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The ARRL Letter

December 21, 2017
Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME

 *  FCC Penalizes Marketer of Ham-Band Drone Audio-Visual Transmitters
 *  The ARRL International Grid Chase Kicks Off with the New Year!
 *  January 1 Hosts Events for Legacy Keys
 *  Radio Amateur's Invention to Treat Alzheimer's Patients Going to
    Clinical Trials
 *  The Doctor Will See You Now!
 *  FCC Proposes $25,000 Fine for Breaking Now-Voluntary Labeling Rules
 *  More Room for Hamvention(R) at Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center
 *  Bouvet DXpedition Nears its Moment of Truth
 *  Vietnam Vet, Radio Amateur Granted Dying Wish to Get on the Air One More
    Time
 *  In Brief...
 *  The K7RA Solar Update
 *  Getting It Right
 *  Just Ahead in Radiosport
 *  Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions

____________________________________________________________________________


ARRL Headquarters will be closed on Christmas, December 25, and on New Year's
Day, January 1. There will be no W1AW bulletin or code-practice transmissions
on those days. This is the final edition of The ARRL Letter for 2017. The ARRL
Letter will return on Thursday, January 4. We wish everyone a safe and
enjoyable holiday season.

____________________________________________________________________________


FCC Penalizes Marketer of Ham-Band Drone Audio-Visual Transmitters

The FCC has imposed a $180,000 civil penalty on a Sarasota, Florida, company
that had been marketing noncompliant audio-visual transmitters intended for use
 on drones in violation of the Commission's Amateur Service and marketing
rules. In an Order released on December 19, the FCC explained that Lumenier
Holdco LLC (formerly known as FPV Manuals LLC) was advertising and marketing
uncertified AV transmitters capable of operating on both amateur and
non-amateur frequencies, including bands reserved for federal government use.
Some of the transmitters also exceeded the 1 W power limit for Amateur Radio
transmitters used on model craft, the FCC said.

"Moreover, entities that rely on amateur frequencies in operating compliant AV
transmitters must have an amateur license and otherwise comply with all
applicable laws for such operation," the FCC said in the Order. The FCC said
that while it generally has not required amateur equipment to be certified if
it operates solely on Amateur Radio frequencies, certification is required if a
 device can operate outside of the ham bands.

Last January, in what it called an "extremely urgent complaint" to the FCC,
ARRL targeted the interference potential of a series of audio/video
transmitters used on unmanned aircraft and marketed as Amateur Radio equipment.
 ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, said those transmitters used
frequencies intended for navigational aids, air traffic control radar, air
route surveillance radars, and global positioning systems.

In addition to paying a civil penalty, Lumenier, which has admitted to
marketing the noncompliant AV transmitters, will enter into a Consent Decree
with the FCC to settle the enforcement proceeding and terminate the
investigation.

The case stemmed from complaints received by the Enforcement Bureau's Spectrum
Enforcement Division. "The investigation revealed that some of the AV
transmitters marketed by Lumenier were capable of being operated outside of the
 authorized Amateur Radio Service bands, including on frequencies reserved in
whole or in part for federal agencies, but were not certified or otherwise
compliant with the rules," the FCC said in its Order. "These AV transmitters
are considered intentional radiators and must comply with the Commission's
Equipment Authorization and Marketing rules."

The FCC said that Lumenier ceased marketing the noncompliant transmitters after
 receiving a Letter of Inquiry from the FCC last April.

____________________________________________________________________________


The ARRL International Grid Chase Kicks Off with the New Year!

Ready, set, go! The ARRL International Grid Chase 2018 gets under way on
January 1 UTC (New Year's Eve in US time zones). The objective of the year-long
 event is to work stations on any band (except 60 meters) in as many different
Maidenhead grid squares as possible, and then upload your log data to ARRL's
Logbook of The World (LoTW). Many hams are familiar with grid squares from the
VHF/UHF and satellite realms, and everyone lives in one. An online calculator
by David Levine, K2DSL, can determine your grid square. Enter a postal address,
 ZIP code, or a call sign, and the calculator will return the grid square for
that location. Each new grid square contact confirmed through LoTW will count
toward your monthly total.

Any contact you make in 2018 can count for your Chase score; as long as the
other operators participate in LoTW, you'll get credit automatically when they
upload their logs. This means that contest contacts will also count, as will
contacts with special event stations, or other on-air activity that uses LoTW
to confirm contacts.

There are no restrictions on modes or bands, as long as they are legal.
Satellite contacts are valid for the Chase. The event is open to all radio
amateurs.

Complete details of the ARRL International Grid Chase 2018 appeared in the
December 2017 issue of QST. For more information, contact the ARRL Contest
Branch.

____________________________________________________________________________


January 1 Hosts Events for Legacy Keys

Every day is a good day to send CW, but January 1 is reserved for Straight Key
Night (SKN), sponsored by ARRL. Enjoy CW as it has been sent and enjoyed since
the earliest days of Amateur Radio. The 24-hour event begins at 0000 UTC on
January 1 (New Year's Eve in US time zones) is not a contest but a day
dedicated to celebrating Amateur Radio's Morse heritage. Participants are
encouraged to get on the air and enjoy conversational CW contacts, preferably
while using a straight key or a semi-automatic key ("bug". No points --
everyone's a winner. Submit your votes for best fist and most interesting QSO.

The First-Class CW Operators' Club sponsors a concurrent event, FOC Bug Day.
FOC asks participants to send a description of the bug or bugs used, a list of
stations worked, and a vote for best bug
fist heard, to FOC Bug Day Manager Benny Owens, K5KV.

AMSAT will sponsor its second-annual satellite CW Activity Day on January 1.
This year's event is dedicated to the memory of Pat Gowen, G3IOR. No rules --
just have fun. Operate CW through any ham radio satellite. The use of straight
keys and bugs is encouraged, but not required. -- Thanks to Ray Soifer, W2RS,
and Benny Owen, K5KV

____________________________________________________________________________


Radio Amateur's Invention to Treat Alzheimer's Patients Going to Clinical
Trials

Inveterate inventor and radio amateur Eric Knight, KB1EHE, may be on the cusp
of medical history as a device he developed in collaboration with a prominent
Alzheimer's disease researcher enters clinical trials this month. Both are
hoping that the device, which essentially saturates the brain with low levels
of RF, may prove to be a viable treatment for the dreaded disease affecting
millions.

"Sometimes breakthroughs happen in ways that are unexpected," Knight told ARRL.

Knight learned of experiments that world-renowned Alzheimer's researcher Dr.
Gary Arendash was carrying out on mice specially bred to have the disease,
exposing them to low levels of RF. Knight said the effects were dramatic,
sometimes even reversing the disease's effects in the mice. Borrowing some
concepts from his early experiments with small rockets and avionics, he set
about developing, and later patented, a device that could provide the requisite
 RF exposure to the human head.

"In the early 2000s, we were trying to figure out then how to make antennas
that would wrap around the airframes of the rockets we were designing," he
said, noting that the diameter of his group's space vehicle was about the same
as that of a human head. Knight learned that Arendash was attempting to extend
his investigations in a similar vein, and eventually they collaborated.

"He came at it from mice and science, I came at it from an aerospace and hobby
perspective," said Knight, who patented a device based on a bicycle-type
helmet. At the same time, Arendash was developing a similar wearable -- a
fabric cap resembling an old-time aviator's headgear. Both devices are embedded
 with small antennas to bathe the brain in electromagnetic radiation in the 900
 MHz spectrum set aside for Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM)
applications -- some 100 MHz higher than a cell phone's frequency.

"Ironic for sure," Knight said. "Who would imagine that cell phone radio waves
could be a potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease?"

Knight, who has no medical background, said the device to be used in the
clinical trials consists of the cap plus a palm-sized transmitter and wiring
harness worn on the arm. The resulting combination has been dubbed the NeuroEM
1000. Participants will get doses of RF twice a day.

From the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) standpoint, the clinical trials
aim primarily to show that the technology is safe, but Knight said he and
Arendash are also looking for data that might demonstrate that the device could
 be beneficial in treating Alzheimer's. The protocol they've developed goes
further than what the FDA requires and includes before-and-after baseline data,
 with cognitive testing, assays of spinal fluid and blood, and PET scans.

"The hope is that there is a tiny bit of efficacy. Then we can work to refine
it," Knight said, adding, "No one is expecting a magic cure."

____________________________________________________________________________


The Doctor Will See You Now!

"Handheld Transceiver Antennas" is the topic of the new (December 21) 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.

____________________________________________________________________________


FCC Proposes $25,000 Fine for Breaking Now-Voluntary Labeling Rules

The FCC has proposed fining Acuity Brands Inc. of Atlanta, Georgia, $25,000 for
 apparently marketing radio frequency devices that were not labeled in
accordance with Commission Part 18 rules in place at the time. The FCC issued a
 Notice of Apparent Liability (NAL) on November 21. Compliance with the
particular rule at issue now is voluntary.

"Specifically, Acuity marketed three models of consumer-grade electronic
fluorescent lighting ballasts -- two since 2006 and one since 2009 -- that did
not have the FCC logo affixed to them," the FCC said in the NAL. Application of
 the FCC logo, which the FCC no longer requires, was to inform purchasers that
a device had undergone compliance testing. The FCC also said Acuity continued
to market two models of the ballasts at issue for approximately 6 months after
being notified, causing the Commission to up the penalty.

"We take this action today as part of our duty to ensure that radio frequency
devices are marketed in accordance with the Commission's rules," the FCC said.
"Consistent with this goal, we find it necessary to enforce the rules requiring
 that devices subject to equipment authorization are properly labeled to inform
 a consumer that such devices have been tested for compliance under the
Commission's technical rules, because those devices could easily cause
interference if they do not conform to those rules."

In January 2016, the Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) conducted tests
 on Acuity's AccuPro Model AP-RC-432IP-120-1 fluorescent lighting ballast after
 receiving complaints of interference said to have been caused by the ballasts.
 The matter was referred to the FCC Enforcement Bureau, to determine whether
Acuity marketed the model at issue before receiving equipment authorization.

A footnote in the NAL points out that the use of the FCC logo became voluntary
on November 2, but Accuity's alleged violations occurred before that. The FCC
adopted a rule that allows the FCC logo to be physically placed on a device at
the discretion of the responsible party consistent with ?18.209, but "only if
[the] device complies with the applicable equipment authorization rules."
Presence of the logo "will not obviate the need to provide required compliance
information or maintain pertinent records related to device testing," the FCC
said in adopting the change.

Acuity submitted test reports showing that the two types of fluorescent
lighting ballasts it markets did comply with relevant technical requirements,
but the company conceded that three models of its consumer-grade lighting
ballasts did not have an FCC logo affixed for nearly 10 years.

ARRL has in the past -- and without response -- complained to the FCC regarding
 the marketing and sale of interference-causing lighting ballasts, as well as
about a lack of required compliance notifications.

____________________________________________________________________________


More Room for Hamvention(R) at Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center

Hamvention(R) reports that the Greene County Commissioners and the Greene
County Fair Board have approved the construction of a new building at the
Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center, the new Hamvention venue in Xenia,
Ohio.

"Greene County officials have decided to move forward with construction of a
new building, as it will continue to expand their presence in the region as a
world-class Exposition Center," Hamvention Spokesperson Michael Kalter, W8CI,
said in a news release. "Hamvention certainly benefits from the decision to
expand the Expo Center footprint. Construction is planned to be complete ahead
of Hamvention 2018, and [the new building] will be used for the event."

In addition to the new structure, another building on the property, previously
known as Fairgrounds Furniture, is being vacated and will be available for use
by Hamvention in May 2018. Additional details are forthcoming.

Kalter said Hamvention has been told that the additional floor space will cover
 an area larger than the tents Hamvention used for some activities in 2017.

"Although this decision was made to expand opportunities at the Expo Center,
Hamvention is grateful for the support Greene County, Xenia Township, and the
city of Xenia," Kalter added.

____________________________________________________________________________


Bouvet DXpedition Nears its Moment of Truth

The group mounting the 3Y0Z Bouvet Island DXpedition reports that it's sorting
through the myriad of details necessary to make a DXpedition to the second
most-wanted DXCC entity a reality. Plans call for 3Y0Z to be on the air in late
 January and early February.

A shipping container holding tons of gear is now in Punta Arenas, Chile, set to
 be moved out of "customs bond" soon. Last-minute supplies being collected to
take as extra baggage include ice screws, "should we find ourselves camping on
refrozen melt areas on the glacier."

Shelter and antenna layouts have been finalized, as has marine transportation.
Team members will take a marine safety course before embarking. Still under
negotiation is the cost of helicopter shuttles from the ship to and from the
island.

Two years of detailed planning have gone into the Bouvet Island DXpedition. "We
 want to live up to all that is expected of us on this 'generational'
DXpedition, which is likely the largest and most challenging DXpedition ever,"
the DXpedition team said earlier this fall. "Indeed, there may never be another
 like it."

The 3Y0Z Propagation Page has been updated and now includes a button visitors
can click, enter a call sign and grid square, and get a propagation forecast
specific for their location -- all bands over a 24-hour period.

A dependency of Norway, Bouvet is a sub-Antarctic island in the South Atlantic.
 The last Bouvet activation was 3Y0E, during the winter of 2007-2008. -- Thanks
 to The Daily DX for some information

____________________________________________________________________________


Vietnam Vet, Radio Amateur Granted Dying Wish to Get on the Air One More Time

Vietnam War veteran John Nugent, WA2EQJ, got on the air for what likely will be
 his final time earlier this month, thanks to help from the Amateur Radio
community. The 75-year-old US Army Signal Corps veteran, who has cancer, lives
at the James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago, Illinois.
Licensed since he was 16, he told a social worker at the facility that one item
 on his "bucket list" was to operate on ham radio one last time. Staffers at
the facility got in touch with the Lake County Veterans Assistance Commission,
and replies came from the American Legion Amateur Radio Club, the North Shore
Amateur Radio Club, and Lake County Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service
(RACES), among others.

"He was just over the moon," social worker Alesia Behnke told the Chicago
Tribune. "We had no idea we were going to pull it off."

The various Amateur Radio volunteers did, however, setting up an antenna
outside the facility and a simple HF station inside. David Hartnett, K9DRH, and
 crew Don Whitney, K9DRW; James Nelson, K9QF; Harry Hahn, WB9R, and Scott
Campbell, KC9SJP, were among those who made it happen. ARRL Illinois Section
Manager Ron Morgan, AD9I, spread the word that WA2EQJ would be on the air.

"John is terminally ill and wanted to make some 20-meter radio contacts one
last time," a post on the Lake County RACES page recounted. "He has been in the
 [Lovell Center] for more than 3 years." Nugent had volunteered to serve in the
 Army and was wounded during his Vietnam service.

On December 5, Nugent -- with help from his family members and Lovell Center
staff -- turned on his radio and contacted stations in California, Illinois,
and Texas. After the contacts were in the log, Nugent's son, Chris, thanked the
 Lake County RACES and other volunteers who facilitated his dad's last wish.

Among the stations Nugent contacted was special event W9F, operated by members
of the Fermilab Amateur Radio Club (WB9IKJ) to mark the 50th anniversary of the
 National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab).

"We were able to add dying Army vet John Nugent, WA2EQJ, to the W9F special
event log because of the rapid e-mail alert from the ARRL Illinois Section
Manager, notifying ARRL members that it was Mr. Nugent's dying wish to make a
final radio contact," Michaline Przekop, KC9ARP, told ARRL. "It was truly a
touching and unforgettable experience."

Video of the event is available.

____________________________________________________________________________


In Brief...

World Radiosport Team Championship 2018 (WRTC 2018) has named 65 referees (63
on site and 2 alternates). These individuals will be monitoring the two-person
competing teams during the competition July 14-15 in Germany. A referee will be
 at each station site to verify compliance with the rules and make decisions on
 any rule questions competitors may have. "The referees must be top-level
contesters, because they must simultaneously listen to the audio from both
operators for the entire 24 hours of the WRTC 2018 competition," WRTC 2018 said
 in making the announcement. Managing the referee application and verification
process was Ulf Ehrlich, DL5AXX. More than 130 applied, and the selection
process considered many factors, including geographical area, language skills,
and SO2R ability. The Judging Committee of WRTC 2018, which Ehrlich heads, made
 the final choices.


Carlos Beviglia, LU1BCE, of Buenos Aires, Argentina, will take over as the
International Amateur Radio Union Region 2 (IARU R2) Monitoring System
Coordinator on January 1. The Region 2 Monitoring System has been inactive
recently. Licensed at age 16 in 1979, he represents the third generation of
radio amateurs in his family that began with his grandfather, LU2BJ, in 1927,
and that he hopes will continue with his own children. He prefers to operate CW
 and is active on all HF bands. He served as president of the Radio Club of
Argentina from 2007 until 2017 and participated in the club's 2016 Summer
Antarctic Campaign at LU1ZI -- Carlini Base, South Shetland Islands, Argentine
Antarctica.


There's Been a Change to December 30 West Coast Qualifying Run. The West Coast
Qualifying Run for Saturday, December 30, was scheduled to be transmitted from
Maritime Radio Historical Station (MRHS) K6KPH. Due to antenna maintenance,
however, K6KPH is unable to conduct the run that day. Jim Michener, K9JM, will
handle the task, at least on two bands (K6KPH normally handles five bands).
K9JM will transmit the scheduled Run on 7,047.5 and 14,047.5 kHz at 2200 UTC on
 December 30.


Noted contester and DX station builder and operator Jim Sullivan, W7EJ, died on
 December 19. Sullivan, 64, lived in Hillsboro, Oregon, and had been an ARRL
member. Licensed in 1970, he had been an active contester since 1973. Starting
in 1989, he began constructing stations in DX locations -- including FG5R in
Guadeloupe, 9M8R in East Malaysia, and CN2R in Morocco, which hosted some of
the luminaries of the contesting world. Sullivan's stations racked up several
contest records. Professionally, he was involved in hardware design and
programming, and owned a small company, which developed websites and Windows
applications. He also enjoyed outdoor activities including hiking.


Ulrich "Uli" Bihlmayer, DJ9KR, who was active in the Deutscher Amateur Radio
Club's (DARC) Band Watch program for more than 40 years, died on December 16
after a long illness. Bihlmayer, who was 77, headed the DARC Band Watch from
1986 until 2012, and he served as Deputy Coordinator of the International
Amateur Radio Union Region 1 (IARU-R1) Monitoring System (Intruder Watch)
(IARUMS) for 7 years. The DARC recognized his contributions to promoting
international goodwill through ham radio by conferring its Gold Badge of Honor.
 He received the IARU Region 1 medal in 2011, before he stepped down from the
IARU Monitoring Service the following year. Licensed in 1964, Bihlmayer was a
top-tier DXer.


One of the few US broadcast stations east of the Mississippi that sport
K-prefix call letters -- KQV in Pittsburgh -- will go silent at midnight on
January 1 after nearly 1 century on the air. "It's a sad day for broadcasting
and for the news business," KQV Station Manager Bob Dickey Jr. told the
Pittsburgh Tribune Review. The family-owned news-talk station operates on 1410
kHz with 5,000 W into a five-tower array that provides separate day and night
patterns. Unofficial accounts indicate that KQV started out as "special amateur
 station" 8ZAE, to be used by the Doubleday-Hill Electric Company primarily for
 two-way communication with another station in Washington, DC. (Doubleday-Hill
also sold radios.) In October 1921, the Federal Radio Commission issued the
station a "limited commercial license," randomly assigning the KQV call
letters.

____________________________________________________________________________


The K7RA Solar Update

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