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The ARRL Letter

September 7, 2017
Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME

 *  Amateur Radio Preparations Ramp Up as Irma Strengthens to Category 5
 *  FCC Technological Advisory Council Investigating Technical Regulations
 *  More Professional and Citizen Research Suggests Eclipse Briefly Affected
    HF Propagation
 *  New "Pre-Release" Version of WSJT-X Includes FT8 Changes
 *  Peggy Whitson, ex-KC5ZTD, Breaks Cumulative Time-in-Space Record
 *  NASA Invites CubeSat Launch Initiative Applications
 *  Route 66 Special Event Set for September 9-17
 *  In Brief...
 *  The K7RA Solar Update
 *  Just Ahead in Radiosport
 *  Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions

____________________________________________________________________________


Amateur Radio Preparations Ramp Up as Irma Strengthens to Category 5

Hurricane Irma -- the most powerful hurricane in more than a decade to threaten
 the Atlantic coast -- has been making its way through the Caribbean with the
likelihood of affecting Florida by late this weekend. Evacuations already were
under way by midweek in several Florida counties. The National Hurricane Center
 (NHC) has called Irma "an extremely dangerous category 5 hurricane."
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 50 miles from the storm's center.

The NHC has warned that the combination of a life-threatening storm surge and
large, breaking waves will cause above-normal tides and flood normally dry
areas near the coast. Rainfall of up to 15 inches or -- in isolated instances
-- 20 inches has been predicted.

W1AW at ARRL HQ will be in monitoring mode through Saturday and will activate
on Sunday. Ham Aid equipment has been deployed to the West Central Florida
Section, where ARES teams in at least three counties are ready to support
shelter communication.

The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) activated on September 5, and by mid-week was
watching three hurricanes -- Category 5 Irma; Category 1 José, following behind
 Irma, and Category 1 Katia in the Gulf of Mexico.

"It now looks like the Hurricane Watch Net will be working on two land-falling
hurricanes," said HWN Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV. "Over the next few days,
Irma will affect Hispaniola, Cuba, the Bahamas, and Florida."

"José could affect the northern Leeward Islands Saturday or Sunday as a
Category 2 Hurricane. Katia is forecast to make landfall on the coast of Mexico
 as a Category 2 Hurricane late Friday evening or early Saturday morning.

The HWN's primary frequency is 14.325 MHz, and its nighttime frequency is 7.268
 MHz, although the net could operate on both frequencies simultaneously. Graves
 said the net, which marks its 52nd anniversary this week, would remain in
continuous operation until further notice.

The VoIP Hurricane Net activated on September 5 -- as did WX4NHC at the NHC.
Both the HWN and the VoIP Hurricane Network relay hurricane "ground-truth"
information via WX4NHC to the NHC to assist forecasters. Any Amateur Radio
operators in the affected area of Irma or with relays into the affected area of
 Irma are asked to provide surface and damage reports into the VoIP Hurricane
Net for relay into WX4NHC.

SKYWARN Nets active as Irma moves through the Caribbean can pass reports to the
 VoIP Hurricane Net for relay into WX4NHC and are asked to designate a net
liaison or connect directly to the *WX_TALK* EchoLink conference node:
7203/IRLP 9219. Stations on AllStar can connect to the EchoLink side of the
system by dialing *033007203.

IARU Region 2 Emergency Coordinator Cesar Pio Santos, HR2P, compiled a list of
emergency frequencies, subject to change, for use in the Caribbean in
anticipation of Hurricane Irma. Radio amateurs not involved with the emergency
should avoid these frequencies.

 *  Puerto Rico: 3.803, 3.808, 7.188 MHz. Radio amateurs in Puerto Rico also
    will cooperate with the HWN on 7.268 and 14.325 MHz.

 *  Cuba: Days, 7.110 MHz (primary) and 7.120 MHz (secondary); Provincial
    Net -- 7.045, 7.080 MHz, and on other lower frequencies as necessary.
    Nights, 3.740 MHz (primary) and 3.720 MHz (secondary), and on other
    lower frequencies as necessary.

 *  Dominican Republic: 3.873 MHz (primary), 3.815 MHz (secondary), 7.182
    MHz (primary), 7.255 MHz (secondary); 14.330 MHz (primary), 21.360 MHz
    (primary), 28.330 MHz (primary).

 *  Caribbean Emergency and Weather Net (CEWN): 3.815 MHz and 7.162 MHz
    (when necessary). The net has activated continuously until the hurricane
    passes through.

The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) encouraged its
operators to start monitoring the HWN. On Wednesday, September 6, the
International SATERN SSB Net moved to a Delta II (extended monitoring) status
from 1400 until 2300 UTC. SATERN National Liaison Bill Feist, WB8BZH, said that
 schedule could hold through the end of the week. Stations on the net will seek
 information on emergency, priority, or health-and-welfare traffic, situation
and hurricane damage, and communication disruptions. SATERN will not accept
health-and-welfare inquiries.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that several FEMA
Regions would activate the 5 MHz/60-meter interoperability frequencies in
support of a possible response to Hurricane Irma. Direct communication between
federal and amateur stations is permitted. FEMA stations are:

 *  Region 1 -- KF1EMA
 *  Region 2 -- KF2EMA (includes Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands)
 *  Region 3 -- KF3EMA
 *  Region 4 -- KF4EMA
 *  Region 6 -- KF6EMA
 *  Maynard MERS -- NF1EMA
 *  Thomasville MERS -- NF4EMA
 *  Denton MERS -- NF6EMA

These suppressed-carrier reference frequencies -- also known as dial
frequencies or window frequencies -- 5330.5 kHz (voice), 5346.5 kHz (data),
5357.0 kHz, 5371.5 kHz, and 5403.5 kHz, may be used as part of the event. The
FEMA point of contact is Dave Adsit, KG4BIR, FEMA Spectrum Manager, (540)
272-4605.

The FCC Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) reminded licensees this week
that FCC rules address operation during emergencies. "These rules allow
licensees to provide emergency communications during a period of emergency in a
 manner or configuration not specified in the station authorization or in the
rules governing such stations," the FCC said. The FCC contact for Part 97
(Amateur Service) rules is Mike Regiec, (717) 338-2603. During non-business
hours, contact the FCC Operations Center, (202) 418-1122.

Updates on storm-related Amateur Radio activity are posted on the ARRL
Hurricane Irma page.

____________________________________________________________________________


FCC Technological Advisory Council Investigating Technical Regulations

The FCC Technological Advisory Council (TAC) is looking into FCC technical
regulations to determine if reforms or changes might be in order. Greg Lapin,
N9GL, represents ARRL on the TAC and chairs the ARRL RF Safety Committee. The
FCC Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) announced the TAC public inquiry
 (ET Docket 17-215), which seeks comments by October 30 regarding technical
regulations and the process for adopting and updating them.

"To more effectively ensure that its rules keep pace with the rapidly changing
technology in communications, the FCC has asked its Technological Advisory
Council to help identify FCC technical rules that are obsolete or may be ripe
for change in light of current communications technologies," the OET said in an
 August 31 Public Notice.

Made up of technological experts in various areas -- some of them radio
amateurs -- who advise the FCC in technical matters, the TAC is gathering
feedback from users and vendors of communications technology affected by
technical rules.

"Some technical rules may no longer be applicable to modern communications
equipment," the Public Notice said. "Rules that describe the operation of
certain technologies may no longer be necessary, as those technologies are
obsolete. Data reporting requirements for technical operations, which help the
FCC to determine how effectively the communications environment is being
utilized and also how communications entities are complying with the current
laws, may no longer be necessary."

On the other hand, the OET said, some communications users may feel that
certain existing regulations protect their operations and should not be
removed.

In addition to seeking comment on specific regulations, the TAC is looking for
input on how the regulatory process could be made more efficient and timely.
The TAC plans to concentrate on issues of a technical nature and is looking for
 responses related to specific rules that should be considered for removal,
retention, or change, and discuss the rationale behind each proposal.

Interested parties may file comments until October 30, using the Commission's
Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS).

For more information, contact Greg Lapin, N9GL, or TAC working group FCC
liaison Walter Johnston.

____________________________________________________________________________


More Professional and Citizen Research Suggests Eclipse Briefly Affected HF
Propagation

Both professional and citizen scientists conducted formal and informal
investigations into the effect of the August 21 solar eclipse on HF radio
propagation. Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, of HamSCI, has said it will take some
time to get a more scientific analysis of data that was compiled during the
Solar Eclipse QSO Party. He and others are investigating whether the sudden
absence of sunlight during the eclipse -- and especially of solar ultra-violet
and x-rays -- would briefly change the properties of the upper atmosphere.

Professional ionospheric researcher Dr. Phil Erickson, W1PJE, head of the
Atmospheric Sciences Group at MIT's Haystack Observatory, said he can say
categorically that there was a definite, large, and measurable effect in the
ionosphere from the eclipse.

"We saw a 2X reduction in electron density during the eclipse for at least 45
minutes to 1 hour," Erickson told ARRL. "This reduction had direct impacts on
HF propagation along the bottom side." Erickson said many models and
observations exist from previous eclipses that demonstrate these effects.
Erickson said MIT researchers used a "megawatt-class Thomson scatter radar,"
which can directly measure the plasma state of the ionosphere, including
electron density, across a huge area in the eastern US.

"Scientists in the worldwide space physics community will be using these and
many other eclipse observations to learn more about our ionosphere, space
weather, and its effects on navigation and communication signals including
Amateur Radio," Erickson said. He has shared his data with the HamSCI team.

Bob Reif, W1XP, was in southeastern North Carolina where the eclipse totality
was about 97% with two radios running multiple bands of WSPR. "Lots of data to
look at," he said, "but what jumped out was that at almost the exact time of
maximum coverage of the sun at this location, 160 meters opened for about 30
minutes and then closed down again until the normal gray line. So, the D layer
responded to the shadow of the Moon to some extent."

Gene Greneker, K4MOG, in Georgia told ARRL that his own eclipse experiment
"worked out rather well." He set up an RFSpace NetSDR receiver at his location,
 locked to a 10 MHz GPS standard and tuned to WWV on 15 MHz. "The NetSDR
provides in-phase and quadrature components of the WWV signal, which allows
relative signal phase to be reconstructed from recorded data," Greneker
explained in a more-detailed account. "Signal phase-vector rotation change was
chosen to indicate totality arrival, because phase is very sensitive to any
change in propagation path length, possibly caused by ionospheric movement, up
or down. Solar presence or absence can cause vertical ionospheric movement."

Gene Greneker, K4MOG, said as the path of totality moved toward the southeast,
solar radiation began to increase, and the path length decreased as the
ionospheric reflecting point moved downward.

Greneker recording the phase of the 15-MHz WWV signal from 1800 UTC until 1900
UTC on August 21. "Each time the path length changes by 1 wavelength, there is
a 360° change in the phase of the signal," he said. Greneker offset the path of
 totality to the south, running parallel to the path between WWV in Fort
Collins, Colorado, and his location in Atlanta.

Greneker assumed that the reflection point off the ionosphere was south of
Kansas City, and, he said, the minimum dip in the phase record occurred very
close to totality at that location. "At 1809 hours UTC, when the totality point
 was parallel to the midpoint of the propagation path, the path length
increased from zero wavelengths to 157 wavelengths, or 3,140 meters, during the
 intervening 9 minutes," he reported. As totality moved southeast, solar
radiation began to increase and the path length decreases as the ionospheric
reflecting point moves downward.

Bob Skaggs, KB5RX, told ARRL he spent about 4 hours in the central part of
Mission Valley, Montana, listening to conversations on various 20-meter
frequencies with a low antenna. "At maximum of the eclipse, the propagation
went almost to nothing for maybe about 15 or 20 minutes," he said. "As the
eclipse receded, signals came back up." Skaggs tried 17 meters for 5 minutes at
 1800 UTC and heard "no signals at all."

He also said the local animal population responded to the eclipse as if evening
 were approaching.

____________________________________________________________________________


New "Pre-Release" Version of WSJT-X Includes FT8 Changes

A new "pre-release" version of WSJT-X now is available. This is the Amateur
Radio digital software suite developed by Joe Taylor, K1JT, that includes the
increasingly popular FT8 mode. The September 2 release, WSJT-X version
1.8.0-rc2, fixes a number of issues, provides better performance, and offers
some new features.

"Implementation of FT8 and its auto-sequencing feature is now more capable and
more polished," Taylor said in the release notes. "The decoder is faster and
better. It now includes signal subtraction, multi-pass decoding, and the use of
 accumulated 'a priori' information as a QSO progresses. Sensitivity extends
downward as far as -24 dB in some circumstances."

Taylor said that overlapping signals "two and three deep" are frequently
decoded at essentially the same frequency, and on a crowded band "we sometimes
see more than 30 decodes in a single 15-second interval over a 2 kHz window."
In addition, the North American VHF Contesting Mode has been expanded to
include both FT8 and MSK144 modes, and the WSJT-X User Guide has been
extensively updated.

"Depending on what code revision you upgrade from, it may be necessary to do a
one-time reset of the default list of suggested operating frequencies," Taylor
pointed out. Some new features have been discussed in the WSJT Meteor Scatter
and Weak Signal Group.

Digital modes such as JT65 and FT8 require that your computer's internal time
clock be set precisely. If your computer's clock is off by more than 1 or 2
seconds, contacts may be difficult or impossible. Internet time synchronization
 may be sufficient. The WSJT-X documentation recommends using Meinberg NTP on
Windows machines to synchronize with internet time servers.

Logbook of The World (LoTW) now supports the upload of FT8 contacts after a
TQSL configuration file update, which was released shortly after the mid-August
 debut of the new ADIF standard (version 3.0.6) with support for FT8. -- Thanks
 to the ARRL Contest Update

____________________________________________________________________________


Peggy Whitson, ex-KC5ZTD, Breaks Cumulative Time-in-Space Record

President Donald Trump welcomed NASA astronauts Peggy Whitson, ex-KC5ZTD, and
Jack Fischer, K2FSH, as they returned to Houston on September 3 following
6-month stints on board the International Space Station (ISS). Whitson, a
veteran space traveler, broke the record among US astronauts -- and women
worldwide -- for the most cumulative time in space. Whitson, Fischer, and
Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, RN3FI, landed in Kazakhstan on Saturday
after traveling from the ISS in a Russian Soyuz transporter. Trump spoke with
Whitson and Fischer as they were en route by NASA plane to Johnson Space
Center's Ellington Field.

"I want to congratulate Peggy and Jack for their incredible accomplishments.
They make us all very proud," Trump said. "Exploration has always been at the
core of who we are as Americans, and their brave contributions to human
spaceflight have continued that great tradition."

Whitson, 55, now holds the record within the NASA corps of astronauts -- 665
days -- for most cumulative time in space, racked up during three long-duration
 missions. She is also the only female astronaut to command the ISS twice and
was the first woman to do so. During her last mission, she was ISS commander
from April 9 through June 1. Whitson also holds multiple spacewalking records.
She was part of the ISS Expedition 5 crew in 2002, which was her first time in
space.

"Peggy is an inspiration to us all," the president said, "especially to young
women interested in or currently pursuing careers in science, technology,
engineering and math."

This was the president's second telephone conversation with the two astronauts.
 On April 24, when Whitson officially set the US record for most cumulative
days in space, Whitson and Fischer received a celebratory phone call from
Trump, his daughter Ivanka, and fellow astronaut Kate Rubins, KG5FYJ.

Acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot thanked the president for reaching
out to Whitson and Fischer. "I want to add my thanks to the teams on the ground
 across the globe, especially in Houston, who are dealing with the aftermath of
 Hurricane Harvey, yet still maintained the focus to get Peggy and Jack home
safely. It is an amazing team," Lightfoot added.

NASA astronauts Joe Acaba, KE5DAR, and Mark Vande Hei, KG5GNP, and cosmonaut
Alexander Misurkin will launch to the ISS aboard the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft
from Kazakhstan on September 12.

____________________________________________________________________________


NASA Invites CubeSat Launch Initiative Applications

NASA has invited accredited education institutions, nonprofit organizations,
and NASA centers to submit applications for the agency's CubeSat Launch
Initiative (CSLI). Applicants must submit proposals by November 21. Educational
 CubeSats often carry Amateur Radio payloads.

"The CSLI provides CubeSat developers with a low-cost pathway to conduct
research in space that advances NASA's strategic goals in the areas of science,
 exploration, technology development, education and operations," the
announcement said. "The initiative allows students, teachers, and faculty to
gain hands-on experience designing, building, and operating these small
research satellites."

To date, NASA has selected 151 CubeSat missions for its CSLI program, and 49 of
 these have been launched into space. NASA has offered a launch opportunities
to 95% of those selected, with 44 scheduled for launch within the next 12
months. The selected CubeSats represent participants from 38 states and 85
unique organizations across the country.

NASA will announce its selections by February 16, 2018, and selection does not
guarantee a launch opportunity. Selected experiments will be considered as
auxiliary payloads on NASA launches or for deployment from the International
Space Station (ISS) starting in 2018 and continuing through 2021. US nonprofit
and accredited educational organizations are responsible for funding the
development of the small satellites.

For this round of the initiative, NASA is particularly interested in
participation from organizations in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and
12 states not previously selected. These states are Delaware, Kansas, Maine,
Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South
Carolina, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

NASA said small satellites like CubeSats play a valuable role in its
exploration, technology, educational, and science investigations, including
planetary exploration, Earth observation, and fundamental Earth and space
science. "They are a cornerstone in the development of cutting-edge NASA
technologies like laser communications, satellite-to-satellite communications,
and autonomous movement," the agency said.

Visit the NASA CSLI web page for additional information.

____________________________________________________________________________


Route 66 Special Event Set for September 9-17

The Citrus Belt Amateur Radio Club of San Bernardino, California will host the
18th annual Route 66 On The Air special event, September 9-17. The event offers
 radio amateurs a chance to perhaps relive their own Route 66 memories and to
celebrate the famed highway's 91st anniversary. Opened in 1926, US Route 66 was
 the first major improved highway to link the west coast with the nation's
heartland; it once served as the backdrop for a popular TV show and has been
the subject of songs and stories. There will be 21 stations -- two of them
"rovers" -- operating in or around the major cities along Route 66 from Santa
Monica, California, to Chicago, Illinois. They will use 1 x 1 W6-prefix special
 event call signs.

The Route 66 special event stations will concentrate activity on these
frequencies: CW -- 3.533, 7.033, 10.110, 14.033, 18.080, 21.033, 24.900,
28.033, and 50.033 MHz; SSB -- 3.866, 7.266, 14.266, 18.164, 21.366, 24.966,
28.466, and 50.166 MHz; Digital -- 3.580, 7.070, 10.140, 14.070, 18.100,
21.070, 24.920, and 28.120 MHz. Some participating clubs will also use VHF and
UHF repeaters.

Radio amateurs who operate while driving on Route 66 may take part in the event
 by using the designations "mobile 66" or "/66" after their call signs.

Each participating club will issue its own commemorative QSL card to celebrate
this event. Certificates are available.

An unrelated Military Vehicle Convoy On-The-Air Route 66 event will take place
from September 16 until October 14. Visit ConvoyOnTheAir.org for operating
details. -- Thanks to Southgate Amateur Radio News via OPDX

____________________________________________________________________________


In Brief...

Estonia, Kenya Join 60-Meter Club: Radio amateurs in Kenya and Estonia now have
 access to a 60-meter band as of September 1. In Estonia, class A and B
licensees will be able to use 5,351.5-5,366.5 kHz at a maximum of 15 W PEP.
They also have the possibility of using the segment 5,370 to 5,450 kHz with a
maximum power of 100 W, but only with special permission and for emergency
communication. Following a request from the Radio Society of Kenya (RSK),
telecommunications regulator Communications Authority Kenya has granted 5,275
to 5,450 kHz on a secondary basis. All modes are permitted with a maximum power
 of 400 W PEP. -- Thanks to Paul Gaskell, G4MWO, editor, The 5 MHz Newsletter


MFJ's Martin Jue, K5FLU, to Keynote W4DXCC DX and Contest Convention: MFJ
founder Martin Jue, K5FLU, will be the special guest speaker at the W4DXCC DX
and Contest Convention, September 22-23, in
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Among presentations on DX and contesting topics, the
convention will offer two forums on operating digital modes such as JT65 and
the new FT8. Hal Kennedy, N4GG, will demonstrate "Blue Lighting," his 500 W
spark transmitter. CWops will sponsor a Morse code copying contest. Register
online. For more information, contact Dave Anderson, K4SV.


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