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The ARRL Letter

November 2, 2017
Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME

 *  American Red Cross Hails "New Partnership" with ARRL Following Puerto
    Rico Deployment
 *  ARRL Executive Committee Updated on Entry-Level License, Amateur
    Auxiliary Revision
 *  The Doctor Will See You Now!
 *  New Digital Modes Changing Complexion of Bands and Perhaps of Ham Radio
 *  Joe Spier, K6WAO, Ascends to AMSAT-NA Presidency, Announces Next CubeSat
    Initiative
 *  630-Meter Special Operating Event on November 11 Commemorates Berlin
    Treaty
 *  HamSCI Workshop Aims to Foster Collaboration between Hams and Space
    Science/Weather Researchers
 *  CQ World Wide SSB Event Inaugurates Fall Contest Season
 *  In Brief...
 *  Getting It Right
 *  The K7RA Solar Update
 *  Just Ahead in Radiosport
 *  Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions

____________________________________________________________________________


American Red Cross Hails "New Partnership" with ARRL Following Puerto Rico
Deployment

The American Red Cross (ARC) this week thanked ARRL and its "Force of 50"
hurricane recovery volunteers who deployed to Puerto Rico earlier this month,
and it suggested a new level of partnership
now exists between the two organizations. ARC Senior Vice President, Disaster
Cycle Services Harvey Johnson this week wrote ARRL President Rick Roderick,
K5UR, and ARRL CEO Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, to express his organization's
gratitude for "all your amazing volunteers for the unwavering commitment
demonstrated during the response to this unprecedented disaster in Puerto
Rico." Johnson said the team's actions "made a significant difference" in the
lives of those affected.

"This mission marked an exciting new path for our two organizations with it
being the first time we deployed ARRL volunteers to a Red Cross relief
operation," Johnson wrote. "I continue to hear incredible stories about how the
 ARRL volunteers supported individuals, communities, and partner organizations
during their time in Puerto Rico." ARRL and the American Red Cross have a
long-standing memorandum of understanding (MOU) to cooperate in emergencies and
 disasters.

"It was a complex cooperation in an austere environment, and the mission
certainly had its challenges," Johnson continued. "While we have much to learn
from this new experience and areas to improve upon, we remain committed to
working with you, ARRL, and your cadre of talented volunteers."

Johnson singled out for special praise ARRL Emergency Response Manager Mike
Corey, KI1U, "for his leadership in planning and managing the mission."

"Mike was fast acting and thoughtful, constantly working to make the mission
effective through transparency and collaboration," Johnson said. "We simply
could not have achieved the outcomes without him."

Johnson said the ARC looks forward to working together with ARRL to "serve
those impacted by disasters."

____________________________________________________________________________


ARRL Executive Committee Updated on Entry-Level License, Amateur Auxiliary
Revision

The ARRL Executive Committee reviewed plans to implement recommendations of the
 Entry Level License Committee, when it met on October 14 in Hartford,
Connecticut. At its July meeting, the ARRL Board of Directors called for work
to go forward on a plan to pursue additional HF digital and phone privileges
for Technician licensees. The Executive Committee was told that New England
Director and Entry-Level License Committee Chair Tom Frenaye, K1KI, will work
with ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, and International Affairs Vice
President Jay Bellows, K0QB, to develop the specifics of a proposal to the FCC
requesting expanded frequency and mode privileges for Technicians. This will be
 completed in time for review by the full Board of Directors at its January
meeting.

Frenaye explained this week that enhancing the Technician license would be "an
immediate step that can take place with little FCC impact, since the question
pool would not need to be changed." He
pointed out, however, that this approach "does not rule out longer-term
consideration of a new entry-level license." The Entry-Level License Committee
had recommended both steps in its July report to the Board.

The Executive Committee also heard a brief report on the work of the ad hoc
Amateur Auxiliary Study Committee, which has prepared the first draft of a new
training manual. The Committee is awaiting feedback from the FCC on a proposed
memorandum of understanding for the Amateur Auxiliary. The chair of the study
panel, ARRL Second Vice President Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT, told the Executive
Committee that several topics related to in-house management of the program
still must be resolved, and the committee hopes to have the revised Amateur
Auxiliary package ready for consideration by the ARRL Board of Directors at its
 January meeting.

The Executive Committee requested the Programs and Services Committee to
undertake an evaluation of all ARRL membership program offerings, in
coordination with the Administration and Finance Committee. The action followed
 a recommendation from ARRL CEO Tom Gallagher, NY2RF. The Programs and Services
 Committee is to report back to the Executive Committee next fall.

In his CEO report, Gallagher highlighted the efforts of the "Force of 50," the
ARRL Amateur Radio volunteers deployed to Puerto Rico, which, he told the
Committee, were assembled and equipped within 48 hours of the initial request
from the American Red Cross for volunteers.

ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, who chaired the meeting, expressed pride in
 the League's efforts to provide hurricane relief to Puerto Rico and requested
that Gallagher relay the Executive Committee's appreciation to the Headquarters
 staff for its efforts to assist with hurricane relief efforts.

Other Business

 *  The Executive Committee directed Gallagher, who serves as its Secretary,
    to call a special meeting of the ARRL Board of Directors this fall to
    consider recommendations from the Ethics and Elections Committee and
    related items.

 *  Executive Committee Member and Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco,
    N2YBB, told the panel that the legislative team is continuing to work
    all avenues to secure passage and implementation of S. 1534, the Amateur
    Radio Parity Act of 2017.

 *  The Committee asked Imlay to work with ARRL resources to develop
    recommendations for possible deregulation of the Amateur Service rules.
    The Technology Advisory Council in August issued a Public Notice
    inviting comments identifying FCC technical rules that may be obsolete
    or ripe for change in light of current communication technologies.

 *  The committee directed Imlay to prepare and file a request for an FCC
    declaratory ruling, asking the Commission to correct discrepancies
    between Part 73, which regulates broadcasting, and Part 97, which
    governs Amateur Radio. ?73.102.7(c) allows a broadcaster to retransmit
    an Amateur Service signal without the licensee's consent. ?97.113(b)
    largely prohibits "any form of broadcasting," and prohibits amateur
    stations from engaging "in any activity related to program production or
    news gathering for broadcasting purposes," except in certain emergency
    situations.

Minutes of the October 14, 2017 meeting of the ARRL Executive Committee have
been posted on the ARRL website.

____________________________________________________________________________


The Doctor Will See You Now!

"QRP" is the topic of the latest 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: "NVIS Propagation."

____________________________________________________________________________


New Digital Modes Changing Complexion of Bands and Perhaps of Ham Radio

The wave of software-based digital modes over the past several years has
altered the atmosphere of the HF bands. Some suggest the popularity of modes
that make it possible to contact stations neither operator can even hear has
resulted in fewer CW and SSB signals on bands like 6 meters and 160 meters.
Traditional modes require far more interaction and effort on the part of the
operator; the newer digital modes, not so much. The recent advent of the
still-beta "quick" FT8 mode, developed by Steve Franke, K9AN, and Joe Taylor,
K1JT -- the "F" and the "T" in the mode's moniker -- has brought this to a
head. Some now wonder if FT8 marks the end of an era and the start of a new,
more minimalist age.

"We've been as surprised as anyone about the rapid uptake of FT8 for making
QSOs on the HF bands," Taylor told ARRL this week. Rather than viewing FT8 as a
 total game-changer, he sees a dividing line between such digital modes and
more traditional modes.

"SSB and CW are general-purpose modes," Taylor asserted. "They are good for
ragchewing, DXing, contesting, emergency communications, or whatever. FT8 and
the other modes in WSJT-X are special-purpose modes. They are designed for
making reliable, error-free contacts using very weak signals -- in particular,
signals that may be too weak for the more traditional modes to be usable, or
even too weak to hear."

Taylor notes that the information exchanged in most FT8, JT65, and other
digital-mode contacts "is little more than the bare minimum for what's
considered to be a valid contact." In addition to call signs and signal
reports, stations may exchange grid squares and acknowledgments.

Radio amateurs recently commented in response to a Top Band Reflector post, in
which Steve Ireland, VK6VZ, averred that because of FT8, "160-meter DXing has
changed, perhaps forever" in recent weeks. Ireland said he downloaded FT8 but
just couldn't bring himself to use it on the air. "My heart isn't in it," he
wrote. "My computer will be talking to someone else's computer, and there will
be no sense of either a particular person's way of sending CW or the tone of
their voice. The human in radio has somehow been lost."

In his blog, Steve McDonald, VE7SL, compiled not only Ireland's posts, but some
 responses to it, although not identified by name or call sign. One commenter
suggested that the game-changing aspect of FT8 is that those who typically
operate CW or SSB will gravitate to FT8. "The amount of activity on the FT8
frequency of any band is phenomenal," the commenter observed. A few complained
that no skill is involved in making contacts using computer-based digital
modes.

Another suggested that FT8 is already falling victim to its own success, with
too many stations crowding around the designated FT8 frequencies. Others were
more philosophical, with remarks along the lines of this one: "It is allowing
people who have smaller stations the opportunity to get on and use their radios
 and a computer to make contacts they never would have been able to make. This
is great for ham radio!"

Taylor would agree. As he sees it, FT8 won't replace modes such as CW or SSB.
"Nevertheless, it's clear that -- at least in the short term -- many hams enjoy
 making rapid-fire minimal QSOs with other hams, all over the world, using
modest ham equipment," he said. "For this purpose, FT8 shines."

____________________________________________________________________________


Joe Spier, K6WAO, Ascends to AMSAT-NA Presidency, Announces Next CubeSat
Initiative

The AMSAT-NA Board of Directors has elected Joe Spier, K6WAO, of Weimar,
California, as the organization's new president. An ARRL and AMSAT Life Member,
 Spier, 58, succeeds Barry Baines, WD4ASW, who served as AMSAT President for
the past 9 years. Spier is a well-known figure in AMSAT and Amateur Radio
Satellite circles. He served previously as AMSAT-NA Executive Vice President
and Vice President for Educational Relations. The Board's action came at the
AMSAT-NA Annual General Meeting in Reno, Nevada, where Spier announced the next
 phase of AMSAT's CubeSat program, called "GOLF."

GOLF is an acronym for "Greater Orbit, Larger Footprint." AMSAT considers the
new initiative as a crucial step toward fulfilling AMSAT's strategic goals
involving high-altitude, wide-access satellite missions.

As an initial step in the GOLF program, AMSAT will be submitting a NASA CubeSat
 Launch Initiative proposal for the GOLF-T satellite project, which will serve
as a rapidly deployable low Earth orbit (LEO) testbed for technologies
necessary for successful CubeSat missions in a wide range of orbit, including
LEO, medium Earth orbit (MEO), geosynchronous orbit (GEO), and highly
elliptical orbit (HEO).

"The GOLF-T project tees off the next phase of our CubeSat program," punned
AMSAT-NA Vice-President Engineering, Jerry Buxton, N0JY. "GOLF-T provides AMSAT
 hardware and knowledge for attitude determination and control (ADAC)
capability and the opportunity to develop a 3U spaceframe with deployable solar
 panels that can be used in LEO or HEO missions -- two of the major systems
required in future GOLF and HEO missions."

AMSAT said GOLF-T will provide the opportunity for rapid deployment and
on-orbit testing of AMSAT's Advanced Satellite Communications and Exploration
of New Technology (ASCENT) program's technology. ASCENT will include
radiation-tolerant transponder and Integrated Housekeeping Unit (IHU)
technologies that, AMSAT says, "will lead the way for low-cost, commercial,
off-the-shelf systems that can function in MEO and HEO radiation environments."
 GOLF-T will also provide for the development of so-called "Five and Dime" (5
GHz and 10 GHz) field-programmable gate array software-defined radio (FPGA SDR)
 transponders for use on a variety of missions and orbits.

Other officers elected by the Board were Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, Executive Vice
President; Jerry Buxton, N0JY, Vice President Engineering; Drew Glasbrenner,
KO4MA, Vice President Operations; Clayton Coleman, W5PFG, Secretary; Keith
Baker, KB1SF/VA3KSF, Treasurer, and Martha Saragovitz as Manager.

____________________________________________________________________________


630-Meter Special Operating Event on November 11 Commemorates Berlin Treaty

Amateur Radio operators will descend upon 630 meters on November 11 during a
special operating event to commemorate the 1906 Berlin Treaty, which made 500
kHz the International Distress Frequency on November 3 of that year. US radio
amateurs recently gained access to 630 meters, but must have notified the
Utilities Technology Council (UTC) of their intent to operate and either
received explicit approval or not heard anything for 30 days in order to
participate.

Four different groups will take part: US radio amateurs, US Part 5 Experimental
 operators, Canadian radio amateurs, and the Maritime Radio Historical Society
(MRHS). Canadian and authorized US radio amateurs will operate from 472 to 479
kHz, using CW.

Some stations are expected to offer cross-band contacts, transmitting on 630
meters and listening on 160, 80, and 40 meters. Part 5 Experimental operators,
including WD2XSH stations and others who don't yet have UTC approval, will
operate in the 472-479 kHz band or just outside of it, and there may be some
operation on 500 kHz proper.

The Maritime Radio Historical Society will activate its KSM/KPH transmitter at
Bolinas, California, for a mini "Night of Nights" with special messages and
bulletins. -- Thanks to Fritz Raab, W1FR

____________________________________________________________________________


HamSCI Workshop Aims to Foster Collaboration between Hams and Space
Science/Weather Researchers

HamSCI -- the Amateur Radio citizen science initiative -- has announced a 2-day
 workshop February 23-24 at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in
Newark. HamSCI's Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, has posted a survey to gauge
interest and potential attendance.

"We are inviting all hams and scientists interested in ham radio science,"
Frissell said. "The aim of this workshop is to foster collaborations between
the ham radio and the space science and space weather research communities
through presentations, discussions, and demonstrations. This year's meeting
will focus on solar eclipse analysis, ham radio data sources and databases, and
 the development of a 'personal space weather station.'"

Frissell, an NJIT assistant research professor, invited presentations from
within the Amateur Radio community. "We will also accept submissions of
abstracts and demonstrations of other topics that are of interest to ham radio
and ionospheric science," he said. "The solar eclipse topic is a follow-on to
this summer's total solar eclipse and the Solar Eclipse QSO Party (SEQP). We
hope to have presentations from both ham radio operators and professional
scientists showing the data that they have collected and what they think it
means."

The tentative schedule calls for oral presentations on "Ham Radio Data Sources,
 Databases Analysis" and "Solar Eclipse Effects on the Ionosphere, including
results from the Solar Eclipse QSO Party." Phil Erickson, W1PJE, of MIT's
Haystack Observatory is scheduled to be the Friday evening banquet speaker.
Tutorials on Saturday will include "Ham Radio for Space Scientists," with Frank
 Donovan, W3LPL, and "Space Science for Ham Radio Operators" (speaker pending).

____________________________________________________________________________


The Personal Space Weather Station

Frissell said HamSCI would like to encourage development of the personal space
weather station concept. "This is analogous to a personal weather station that
people install at their homes to measure temperature, wind speed, rainfall, and
 humidity, and report this data to groups like the NWS, NOAA, and Weather
Underground," Frissell said. "We want to create a similar package for space
weather and have that data go to a single repository."

An ideal personal space weather station would likely include instruments able
to detect things such as traveling ionospheric disturbances, radio blackouts,
propagation changes, lightning, and magnetospheric activity, Frissell said. It
would probably include, at a minimum, a wideband software-defined radio, a
magnetometer, a timing source, and a computer -- all currently available, but
not as an integrated package, he pointed out.

At the February workshop, HamSCI wants to better define the capabilities of a
personal space weather station as well as how to implement the concept. "HamSCI
 will be teaming up with TAPR to do this," Frissell said. "Scientists will talk
 about what science topics the device should be able to measure, and TAPR will
discuss how to actually design and implement the device."

Frissell said he hopes hams attending will come away more knowledgeable about
ionospheric and space science, and scientists will gain a better understanding
of Amateur Radio.

____________________________________________________________________________


CQ World Wide SSB Event Inaugurates Fall Contest Season

The CQ World Wide DX Contest (SSB) kicked off the fall contest season this past
 weekend with plenty of activity from around the world.

As The Daily DX reported on October 30, some Top 10 operations from outside the
 US racked up claimed scores topping 30 million points. In the US, it appears
that only two major multioperator/multi-transmitter high-power entries, K3LR
and W3LPL, were active in this year's event, with Tim Duffy, K3LR, and his
15-member crew claiming another big win and a world high in the MM HP category.
 Duffy's K3LR and Frank Donovan's W3LPL have sparred for high-score honors
during many contests over the years.

K3LR has won every US multi-multi category in the CQ WW phone starting in 2005,
 Duffy told ARRL.

In earning 20.1+ million points at K3LR, 15 meters edged out 20 as the money
band, with 40 meters only a few hundred contacts behind. K3LR managed 372
contacts in 21 zones on 10 meters. In all, K3LR logged 9,631 contacts in 174
zones (650 countries).

Donovan said W3LPL was handicapped this time around due to the fact that some
of the regulars were not able to make it this year. The W3LPL gang posted a
not-too-shabby score of 15.2 million points, with 20 meters being the most
fertile territory there. W3LPL picked up 438 contacts in 18 zones on 10 meters.
 The W3LPL team logged 7,686 contacts in 157 zones (606 countries).

"We had lots of fun at K3LR," Duffy said. "The very best part is being with
good friends in the K3LR shack and talking to our radio friends all over the
world. Forty-eight hours of pure magic that never, ever gets old." Duffy also
congratulated the W3LPL operators, who, he said, "did well considering the
challenging conditions and the operators that had to cancel at the last
minute."

"It is great to have this close competition never knowing who will finish on
top," Duffy added.

____________________________________________________________________________


In Brief...

JOTA Wants Your on-the-Air Station Reports: Boy Scouts of America Jamboree on
the Air (JOTA) Coordinator Jim Wilson, K5ND, is encouraging stations that took
part in the October 20-22 event to file a report. Icom America has donated an
ID-51A Plus 2 transceiver as an incentive to encourage stations to submit a
post-JOTA report. All who do will have their names entered into the drawing.
Wilson says station reports are critical to JOTA. "We need your reports in
order to correctly assess the growth of this important event for Amateur Radio
and Scouting," Wilson said. "With over 12,000 locations registered for
JOTA-JOTI worldwide, including an astonishing 990 from the United States, we
need reports from all those locations to determine number of Scouts, Amateur
Radio operators, and guests who took part." Wilson said photos, comments on how
 the event went this year, and any suggestions for improvement are also
welcome.


RadFxSat (Fox-1B) FM Satellite Set to Launch in November: The next AMSAT Fox-1
satellite, RadFxSat (Fox-1B), is scheduled to launch on November 10 at 0947
UTC. RadFxSat (Fox-1B), which will carry a 435/145 MHz FM transponder, is one
of four CubeSats making up the NASA ELaNa XIV mission, riding as secondary
payloads aboard the Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1) mission. JPSS-1
will launch on a Delta II vehicle from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
RadFxSat is a partnership with Vanderbilt University Institute for Space and
Defense Electronics (ISDE) and hosts four payloads for the study of radiation
effects on commercial off-the-shelf components. It will carry a Fox-1 style FM
U/V repeater with an uplink on 435.250 MHz (67.0 Hz CTCSS) and a downlink on
145.960 MHz. Satellite and experiment telemetry will be downlinked via the DUV
subaudible telemetry stream, which can be decoded using FoxTelem software. --
Thanks to AMSAT-NA, via Paul Stoetzer, N8HM


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