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The ARRL Letter

October 12, 2017
Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME

 *  Vice President Visits "Force of 50," Red Cross Invites Volunteers to
    Extend Stay
 *  ARRL Expresses Gratitude for Outpouring of Ham Aid Donations
 *  Ham Radio Bridging the Gap in Wildfire-Stricken California
 *  Hurricane Nets Activate for Nate
 *  The Doctor Will See You Now!
 *  ARRL Headquarters Welcomes New Communication Manager Dave Isgur
 *  ARRL Foundation Accepting Scholarship Applications
 *  FCC Affirms Huge Fine in New York Interference Case
 *  JOTA/JOTI Report More Than 2,500 Registered for October 20-22 Event
 *  In Brief...
 *  The K7RA Solar Update
 *  Just Ahead in Radiosport
 *  Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions

____________________________________________________________________________


Vice President Visits "Force of 50," Red Cross Invites Volunteers to Extend
Stay

Vice President Mike Pence visited "Force of 50" volunteers and emergency
responders at the Puerto Rico Emergency Operations Center (PREOC) in San Juan's
 Convention Center on October 6. "He gave a very motivating speech, and our
very own Gary Sessums, KC5QCN, shook his hand," volunteer Valerie Hotzfeld,
NV9L, reported.

The American Red Cross (ARC) this week invited the Amateur Radio volunteers now
 in Puerto Rico to extend their duty tours. Members of the "Force of 50"
deployed to Puerto Rico at the start of the month, all as ARC volunteers. ARRL
Emergency Preparedness Manager Mike Corey, KI1U, joined the cadre of volunteers
 last week and hit the ground running. Nearly 2 dozen ARRL volunteers from the
mainland and numerous local radio amateurs have been working in concert over
the past couple of weeks, doing what needs to be done to help Puerto Rico to
recover from hurricane devastation.

Puerto Rico Section Emergency Coordinator Juan Sepulveda, KP3CR, is better
prepared to assist, now that volunteers have delivered a radio and antenna to
him in Lares. "This now gives us a local ham covering the Lares Medical Center
and the hospital, so our ARRL American Red Cross Amateur Radio operator can
cover the Casteñel hospital nearby," ARC volunteer Valerie Hotzfeld, NV9L,
noted in a team update. Sepulveda has been coordinating the ARES efforts on the
 west side of the island since the recovery began.

Amateur Radio has continued to provide a link for the medical community in
Puerto Rico. Volunteers have deployed to hospitals, including remote hospitals
that are without communication.

This week, the team relayed a request for Culebra Hospital, which reported that
 a generator fire had forced relocation to a nearby clinic. In addition,
volunteers relayed a request from Culebra Hospital that it needs temporary
housing from FEMA for necessary staff members who lost their homes in the
hurricane. The team also relayed a message for Hima San Pablo Hospital in
Fajardo, which needed specialized IV fluids for a 4-day-old infant.

Rob Landon, KE8AMC, stationed at the hospital on Vieques, learned from the
hospital administrator that they needed to evacuate dialysis patients, who
require air conditioning that the hospital is unable to provide. "We made their
 day," said Hotzfeld. "They were not aware of our presence and were impressed
with our communications capabilities."

An Amateur Radio operator has been assigned at Centro Medico (Medical Central)
to provide communication between the center and other hospitals. "This happened
 just in time, because the Menonita (Mennonite) Hospital in Caguas had both
generators fail," Hotzfeld said. The emergency room doctor at Medical Central
and the ham embedded there, Juan Trujillo, N0PSF, coordinated with Dennis
Perez, WP4Q, at the Mennonite Hospital in Caguas to transfer four critical
patients to the Mennonite Hospital in Cayey.

Volunteers at the EOC relayed a request from Guayana Hospital for snacks,
water, and a generator. Their second generator was reported to be about to
fail. They also relayed requests from hospitals for fuel and water, and they
provided communication for fire departments contacting the EOC.

A dozen or so volunteers continue to handle traffic and relays from the EOC.
The Red Cross deployed five radio operators to provide communication for its
reunification teams. Safe and Well data collection continues at Red Cross
shelters, and reunification work involves going out into areas that have no
communication. The Amateur Radio operators on the island also passed a
substantial volume of health-and-welfare traffic.

Efforts continue toward resurrecting the devastated electrical power
infrastructure in Puerto Rico, and 40 to 50 Puerto Rican radio amateurs have
been assisting the power authority to maintain communication as it works to
restore power.

Hotzfeld; Puerto Rico Section Manager Oscar Resto, KP4RF; Corey, and Amateur
Radio liaison to the FEMA ESF-2 Communications Task Force Gary Sessums, KC5QCN,
 traveled to Arecibo, Lares, and the Guajataca Dam to deliver bottled water as
well as spare VHF radios to permit direct communication between Isabela and the
 dam, where infrastructure repairs are under way. A repeater has been delivered
 to Arecibo Observatory.

Several team members stocked up on powdered milk, peanut butter, water, rice,
canned fruits and vegetables, and bags of fresh apples, and delivered these to
people in the Arecibo area.

The fire station in Guayama reported a complete lack of water, with people
being turned away. One of the Amateur Radio volunteers was able to assist from
the fire station in Juncos.

Volunteer Joe Bassett, W1WCN, worked via relay with local operator Al
Medina-Ramirez, NP3MR, to reestablish contact with an Army task force on
Vieques Island. Army MARS operators were unable to get in touch with the task
force dispatched to assist the island's hospital. Medina-Ramirez responded to a
 call from W1WCN to travel to the hospital and contact the task force, which
was found safe and well and awaiting transport via helicopter, which had been
delayed due to the weather.

Amateur Radio operators at the EOC assisted Samaritan's Purse in providing a
generator to power a repeater near Jayuya. Contact was provided to have local
radio amateur WP4PNS meet Samaritan's Purse personnel to exchange the
generator.

FEMA has reported that only about 19% of cell telephone sites are operational,
and 15% of customers have electrical power. The Salvation Team Emergency Radio
Network (SATERN) stood down on October 11. -- Thanks to ARRL Puerto Rico SM
Oscar Resto, KP4RF; Valerie Hotzfeld, NV9L; ESF-2 Amateur Radio Liaison Gary
Sessums, KC5QCN, and National SATERN Liaison Bill Feist, WB8BZH

____________________________________________________________________________


ARRL Expresses Gratitude for Outpouring of Ham Aid Donations

ARRL thanks the Amateur Radio community for its generosity in support of the
ARRL Ham Aid Fund, which is making it possible to provide relief and recovery
communications in Puerto Rico. Overall, there have been more than 600 donations
 to the Ham Aid program in response to a call from ARRL President Rick
Roderick, K5UR, and nearly $125,000 has come in from clubs and individuals.
Several Amateur Radio retailers and manufacturers also have stepped up to
donate needed equipment. Roderick said he was amazed at the overwhelming
response, including those who answered his call to join the "Force of 50" now
deployed in Puerto Rico.

"The Amateur Radio community really came together in providing donations of
equipment, funding, and personnel in response to the great need in Puerto
Rico," Roderick said. "The scale of these efforts and the response is making
history. This has got to be one of Amateur Radio's greatest moments. Our
sincere thanks go to all involved."

The list of those offering their generosity and support is long and growing.
Contributors include International Amateur Radio Union Region 2 (IARU R2),
which donated two Ham Aid kits in addition to a monetary donation; the Yasme
Foundation, which made a monetary contribution to the Ham Aid Fund and donated
critical equipment, and the Northern California DX Foundation (NCDXF).
Donations also came from the Orlando Amateur Radio Club (OARC) and from Orlando
 HamCation(R).

Amateur Radio dealers and retailers have made in-kind donations. Quicksilver
Radio (QSR) has contributed antennas and accessories, Radiowavz has provided
antennas, and Heil Sound Ltd. has donated headsets with cables. Other corporate
 and retail in-kind contributors include ABR Industries, AT&T, Icom America,
Yaesu, Ham Radio Outlet (HRO), and DX Engineering.

Monetary donations also have arrived from the CW Operators Club (CWops); the
SouthEastern DX and Contesting Organization (SEDCO), sponsor of W4DXCC; the
Northern California Contest Club (NCCC); the Fort Myers Amateur Radio Club
(FMARC); the Wahkiakum Amateur Radio Club; the North Shore Radio Club (NSARC),
and the Steel City Amateur Radio Club (W3KWH).

Ham Aid was created in 2005 in response to the need for equipment and resources
 to support the Amateur Radio response to hurricanes in the US and the
Caribbean, and Ham Aid kits are in use throughout Puerto Rico for the Hurricane
 Maria relief and recovery effort.

Ham Aid equipment will be needed for future disasters. "Your donation to Ham
Aid will help us now, and contributions to Ham Aid are 100% tax deductible,"
President Roderick said.

You can donate online (select "Ham Aid" from the Donation Form list), or by
mail by printing a donation form and mailing it with your check payable to
ARRL, noting "Ham Aid" on the memo line, to ARRL, 225 Main St., Newington, CT
06111 USA.

____________________________________________________________________________


Ham Radio Bridging the Gap in Wildfire-Stricken California

More than a dozen wildfires in Northern California have damaged or destroyed
cellular telephone and internet infrastructure in some areas, and Amateur Radio
 has helped to fill the communication gap. Mendocino County Sheriff Thomas
Allman told news media on Tuesday, October 10, that damage to cell towers and
fiber optic telephone and computer lines had left officials relying on Amateur
Radio operators to communicate with area hospitals.

ARRL contacted Robin Carter, a resident of the Willits area in Mendocino
County, who confirmed that ham radio operators were, until midweek, stationed
at all North County hospitals and large nursing homes, supplementing the
county's emergency communication system. She said cell and landline telephone
service had been knocked out at her home, along with the fiber optic internet
connection, although the family has satellite internet. She said internet
service was at least temporarily restored on Wednesday.

Her husband Mike Carter, KC6MGM, a Mendocino County Community Emergency
Response Team (CERT) volunteer, had, until Wednesday, been staffing a station
at Howard Memorial Hospital in Willits for 12 hours a day.

Radio amateurs also assisted with communication at Ukiah Valley Medical Center
in Ukiah; Northbrook Nursing Home in Willits; the Mendocino Coast Hospital in
Fort Bragg, and Red Cross shelters at Ukiah High School and Willits High
School, Robin Carter said.

The Redwood Complex Fire, the northernmost of the fires, was responsible for
the Mendocino County outages. The Atlas Fire in Solano and Napa counties is the
 largest and most disastrous wildfire. It covers more than 42,300 acres and was
 only 3% contained as of October 11.

In Sonoma County, Sonoma County Radio Amateurs (SCRA) has been conducting an
ARES Fire Watch Net to relay fire and emergency information on its repeater.
Auxiliary Communication Service (ACS) Radio Officer Dan Ethen, WA6CRB, said a
controlled Sonoma County Fire and Emergency Services RACES/ACS net is also
active. In Solano County, radio amateurs are reported to be supporting shelter
operations.

The fast-moving, wind-driven blazes -- 18 large fires in all, according to FEMA
 -- have driven thousands from their homes, killed at least 2 dozen people, and
 destroyed more than 1,300 homes. FEMA said the fires cover some 150,000 acres
in all. Some towns have been virtually leveled. Most of the wildfires are
clustered around Santa Rosa, north of San Francisco. According to FEMA, some
106,000 residents are under mandatory evacuation orders, more than 36,500 homes
 are threatened, and 59 Red Cross and independent shelters are open with 5,117
evacuees.

A state of emergency exists in Napa, Sonoma, Butte, Lake, Solano, Mendocino,
Nevada, Orange, and Yuba counties. The California Emergency Operations Center
is partially activated.

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection mobile communications
centers (MCCs) are equipped with Amateur Radio stations, but it's not known if
any hams have been deployed on any MCCs in the field for the current spate of
wildfires.

____________________________________________________________________________


Hurricane Nets Activate for Nate

The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) and the VoIP Hurricane Net activated for
Hurricane Nate last weekend. Both stood down on October 8.

"Nate spared the New Orleans area any significant wind damage and storm-surge
flooding, but pockets of tree and wire damage and wind gusts to hurricane force
 were recorded in parts of Mississippi and offshore oil platforms in the
Louisiana coastal waters," said VoIP Hurricane Net Director of Operations Rob
Macedo, KD1CY. "Storm surge values of 3-7 feet were recorded in portions of
southern Alabama, southern Mississippi, and extreme southeast Louisiana."

Nate was downgraded to a tropical storm after making a second landfall near
Biloxi, Mississippi. During a 14-hour net activation, HWN members collected and
 forwarded ground-truth weather data from numerous reporting stations across
the northern Gulf to the National Hurricane Center. "2017 has been a tough year
 for land-falling hurricanes," HWN Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, said, noting
that the Atlantic hurricane season continues through November 30.

Macedo said some pockets of structural damage were recorded in parts of
Mississippi and Alabama from higher wind gusts in severe thunderstorms or
possibly tornado activity. One tornado was spotted in Orange Beach, Alabama, by
 an Amateur Radio operator who was in the area, he said.

____________________________________________________________________________


The Doctor Will See You Now!

"Dirty Transmitters" is the topic of the new (October 12) 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.

____________________________________________________________________________


ARRL Headquarters Welcomes New Communication Manager Dave Isgur

This week, ARRL Headquarters welcomed Dave Isgur, who will be the League's
Communication Manager. A Boston-area native and 1979 graduate of Boston
University with a bachelor's degree in journalism and a minor in economics, he
brings to ARRL a rich background in journalism and public relations. Expect him
 to have a call sign after his name in the near future.

"I am enjoying it here and have found everyone to be very friendly and
welcoming," Isgur said. "I am working on my ham radio license and have had an
interest in Amateur Radio, as I have a few friends who are ham radio
operators."

He joins the HQ staff after 19 years as the director of media relations at the
University of Hartford, where he served as the university's chief spokesperson
and wrote articles for alumni publications and student and faculty profiles for
 the school's website. A highlight of his time there came in 2015, when
President Barack Obama spoke on campus, and Isgur had the opportunity to work
with the White House on media relations for the event.

Before that, Isgur worked for nearly 20 years as a reporter and editor at a
variety of publications throughout New England. That included a stint in the
1990s when he was managing editor -- and later editor -- of Hartford Business
Journal. He had first arrived in Hartford in 1990, to launch and manage a news
bureau in Connecticut's capital for the Reuters International wire service.

"Working for a wire service taught me a lot about how to craft tightly written
stories under intense deadline pressures," Isgur recalled.

He has earlier experience writing for journals targeting the insurance,
banking, and real estate professions, and he was a reporter at general
circulation weekly newspapers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine.

Isgur said he's a diehard fan of the Boston Red Sox as well as of horror-genre
novelist Stephen King, and mystery and science fiction novels.

____________________________________________________________________________


ARRL Foundation Accepting Scholarship Applications

The ARRL Foundation Scholarship program is now accepting applications from
eligible applicants. The deadline to submit applications is January 31, 2018.
All applicants must be FCC-licensed radio amateurs, and many scholarships have
other specific requirements, such as intended area of study, ARRL Division,
Section, or state, and license class.

This year, the Foundation Board of Directors is offering several new
scholarships. These include The Old Man International Sideband Society
Scholarship; The K6GO Gale Olson and NA6MB Mike Bender Scholarship; The Harry
A. Hodges, W6YOO, Scholarship; the Medical Amateur Radio Council (MARCO)
Scholarship, and The Ladies Amateur Radio Association of Orange County
Scholarship.

Applicants should review all scholarship descriptions and check off the ones
for which they are eligible. More information is on the ARRL Foundation
Scholarship Program page.

____________________________________________________________________________


FCC Affirms Huge Fine in New York Interference Case

The FCC has affirmed a huge fine of more than $400,000 on Jay Peralta, a
Queens, New York, man who has admitted to making unauthorized transmissions on
New York City Police Department (NYPD) radio frequencies, maliciously
interfering with officers' communications. The FCC had sent Peralta a Notice of
 Apparent Liability (NAL) last April 14. Peralta, 20, is alleged to have
transmitted false bomb threats, false claims of criminal activity involving
firearms, false distress calls from purported NYPD officers, and threats
against individual NYPD officers. The unauthorized transmissions began in 2016,
 according to the FCC.

"Mr. Peralta has not filed a response to the NAL," the FCC said in an October
10 Forfeiture Order (FO). "Based on the information before us, we find no
reason to cancel, withdraw, or reduce the proposed penalty, and we therefore
assess the $404,166 forfeiture the Commission previously proposed in the NAL."

The FCC has calculated the precise forfeiture at $404,166.

The FCC said the transmissions occurred from April through August 2016. The
NYPD subsequently provided the FCC with a written statement by Peralta, who is
currently in custody pending trial for related charges, in which he
acknowledged making nine unauthorized transmissions on the NYPD radio system,
the FCC said.

____________________________________________________________________________


JOTA/JOTI Report More Than 2,500 Registered for October 20-22 Event

Scouting's Jamboree-on-the-Air (JOTA) / Jamboree-on-the-Internet (JOTI) report
that more than 2,500 have signed up to take part in the 2017 event over the
October 20-22 weekend. This is the 60th JOTA, and there is still time to
register.

For those getting on the air, a Scout Station Scheduling site is available, as
is a Scout Camps on the Air (SCOTA) page to register your own station and
arrange contacts.

Two Echolink conference nodes have been designated for Scout contacts --
*JOTA-365* (node 480809) and *JAMBO* (node 832996).

More Scout frequency information, including D-STAR, DMR, and IRLP, is available
 on the K2BSA website. JOTA organizers point out that these are only suggested
frequencies. "Crowded conditions, including contests, will no doubt require
that you move a few kilohertz up or down," said JOTA Coordinator Jim Wilson,
K5ND.

JOTA participating stations should take special care to avoid conflicting with
any emergency response traffic activity under way in the Caribbean. In general,
 steer clear of any net traffic you might encounter.

A potential conflict exists between PSK and the new FT8 mode on 18.100 MHz, the
 frequency recommended for both modes. FT8 is the predominant activity at 18.1
MHz right now, and JOTA organizers suggest looking for PSK contacts on either
side of 18.100.

____________________________________________________________________________


In Brief...

ARRL Executive Committee to Meet October 14 in Connecticut: The ARRL Executive
Committee of the Board of Directors will meet on Saturday, October 14. ARRL
President Rick Roderick, K5UR, will chair
the session, which will hear reports from officers and the general counsel.
Topping the agenda are FCC regulatory matters, including a review of
enforcement issues and concerns, as well as open items with no FCC action since
 the July 2017 Board meeting. The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2017 (HR 555)
will be the focus when the discussion turns to legislative matters. The
Executive Committee will hear a status report. The Committee will review
pending action items including work in progress by committees, among them the
Amateur Auxiliary Study Ad Hoc Committee, and will develop a plan to implement
the recommendations of the Entry Level License Committee. The Committee also
will recognize new ARRL Life Members. The Executive Committee is tasked by the
ARRL Bylaws to address League matters between regular Board meetings.


Noted Micronesian Radio Amateur Albert Haped, V63YAH: Albert Haped, V63YAH, of
Ulithi Atoll, Miocronesia, died on October 3. An ARRL member, he was 64. Haped
had been one of the "people on the other end" of daily contacts to the
Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) that recipients of the ARRL International
Humanitarian of the Year John Bush, KH6DLK/V63JB; Barbara Darling, NH7FY, and
Richard Darling, AH7G, make almost daily. He was an island chief of Mangyang
Island, one of the islands surrounding Ulithi Atoll. Before retiring, Haped was
 a teacher at Federai Elementary School. Haped was active during the recent
Typhoon Maysak that hit FSM, especially during the recovery.


School Club Roundup Participants Reminded to Tune Clear of Any Caribbean Relief
 Nets: Participants in the ARRL School Club Roundup (SCR) are being reminded
that Caribbean traffic nets associated with the hurricane recovery effort may
be active on 80, 40, and 20 meters. Several formal and informal
traffic-handling operations have been active on 14.255 and 14.275 MHz, as well
as on 7.182 and 7.188 MHz, and in the high end of the CW subband on 40 meters,
where Caribbean stations may operate on SSB. While stations on the US mainland
may not be able to hear them, they can hear us in the US. Listen first and, if
you're asked to move or told you're causing interference, please find another
frequency.

____________________________________________________________________________


The K7RA Solar Update

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