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The ARRL Letter

July 27, 2017
Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME

 *  ARRL President Issues Call for Members to Reach Out to their Senators to
    Support S. 1534
 *  ARRL Publishes its 2016 Annual Report
 *  ARRL Contest Rule Changes, Clarifications Reflect "Best Practices" in
    Radiosport
 *  The Doctor Will See You Now!
 *  ARISS Reports ISS Packet System is Down
 *  Friedrichshafen's Ham Radio Attendance Holds Steady
 *  Oklahoma Radio Amateur is First to Score Satellite VUCC from Greenland
 *  Royal Mint to Welcome Amateur Radio
 *  In Brief...
 *  Getting It Right!
 *  The K7RA Solar Update
 *  Just Ahead in Radiosport
 *  Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions

____________________________________________________________________________


ARRL President Issues Call for Members to Reach Out to their Senators to
Support S. 1534

ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, is calling on League members to urge their
US Senators to support the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2017, S. 1534. ARRL has
opened a RallyCongress page to simplify the task.

"[W]e are at a crossroad in our efforts to obtain passage of The Amateur Radio
Parity Act," Roderick said. He said the campaign to secure passage of the bill
scored a major victory earlier this year when H.R. 555 passed unanimously in
the US House of Representatives. Obtaining passage of the companion Senate
bill, S. 1534, is the final legislative hurdle.

"Now is the time for all hams to get involved in the process!" Roderick said.
"Many of you already live in deed-restricted communities, and that number grows
 daily."

He urged radio amateurs now restricted by a homeowners association from
installing effective outdoor antennas to visit the RallyCongress site and
e-mail their two US senators. He also encouraged those not currently affected
by deed covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&Rs) to support their fellow
 radio amateurs by doing the same.

"If you want to help create an opportunity -- not available before now -- for
Amateurs who live in deed-restricted communities to install effective outdoor
antennas on property that you own or lease, send these e-mails today!" Roderick
 said. "We need you to reach out to your senators today. Right away."

S. 1534 was introduced in the US Senate on July 12, marking another step
forward for this landmark legislation. Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Richard
 Blumenthal (D-CT) are the Senate sponsors. The measure will, for the first
time, guarantee all radio amateurs living in deed-restricted communities
governed by a homeowners association (HOA) or subject to any private land-use
regulations, the right to erect and maintain effective outdoor antennas at
their homes, while protecting the aesthetic concerns of HOAs.

____________________________________________________________________________


ARRL Publishes its 2016 Annual Report

Following the meeting last weekend of the ARRL Board of Directors, ARRL
announces the release of its 2016 Annual Report. This year's report departs
from past reports in that it focuses on the people who make up ARRL and the
larger Amateur Radio community. More than 140 call signs appear in the report,
and more than 80 of these call signs belong not to ARRL Headquarters staff or
Board members, but rather, to ARRL members.

In his letter, CEO Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, writes about "the people of ARRL: the
Board, the staff, the membership, the various volunteers arrayed across the
country, by our patrons and donors, by our served agencies, and by the Amateur
Radio community, writ large. These are the people of ARRL, and here are their
stories. This annual report celebrates their contribution and tells the stories
 of how each of them labors mightily, every day, to advance the art, the
science, and the enjoyment of Amateur Radio."

Reflecting on his experiences this past year, ARRL President Rick Roderick,
K5UR, in his Annual Report message reminds members that they make the
difference: "The initiatives you will read about in this report show hams
bringing people into Amateur Radio in new ways, and from points of entry that
maybe you hadn't thought of: college clubs, citizen science, and Maker Faires.
Hams just like you are making these things happen."

There is extensive coverage of major events like National Parks on the Air
(NPOTA), and a discussion of why NPOTA worked so well. Four pages are devoted
to Amateur Radio's contribution to emergency preparedness in communities around
 the country.

The 2016 Annual Report was created by ARRL editorial staff under the direction
of QST Managing Editor Becky Schoenfeld, W1BXY. QST Assistant Editors Jen
Glifort and Caroline Kenney researched and wrote most of the text, with some
stories contributed by ARRL Digital Media Support Specialist Alli McLellan.
Schoenfeld engaged a freelance designer for the project, who created an
exciting and highly readable layout in full color, to highlight the stunning
color photography and graphics.

Members are encouraged to download and read the Annual Report on the ARRL
website. Set Adobe Reader to its two-page viewing mode to better view the
larger layout. An archive of past annual reports is also available.

____________________________________________________________________________


ARRL Contest Rule Changes, Clarifications Reflect "Best Practices" in
Radiosport

Just ahead of the 2017-2018 contest season, ARRL has announced rule changes and
 clarifications to League-sponsored contests. These include an improved process
 for submitting logs and reporting scores. Unless otherwise noted, these
changes become effective starting with the September VHF Contest.

"These changes reflect current 'best practices' in the contest community and
help us improve the quality of the competition and reporting of results," ARRL
Contest Branch Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, said. "For example, getting the log
data into log checking more quickly will allow us to post preliminary results
online for nearly all contests."


Log Submission

Log submission in the "General Rules for All Contests" has been simplified and
revised. Individual contest rules will no longer include a log-submission
section.

 *  Online log submission: Except for the EME and 10 GHz and Up contests,
    electronic logs should be submitted through the web app. E-mail
    log-handling "robots" will continue to operate until they can no longer
    properly handle the logs without revision. They will then be deactivated
    and submitters redirected to the web app.
 *  Log submission deadline: Effective immediately, except for the 222 MHz
    and Up Distance Contest (2 weeks) and the EME and 10 GHz and Up contests
    (30 days), the log submission deadline for ARRL HF contests will be 5
    days from the end of the contest (this includes the IARU HF
    Championship). For ARRL VHF contests, the log submission deadline will
    be 10 days from the end of the contest. An extension may be requested,
    explaining the necessity to the ARRL Contest Branch Manager, at any time
    before the submission deadline.
 *  Logged frequency: HF contest entries competing for awards as category
    leaders are encouraged to specify frequency with 1 kHz resolution.

Logs used for log checking will be posted for public inspection. ARRL will
continue to accept paper logs, but these are only eligible for awards at the
discretion of the Contest Branch Manager. Logs may be withdrawn up to 10 days
following the log submission deadline.


Club Competition

The new toolset for clubs to comply with the Club Competition rules (Section 8
of the General Rules for All ARRL Contests) has been very well received. For
more information and tools for submitting your club's eligibility list, visit
the Contest Club Competition -- Club Eligibility Changes page.


Log-Checking Penalties

Penalties for "zero-point" contacts, such as US-to-US contacts in the ARRL DX,
will not be assessed during log checking. Operators may continue to log and
submit zero-point contacts.


Remote Entries

Acting as the control operator for a remotely controlled station in the US
or its possessions requires that the operator hold a US license and have
sufficient privileges for all operation. CEPT/IARP reciprocal operating
authority does not include remote control of a US station. If another
operator acts as the on-site control operator, the entry must be in a
multioperator category. The location for the entry will be the location of
the station, not the operator.


Operating Rules

Multiple in-band CQing: Maintaining two or more frequencies to solicit contacts
 (i.e., "run" on the same band and mode is prohibited. (The IARU HF
Championship and the ARRL 10 Meter Contest prohibit this practice, regardless
of mode.)

Call sign and ARRL November Sweepstakes exchange: The station's call sign must
be sent as part of the exchange, e.g., "W1AW, number 123, Alpha, W9JJ, 79,
Connecticut."

US operators in Canada: The reciprocal operating treaty between the US and
Canada requires that the call sign be sent with the Canadian prefix following
the call sign, e.g., W9JJ/VE1.

Single Operator, FM Only: Cabrillo QSO lines must specify FM as the mode for
all FM contacts.

For more information, contact the Contest Branch Manager.

____________________________________________________________________________


The Doctor Will See You Now!

"Power Supplies" is the topic of the current (July 20) 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: "Keys and Keyers."

____________________________________________________________________________


ARISS Reports ISS Packet System is Down

The aging Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) packet
system on 145.825 MHz appears to have stopped functioning altogether, after
experiencing some recent problems, and restoring it to operation could take
months. ARISS International Chair Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, said the packet system,
located in the Columbus module, started to act up late last week, sending only
a beacon.

"The ARISS team requested a power recycle by the crew, and with that power
recycle, the packet system appears to have stopped functioning completely,"
Bauer said in a news release. "Note that this unit has been on orbit for 17
years. It was launched on the STS-106 Space Shuttle Atlantis mission in
September 2000 and was built, tested, and certified for flight about 20 years
ago."

Bauer said the ARISS team has had extensive discussions on how to resolve the
problem, starting with some additional troubleshooting with the existing packet
 module. He said it would take weeks just to develop the required
troubleshooting procedures and have NASA approve them, before conducting tests
with the ISS crew. This would include an additional power cycle, he said.

"The turnaround time is much longer than usual, because a new crew will soon be
 arriving on ISS," Bauer explained. "The current crew is focused on the new
crew arrival, and there will be about a 1- to 2-week transition after the new
crew arrives. On the positive side, one aspect of our troubleshooting -- a
second power cycle -- will occur automatically, because ARISS is shut down
during crew docking and turned on afterwards." Bauer said troubleshooting would
 extend beyond this reboot, however.

Additional plans with alternative solutions are under discussion within the
ARISS team, and all approaches will require coordination within the ARISS
International team, development of additional procedures, and involvement of
the crew, Bauer said.

"People who have carefully followed ISS operations know that crew time
continues to evolve with the more extensive research that is occurring on
board," Bauer added. "Suffice it to say, it will take longer than what it has
taken in the past to work through this issue."

Bauer said ARISS wants to set realistic expectations on how long it could take
to fix the ISS packet system problem. "At this point, expect a few months with
no ARISS packet," he said.

____________________________________________________________________________


Friedrichshafen's Ham Radio Attendance Holds Steady

Despite being held in a different month and at the height of the tourist
season, Germany's Ham Radio 2017 -- more popularly known by its location,
Friedrichshafen -- remained as popular as ever this year. This was the 42nd
annual Ham Radio, and the Friedrichshafen Fairground reported that Ham Radio
and the concurrent Maker Faire Bodensee (Lake Constance) attracted 17,110
visitors this year, compared to 17,230 last year. Heading up the ARRL
contingent were President Rick Roderick, K5UR, and International Affairs Vice
President Jay Bellows, K0QB. ARRL Marketing Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, said
 the League puts in an appearance at Friedrichshafen each year, greeting
international members, which number more than 9,000, and networking with other
national radio societies.

"ARRL is held in high regard by the international Amateur Radio community, and
there were many, many compliments shared with our team for ARRL's good work,"
Inderbitzen reported. He said a German radio amateur donated to the ARRL
Spectrum Defense Fund, citing the League's spectrum advocacy efforts.

ARRL also supports DXCC card checking, which was supported by Radiosport
Manager Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, and volunteer card checkers from a half-dozen
countries.

International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 (IARU R1) President Don Beattie,
G3BJ, delivered an opening address at the convention. IARU President Tim Ellam,
 VE6SH/G4HUA, Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ, and Beattie, also discussed IARU's
efforts in a presentation, "Working for the Future of Amateur Radio."

Hamvention(R) General Chair Ron Cramer, KD8ENJ, expressed some envy about the
event, sometimes called "Europe's Dayton."

"Ham Radio is a very good event that is extremely well organized," Cramer said.
 "I wish that we had exhibition halls in Dayton that are as beautiful as the
ones here in Friedrichshafen. A lot of Amateur Radio operators come to Dayton
and to Friedrichshafen, and we want to support one another. After all, all
events of this kind are important."

Deutscher Amateur Radio Club (DARC) Chair Steffen Schöppe, DL7ATE, said DARC
was "very pleased" with Ham Radio 2017. "Visitors showed great interest in the
World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC 2018), got a lot of information about
it, and some also want to stop by the competition in Jessen to get a look at
the event itself." WRTC 2018 Organizing Committee President Chris Janssen,
DL1MGB, spoke at Ham Radio's official opening. In addition to an indoor booth,
WRTC 2018 erected a WRTC-style portable station in the courtyard. WRTC 2018
will take place next July in Germany, in conjunction with the IARU HF
Championship.

Schöppe said the international youth forum at Ham Radio 2017 was also very
successful, and "the participants had a lot of fun." IARU Region 1 Youth
Working Group Chair Lisa Leenders, PA2LS, reported that she welcomed "an
enthusiastic group of young people and youth workers" to the Ham Radio youth
forum. Ham Camp at Friedrichshafen hosted more than 100 participants, mostly
young people.

Just ahead of next month's Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) "YOTA UK" international
 summer camp, the official YOTA flag was carried from the booth of 2016 host,
Austria's OeVSV to the booth of 2017 host, the Radio Society of Great Britain
(RSGB), to "loud cheering of a group of youngsters." YOTA UK 2017 is August
5-12 in London.

Ham Radio 2018 and Maker Faire Bodensee will return the first weekend of June
2018 -- much earlier than usual and some 6 weeks in advance of WRTC 2018.

____________________________________________________________________________


Oklahoma Radio Amateur is First to Score Satellite VUCC from Greenland

It took just 4 days -- some of that time without much sleep -- but ARRL member
Gabe Zeifman, NJ7H/VE6NJH, of Oklahoma City recently became the first radio
amateur to earn VUCC -- working 100 grid squares -- by satellite from
Greenland. In fact, his is the first VUCC award of any kind from Greenland. A
relatively new licensee, Zeifman, 22, has managed to activate more than 300
grid squares via satellite, as well as nearly 20 DXCC entities. Apart from the
operating accomplishment, Zeifman told ARRL, he was attempting to inspire
newcomers.

"I thought it could get more people interested in satellites in general -- VUCC
 is very achievable for anyone -- and could also get more people interested in
roving," said Zeifman, who began training this week to become an air traffic
controller. "I was overwhelmed by the support I got; it was really astonishing
the number of people that helped!" He said one operator activated eight grids
for him, while others who don't typically rove, visited at least one
neighboring grid square to give him a new one.

"It was really cool to see our community throughout the world come together to
help in this goal," he said. "I really first envisioned this idea when I
realized I had nearly 70 grids confirmed from Iceland, and I thought 'hmm, OX
[Greenland] is an even better location; I bet it's possible.'"

Zeifman said he prefers the linear-transponder satellites, such as SO-50,
rather than the FM satellites. He said he may one day get into HF more
seriously, but, for now, he finds VHF/UHF/SHF "more fascinating."

He said the trip to Greenland, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands with his mother
and his sister, was "fantastic," although, he noted, "they may have sometimes
been annoyed by my getting up at 3 AM or several times in the night to work
passes."

____________________________________________________________________________


Royal Mint to Welcome Amateur Radio

The Royal Mint Experience in Wales will host "The Royal Mint Radio Experience,"
 July 30 until August 5 at the Royal Mint's new visitor center in Llantrisant,
Wales. School children and members of the public have been invited to enjoy a
fun, informal, and interactive Amateur Radio workshop. According to an
announcement from the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB), visitors will get
the chance to use the FUNcube-1 CubeSat, launched in 2013 and used by schools
and educational groups around the world.

"We're delighted to be supporting this event, which will give visitors to the
Royal Mint a chance to experience the wonder of Amateur Radio and satellite
communication," said RSGB General Manager Steve Thomas, M1ACB. "Amateur Radio
has many links with the science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM)
curriculum and can lead to rewarding careers."

Members of RSGB, Barry Amateur Radio Society (BARS), and AMSAT-UK will operate
special event station GB4RME (GB 4 Royal Mint Experience); Ofcom granted that
call sign just for this event. RSGB Regional Manager and BARS Chairman Glyn
Jones, GW0ANA, said he believes this may be the first time Amateur Radio has
been allowed to operate from a Royal Mint anywhere in the world. -- Thanks to
RSGB

____________________________________________________________________________


In Brief...

New 222 MHz and Up Contest Debuts August 5-6 Weekend: ARRL's new 222 MHz and Up
 Distance Contest will debut on August 5 at 1800 UTC and continue until the
next day. This 24-hour contest offers a wide range of entry categories, from
FM, CW, and SSB to digital modes. The object is to work as many stations as
possible on the 222 MHz through 241 GHz bands, using any allowable mode. A
station in a specific grid locator may be contacted from the same location only
 once on each band, regardless of mode. Contacts on higher frequencies earn
more points, so expect plenty of activity from locations that offer a height
advantage. Check the rules update for club and team competitions, and
requirements to register teams before the contest. The deadline to submit logs
is 14 days following the contest -- August 20 at 1800 UTC in the case of this
year's event.


AMSAT 2017 Space Symposium Issues First Call for Papers: AMSAT-NA is seeking
papers and poster presentation for its 2017 AMSAT Annual Meeting and Space
Symposium, set for October 27-29 at the Silver Legacy Resort in Reno, Nevada.
Proposals for papers, symposium presentations, and poster presentations are
invited on any topic of interest to the Amateur Radio satellite community.
AMSAT requests tentative presentation titles as soon as possible. Papers must
be submitted by October 6 for inclusion in the printed proceedings. Send
abstracts and papers to Dan Schultz, N8FGV. -- Thanks to AMSAT News Service


One Radio Amateur is Part of New Crew Increment Heading to ISS: European Space
Agency (ESA) Astronaut Paolo Nespoli, IZ0JPA, NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik, and
 Russian cosmonaut Sergey Ryazanskiy will head to the International Space
Station (ISS) on July 28. They will launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome in
Kazakhstan. The Expedition 52/53 crew will spend more than 4 months together
aboard the orbital complex before returning to Earth in December. After
launching in their Soyuz MS-05 spacecraft, the trio will travel for 6 hours
before docking. Once the hatches between the Soyuz and ISS open, Expedition 52
Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin, RN3FI, and Flight Engineers Peggy Whitson,
ex-KC5ZTD, and Jack Fischer, K2FSH, will welcome the new crew members aboard.
Their arrival will double the population of the ISS. Expedition 52 will
continue work on hundreds of experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical
science, and Earth science aboard the ISS, NASA said.


Arecibo Observatory Ionospheric Heating Campaign Under Way: Arecibo Observatory
 in Puerto Rico is conducting an ionospheric heating campaign July 24-31, using
 HF. "The new Arecibo ionosphere HF heater nominally transmits 600 kW net power
 and has a unique Cassegrain dual-array antenna design that increases gain of
three crossed dipoles for each band, using the signature 1,000-foot spherical
dish reflector," explained Chris Fallen, KL3WX, a researcher at the University
of Alaska-Fairbanks HAARP facility. Arecibo was expected to use 5.125 and 8.175
 MHz, depending upon ionospheric conditions. On July 25, Arecibo was
transmitting on 5.095 MHz. Campaign HF transmissions will be aimed directly
upward, "so this is an excellent opportunity to observe NVIS from a powerful
transmitter in Puerto Rico," Fallen suggested.

____________________________________________________________________________


Getting It Right!

In "Many Special Events Will Be on the Air to Mark the Total Solar Eclipse in
August," in the July 20 edition of The ARRL Letter, a location was incorrect.
The Southern Illinois University Amateur Radio Club (SIUARC) solar eclipse
special event station W9S, August 18-22, will operate from Carbondale,
Illinois.

____________________________________________________________________________


The K7RA Solar Update

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: All of the indicators we track fell last
week. Because there were no sunspots in 6 of the 7 days in the July 20-26
reporting period, the average daily sunspot number dropped from 26.6 to 1.7.
Average daily solar flux declined from 85.9 to 69.7. Average daily planetary A
index dropped from 13 to 11.9, while the mid-latitude A index went the opposite
 direction, from 10.9 to 12.9.

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 * Origin:  (1:3634/12.73)