set for
Saturday, May 20, 9:15 AM until noon, in Room 2. She's lined up nine young
presenters who will speak on a variety of topics of interest to radio amateurs
of all ages. The Youth Forum is open to all.

"To say I am super excited about my upcoming Hamvention forums is a huge
understatement," Perry told ARRL. "While I am always looking forward to my
'Dayton Adventures' every year, this year is especially unique and important to
 me."

Perry praised Hamvention's sponsor, the Dayton Amateur Radio Association
(DARA), with setting up her forum in a room where the many loyal Youth Forum
followers will be able to support the young presenters in comfort.

Here's the 2017 Hamvention Youth Forum lineup:

 *  Lucas Schroeder, W6LDS (15) -- "The SharkRF openSPOT"
 *  Carissa Ferguson, KJ4EZA (17) -- "Robotics and Ham Radio"
 *  Dakota Krzysik, KE8CVK (17) -- "Activations: Islands, Lighthouses, and
    Ships"
 *  Grace Lea, KM4TXT (9) -- "Solar Power Mania"
 *  Jerome Dinakar, KE0BBQ (16) -- "Tribute to Ellie Van Winkle"
 *  Evan Markowitz, KD2IZW (18) "Balloon Based Repeater for Emergency
    Applications"
 *  Ruth Willet, KM4LAO (18) -- "Plugging into Your Valuable Club Resources"
 *  Chris Brault, KD8YVJ (14) -- "Getting Started with SDR"
 *  Dhruv Rebba, KC9ZJX (13) -- "Community Services with Ham Radio
    Communications"

"Space Weather Woman" Tamitha Skov will speak on "Teaching Space Weather" at
the Instructors' Forum on Friday, and about "Space Weather and the Mars
Generation" at the Youth Forum on Saturday.

Reflecting on her soon-to-be 3 decades of Youth Forum events, Perry said she
continues to be impressed at the talented and creative young hams who have
spoken at the forum over the years.

"Many of them have stayed in touch and report about their school choices and
careers, and how their appearance at the Youth Forum influenced those choices,"
 she said.

A "Where Are They Now" video presentation will showcase the post-Youth Forum
experiences of those who have participated in the forum over the years. "Mary
Alestra, KB2IGG, is part of the video introduced by TV producer John Amodeo,
NN6JA," Perry said. "Mary is a former ham radio student of mine. Also on the
video, among others, is Don Lafreniere, W8PSP, who met his future wife at the
Youth Forum."

Perry expressed her gratitude to the many Youth Forum sponsors. As in the past,
 there will be plenty of prizes. "We promise there will be fun for all and a
chance for everyone to show support for our bright and talented young hams,"
Perry said. "Please join us in supporting the future of ham radio!"

Perry will conduct her Hamvention Instructors' Forum on Friday, May 19,
10:30-11:30 AM, in Room 3.



Amateur Radio Volunteers Support 2017 Boston Marathon

On April 17, nearly 280 Amateur Radio communication volunteers participated in
the 2017 Boston Marathon, the 121st running of the event organized by the
Boston Athletic Association (BAA). Warmer-than-typical temperatures for the
Patriots' Day race raised concern for increased medical issues, but lower
humidity and some cloud cover later in the afternoon mitigated the potential
for problems.

Amateur Radio's primary communication role involved logistics. Operations
included relaying medical resupply requests, picking up runners via medical
sweep buses, conveying medical statistics as required by the Red Cross and
Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and providing situational awareness
as needed along the entire 26-mile route. Amateur Radio also backed up EMS
communications, and the team relayed several ambulance requests along the
route. Brett Smith, AB1RL, one of the BAA Organizational Committee
representatives, said Marathon organizers were very pleased with the efforts of
 Amateur Radio operators.

"Congratulations to everyone on a job very well done," Smith said afterward.
"We were braced for a busy day, and our preparation helped see us through to
make sure it was never anything we couldn't handle." Smith said that many
volunteers enjoyed spending their day supporting the Marathon this year.

"We're already seeing e-mails from our volunteers thanking us for our work too.
 So the work was appreciated not only by organizers from the BAA, but the
volunteers as well," he said.

Course volunteer Matt Knowles, KC1AEI, was among them. "I feel like Amateur
Radio plays an important role in the safety and security of the Boston
Marathon," he said. "Our net operators were succinct, clear, and very patient
as we took care of our individual responsibilities on the course. All of the
communications volunteers put forth a unified effort on Monday, which made for
another successful race."

Rob Macedo, KD1CY, the other BAA Organizational Committee representative,
reported that state emergency managers were very pleased with the logistics and
 situational awareness support from Amateur Radio operators. He was stationed
at the Multi-Agency Coordination Center (MACC), located at the State Emergency
Operations Center (EOC) in Framingham.

"At one point mid-afternoon, one of the two finish line medical tents was
filled to capacity," Macedo recounted. "The BAA and EMS representatives at the
MACC were impressed at receiving the on- and off-diversion reports in a timely
fashion from Finish Segment Coordinator Matt Brennan, NM1B."

Start Segment Coordinator Mark Richards, K1MGY, said all of the planning and
setup at the race's starting point of Hopkinton paid off. "We provided BAA
organizers at the start with an analysis that looks to correlate the planned
and actual times of the start of the race very well," he said.

Course Field Operations/Course Net Control Segment Coordinator Jim Palmer,
KB1KQW, said he was pleased with the performance of the Amateur Radio teams
throughout the event. "Numerous course Amateur Radio volunteers have already
expressed their appreciation for a well-run, highly organized event, and are
already looking toward volunteering at the 2018 Marathon," he said. Course
volunteers logged an estimated nearly 1,000 volunteer hours, and Palmer said
their support was instrumental to the success of the communication support
mission.

At the Course Net Control Operations Center in Brookline, students from
Dexter-Southfield School provided support to net control operators during the
event. Numerous nets cover the Marathon course, and all are run from this
single location. Students regularly updated status boards, informing both local
 net control operators and the other net control operations centers of each ham
 radio volunteer's location. Veteran net control operators dedicated some time
to work with the students to teach them how marathon nets operate, providing a
robust ham radio learning experience in an educational setting.

Amateur Radio is one of three radio communication systems used for the Boston
Marathon. Eight Amateur Radio representatives, including segment coordinators,
sit on the BAA Communications Committee with BAA officials and representatives
of the Massachusetts State Police and a commercial communications contractor.
Boston Marathon Medical Coordinator Chris Troyanos, who chairs the
Communications Committee, has let the Amateur Radio community know that it is
-- and will remain -- a vital component of Marathon communication support. --
Thanks to Rob Macedo, KD1CY



Important Notice -- New MF and LF Bands are Not Yet Available to Use!

The new 630-meter and 2,200-meter bands are not yet available for Amateur Radio
 use. The effective date of the recent FCC Report & Order (R&O) granting these
allocations has not yet been determined, and until the start date has been set,
 it is not legal under an Amateur Radio license to transmit on either band.

The fact that the new rules contain a new information-collection requirement --
 notification of operation to the United Telecoms Council (UTC) -- complicates
the matter of determining an effective date. According to the FCC R&O, the
Office of Management and Budget (under the Paperwork Reduction Act) must first
approve the information-collection requirements in ?97.303(g)(2), which must be
 in place before radio amateurs can use the new bands.

Once that happens, the FCC will publish a notice in The Federal Register
"announcing such approval and the relevant effective date," the R&O said. ARRL
will announce the UTC notification procedures and the effective date to use
these new bands as soon as these are known.



The Doctor Will See You Now!

"End-Fed Antennas" is the topic of the current 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 e-mail 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.

Just ahead: "Optimizing Receiver Performance."

____________________________________________________________________________

Support ARRL as You Shop for Mom

Mother's Day is Sunday, May 14. If you're looking for the perfect gift, we
invite you to shop at AmazonSmile and choose American Radio Relay League Inc.
(ARRL) as your charity. With every purchase you make at AmazonSmile, Amazon
will make a contribution to ARRL. This helps the League to extend its reach in
public service, advocacy, education, technology, and membership. Make Mom
smile, get her something special this year, while supporting Amateur Radio and
ARRL. Bookmark ARRL's link and support Amateur Radio and ARRL every time you
shop online.

____________________________________________________________________________


FCC Personal Radio Service Revisions Will Affect GMRS, FRS, CB, Other Part 95
Devices

Soon it will be legal for CBers to work DX on 11 meters. In a lengthy Report
and Order (R&O) in a proceeding (WT Docket No. 10-119) dating back 7 years, the
 FCC has announced rule changes affecting the General Mobile Radio Service
(GMRS), the Family Radio Service (FRS), the Citizens Band Radio Service (CBRS
or "CB", and other applications that fall under the FCC's Part 95 Personal
Radio Services (PRS) rules and regulations. Part 95 devices typically are
low-power units that communicate over shared spectrum and, with some
exceptions, do not require a license.

"This draft Report and Order completes a thorough review of the PRS rules in
order to modernize them, remove outdated requirements, and reorganize them to
make it easier to find information," the FCC said in a summary attached to the
R&O.

GMRS and FRS devices are used for personal communication over several miles;
compact FRS handhelds, often sold in pairs, are widely available. While GMRS
and FRS share spectrum, GMRS provides for greater communications range and
requires an FCC license; FRS does not.

"The rules will increase the number of communications channels for both GMRS
and FRS, expand digital capabilities to GMRS (currently allowed for FRS), and
increase the power/range for certain FRS channels to meet consumer demands for
longer range communications (while maintaining higher power capabilities for
licensed GMRS)," the FCC explained.

The amended rules eventually will eliminate combination FRS/GMRS radios for the
 most part, but allow up to 2 W PEP output for FRS transceivers. "[M]any
current users of GMRS/FRS combination radios do not obtain licenses to operate
over the GMRS frequencies in those radios," the FCC said. "Much of this problem
 likely arises as a result of the mass consumer marketing of combination
devices for sale to the public in large quantities to users who do not know
about or do not understand the licensing requirements attached to such radios
and obligations associated with operating in the GMRS."

The FCC said it no longer will certify FRS devices that incorporate GMRS
capabilities or capabilities of other services. Existing GMRS/FRS combination
radios that operate at power levels of less than 2 W ERP will be reclassified
as FRS devices; existing GMRS/FRS radios that operate above that power level
will be reclassified as GMRS devices, requiring an individual license. Radios
that can transmit on GMRS repeater input channels will continue to be licensed
individually and not by rule.

The FCC said changes to the decades-old Citizens Band (CB) rules will remove
outdated requirements, including certain labeling requirements. DXing on
Citizens Band will become legal too. Once the new rules are effective, CBers
will be allowed to contact stations outside of the FCC-imposed -- but widely
disregarded -- 155.3-mile distance limit. The revised CB rules further clarify
how hands-free devices can be used with CB radios and will allow the use of
wireless microphones with CB radios. The FCC left in place the current power
limits for the CB Radio Service.

Most of the new Part 95 rules will become effective 30 days after their
publication in The Federal Register.



More Arduino Projects for Ham Radio by Glen Popiel, KW5GP, Now Available

The new book More Arduino Projects for Ham Radio by popular author and
experimenter Glen Popiel, KW5GP, builds on the success of his Arduino for Ham
Radio. His latest offering includes 15 completely new practical and functional
Arduino projects for your station.

This time, Popiel branches out to use some of the newer Arduino variants and
devices. Each project is complete and functional as-is, but the author leaves
room for your personal touches and enhancements. That's part of the fun of the
Arduino and Open Source communities -- building on the work of others, and then
 sharing your designs and innovations for others to learn, modify, and improve.

"When it comes to the Arduino, you're only limited by your imagination," Popiel
 said. More Arduino Projects for Ham Radio starts by building a solid
foundation through descriptions of the many new Arduino boards and add-on
components, followed by a collection of practical ham radio-related projects
that showcase a wide variety of applications. There is something here for
everyone.

More Arduino Projects for Amateur Radio is available from the ARRL Store or
your ARRL Dealer. (ARRL Item No. 0703), ISBN: 978-62595-0703, $39.95 retail,
special ARRL Member Price $34.95). Call (860) 594-0355 or, toll-free in the US,
 (888) 277-5289.



Harvard Wireless Club Sponsors Inaugural Amateur Radio Symposium

The Harvard Wireless Club (W1AF) sponsored its first Amateur Radio Symposium on
 April 29 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The symposium featured speakers from the
 University and elsewhere, including appearances by W1AF's incoming president
Ben Lee, K7JS, and the club's outgoing president Douglas Maggs, KK4UHK. They
were joined by Yale University Amateur Radio Club (W1YU) President Scott
Matheson, N3NFP; First Vice President James Surprenant, AB1DQ, and past
president Martin Ewing, AA6E, in recounting the distinguished histories of
these two collegiate Amateur Radio clubs.

Flavio Jorge, CT7ATQ, of the University of Aveiro in Portugal, discussed
microwave propagation for space systems in his presentation, "Knocking down
walls, changing mentalities and breaking rules -- a case study on radiowave
propagation for space systems."

Emeritus professor of electrical engineering Paul Horowitz, W1HFA, delivered a
thoroughly enjoyable presentation and discussion of the ultimate DX --
monitoring the universe in a search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Matheson
 and Ewing participated in a roundtable forum, "Youth in Amateur Radio."

That group was joined later via Skype by Martin Atherton, G3ZAY, the master of
Cambridge University's Wireless Society (G6UW), and two of his student
colleagues. Vasiljie Perovic, M0HZC, spoke on "Extremely Low Frequency meteor
detection," while William Eustace, M0WJE, discussed "LoRa(TM) spread spectrum
radio."

Others taking part were Daniela Marcelino, CR7AQM, and Micael Rebelo, CR7AQL,
of the University of Aveiro, and Nicolas Weninger, KC1GLI, and Saahil Mehta,
KG5HEW, both of Harvard.

Also on hand was ARRL CEO Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, who presented a progress report
 from League Headquarters and emphasized the need to welcome new hams into the
Amateur Radio community. Attorney Fred Hopengarten, K1VR, shared some of his
career highlights in his talk, "Ham radio pays my mortgage and other thoughts."
 Hopengarten is the author of the book Antenna Zoning for the Radio Amateur.

"The Harvard Wireless Club made a strong showing on Saturday," Gallagher said
afterward. "They combined excellent material with a fast-paced program that
never bogged down -- from Professor Paul Horowitz's description of chasing DX
across the universe to live transatlantic conversations with Cambridge
University's radio club members."

Attendee George Allison, K1IG, summed up the proceedings this way: "A full day
with no fluff...accomplished and proficient speakers...absorbing and
enlightening...wholehearted League support...and all-you-can-eat free ice cream
 is always a winner!"

Last fall, ARRL announced its Collegiate Amateur Radio Initiative (CARI) to
assist college and university ham radio clubs in collaborating and networking.
The community has grown rapidly since then, with membership in the Facebook
CARI group growing fivefold to nearly 500 individuals.

ARRL will sponsor a CARI forum at Hamvention later this month in Xenia, Ohio
(Saturday, May 20, at 12:30 PM in Room 4).



Broadcast Industry Radio Amateurs Gather at Annual NAB Convention in Vegas

A few thousand of the more than 103,000 broadcasting industry professionals
from around the world that gathered in Las Vegas April 22-27 for the National
Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention were radio amateurs. Nevada
Section ARRL volunteers, under the guidance of Section Manager John Bigley,
N7UR, and assisted by Section Public Information Coordinator Chuck Farnham,
WD6CHC, were on hand to greet visitors and answer any questions they might have
 about ARRL membership and benefits, FCC regulations, licensing, operating
activities, and other Amateur Radio topics.

"A large number of those hams stopping by the ARRL booth were international
visitors, including Ajaya Gupta, VU2DED, of Mumbai, India, who presented the
Nevada hams with a statuette of the State Emblem of India, which was adopted
when India became a republic in 1950," recounted Bigley. "The statuette was
displayed in the booth for the duration of the convention."

Bigley said booth visitors also came from Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom,
China, South Korea, Brazil, the Netherlands, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia,
and New Zealand.

On Wednesday, April 26, Nevada amateurs also joined hundreds of their
colleagues from around the world at the annual Amateur Radio Operators
Reception hosted by the NAB, DX Engineering, Broadcast Supply Worldwide, and
Turner Engineering. Bigley welcomed the visitors to Las Vegas, acknowledged the
 hard work of the ARRL volunteers staffing the booth, and thanked attendees for
 their continued support of the NAB convention, and for making Las Vegas and
the ARRL Nevada Section a part of their event.

An article in the Las Vegas Review Journal focused on the Amateur Radio
reception. "People say that Amateur Radio is dead," Farnham told reporter Todd
Prince. "Well, there are ham radio operators every 3 feet on the NAB floor."



In Brief...

ARRL Website Outage Set for May 8: The ARRL website will be down for essential
maintenance on Monday, May 8, starting around 2100 UTC. The ARRL website will
become unavailable for approximately 90 minutes. During that time, the website
will be offline, and visitors will see a "Down for Maintenance" message. ARRL
e-mail services and reflectors will remain in operation. We regret any
inconvenience.


Deadline for the QST Antenna Design Competition is June 1! The deadline to
submit entries for the 2017 QST Antenna Design Competition is Thursday, June 1.
 Enter in one of three categories -- 160 meters, LF, or VLF; 80 through 10
meters, and 6 meters and higher bands. Only one entry per person or team will
be accepted. First-place winners (individuals or teams) in each category will
receive $500 each. Second- and third-place winners in each category will
receive $250 and $100, respectively. Winning designs will also be eligible for
publication in QST. Send entries to QST, Attn: Antenna Design Competition, 225
Main St., Newington, CT 06111. Or e-mail your entry to qst@arrl.org. The
subject line should include your call sign and the words "Antenna Design
Competition" (without quotes). Complete rules are on the ARRL website.


Storm-Related Mishap Claims Life of Volunteer Fire Chief Doug Deckard, KC5PLA:
Scotty Douglas "Doug" Deckard, KC5PLA, of Quitman, Arkansas, died on April 30
after being struck by a car during torrential rainfall while checking water
lines in his community. Deckard, an ARRL member, was 51. He served as Cove
Creek/Pearson Volunteer Fire Chief. Arkansas State Police say Deckard had
pulled off the roadway along Highway 25 near Quitman and was working outside of
 his vehicle when he was hit. He had served as a firefighter for more than 30
years and was the coordinator of the Cleburne County Search and Rescue Team.
Deckard also was a dealer for Hytera radio products. "He was a wonderful member
 of our community, and his kindness, work ethic, and enthusiasm will be sorely
missed," the Cleburne County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. "His
willingness to serve our community should be a shining example to us all." --
Thanks to Roger Gray, N5QS, for some information


May 9 is Puerto Rico Amateur Radio Operator Day: On Tuesday, May 9, Radio
Amateurs in Puerto Rico will celebrate Puerto Rico Amateur Radio Operator Day
(Dia del Radioaficionado), observed each year on the second Tuesday in May.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the first celebration. The Amateur
Radio Operator Day proclamation, signed by Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo
Rossello and Secretary of State Luis Marin, recognizes Amateur Radio's public
service contributions; Puerto Rico's status as an ARRL Section, home to more
than 4,000 radio amateurs and nine ARRL-affiliated clubs, and the 5th ARRL
Puerto Rico State Convention. The proclamation makes special mention of Joaquin
 Agusty Ramirez y Arellano, 4JE, a broadcasting pioneer (WKAQ) and radio
amateur, who, with Jesus T. Pinero, 4KT, co-founded the Porto Rico Radio Club
in 1922. Pinero would become Puerto Rico's first governor in 1948.



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