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The ARRL Letter

January 11, 2018
Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME

 *  "Quantum Radio" May Offer New Twist on Communicating in Problematic
    Environments
 *  Fox-1D Satellite Set to Launch this Week, China to Launch Five New
    CubeSats
 *  Thomas Fire Response Also Demonstrates Amateur Radio's Social Media
    Value
 *  Radio Amateurs Track Major East Coast Winter Storm
 *  The Doctor Will See You Now!
 *  The 2018 ARRL Repeater Directory -- Complete, Comprehensive, and Now
    Available
 *  DXpedition Leader, Contester, Mentor David Collingham, K3LP, SK
 *  In Brief...
 *  The K7RA Solar Update
 *  Getting It Right
 *  Just Ahead in Radiosport
 *  Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions

____________________________________________________________________________


"Quantum Radio" May Offer New Twist on Communicating in Problematic
Environments

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have
demonstrated that quantum physics might enable communication and mapping in
locations where GPS, cell phones, and radio are not reliable or don't work at
all, such as indoors, in urban canyons, underwater, and underground. NIST
announced the technology advance on January 2. The technology may have marine,
military, and surveying applications. The NIST team is experimenting with
very-low-frequency (VLF) digitally modulated magnetic signals, which propagate
farther through buildings, water, and soil
than conventional electromagnetic signals at higher frequencies.

"The big issues with very-low-frequency communications, including magnetic
radio, are poor receiver sensitivity and extremely limited bandwidth of
existing transmitters and receivers. This means the data rate is zilch," said
NIST project leader Dave Howe, AD0MR.

"The best magnetic field sensitivity is obtained using quantum sensors. The
increased sensitivity leads in principle to better range. The quantum approach
also offers the possibility to get high-bandwidth communications like a
cellphone has. We need bandwidth to communicate with audio underwater and in
other forbidding environments," he said.

NIST researchers have demonstrated detection of digitally modulated magnetic
signals by a magnetic-field sensor that relies on the quantum properties of
rubidium atoms. The NIST technique varies magnetic fields to modulate or
control the frequency -- specifically, the horizontal and vertical positions of
 the signal's waveform -- produced by the atoms.

NIST developed a direct current magnetometer that uses polarized light as a
detector to measure the "spin" of rubidium atoms in a tiny glass cell induced
by magnetic fields. Changes in the atoms' spin rate correspond to an
oscillation in the dc magnetic fields, creating alternating current voltages at
 the light detector that are more useful for communications.

"Atoms offer very fast response plus very high sensitivity," Howe said.
"Classical communications involves a tradeoff between bandwidth and
sensitivity. We can now get both with quantum sensors," Howe speculated on an
Amateur Radio application.

"The quantum radio is great fun, far better sensitivity than any other
receiver, at room temperature, anyway," Howe told ARRL. "The atoms in the gas
cell replace the 'antenna' and detection in the classical sense. It would be
nice to try modulation in the 2200-meter band using the quantum receiver for
detection." In the future, the NIST team plans to develop improved
transmitters.

In the NIST tests, the sensor detected digitally modulated magnetic field
signals with strengths of 1 picotesla -- one millionth of Earth's magnetic
field strength -- and at frequencies below 1 kHz.

The researchers hope to extend the range of low-frequency magnetic field
signals by boosting the sensor sensitivity, suppressing noise more effectively,
 and increasing and efficiently using the sensor's bandwidth.

The NIST strategy requires inventing an entirely new field, which combines
quantum physics and low-frequency magnetic radio, said Howe, who told ARRL that
 ham radio enhanced his interest in communications when he was in ninth grade
in New Mexico. "So, it's what guided my interest into applied quantum physics
in college. Ham radio was the bigger influence in all ways." Howe retired from
NIST last September. He now is a research advisor for NIST and Colorado
University.

____________________________________________________________________________


Fox-1D Satellite Set to Launch this Week, China to Launch Five New CubeSats

The launch from India of AMSAT-NA's Fox-1D CubeSat will take place on January
12 (UTC). The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) flight had to be
rescheduled from December 30. AMSAT Vice President Engineering Jerry Buxton,
N0JY, delivered Fox-1D to Spaceflight Inc. in Seattle last November for
integration.

In addition to a Fox-1 U/V FM transponder, Fox-1D will carry several university
 experiments, including a MEMS gyro from Pennsylvania State University-Erie, a
camera from Virginia Tech, and the University of Iowa's High Energy Radiation
CubeSat Instrument (HERCI) radiation mapping experiment. Fox-1D also carries
the AMSAT "L-Band Downshifter," which gives the option of utilizing a 1.2 GHz
uplink for the FM transponder. The Fox-1D downlink will be on 145.880 MHz, and
uplinks will be on 435.350 and 1267.350 MHz (67 Hz CTCSS), switchable.

The PSLV also will carry the French PicSat, which carries an Amateur Radio V/U
FM transponder. PicSat will perform space observations. The transponder uplink
is 145.910 MHz, the downlink is 435.525 MHz. Some 30 smaller secondary payloads
 from India, the US, and other international entities will also be on the
launch, AMSAT News Service has reported.

AMSAT will release Fox-1D's Keplerian elements on its website as soon as they
are known and seeks telemetry data on the CubeSat to assist with commissioning.
 "Participation in telemetry collection by as many stations in as many parts of
 the world as possible is essential as AMSAT Engineering looks for successful
startup and indications of the general health and function of the satellite as
it begins to acclimate to space," AMSAT said over the weekend. AMSAT said the
on-orbit checkout procedure could be completed in a few days. AMSAT asks the
Amateur Satellite community to refrain from using the transponder uplink while
on-orbit testing is under way.

____________________________________________________________________________


Chinese CubeSats Set to Launch

Meanwhile, AMSAT-UK reports that China will launch Hunan Amateur Radio
Society's constellation of five similar 6U CubeSat spacecraft on January 17
from its Jiuquan Space Center. Identified as TY-2 through TY-6, the satellites
will carry out ionospheric transmission-detection experiments, in addition to
Amateur Radio HF/VHF/UHF re-transmitting experiments in any narrow-band mode.
The constellation will also carry out inter-satellite communication experiments
 that include Amateur Radio loads, Li-Fi high-speed LED digital downlink, and
CW lamp signal communication experiments. Downlinks are on 70 centimeters using
 9.6 kbps GMSK and on 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz using 5 Mbps OFDM.

TY2
435.350; 2403.000, 5833.000 MHz Down
5653.000 MHz Up

TY3
435.875; 2406.000, 5836.000 MHz Down
5656.000 MHz Up

TY4
435.925; 2409.000, 5839.000 MHz Down
5659.000 MHz Up

TY5
436.025; 2412.000, 5842.000 MHz Down
5665.000 MHz Up

TY6
436.100; 2415.000, 5845.000 MHz Down
5667.000 MHz Up

____________________________________________________________________________


Thomas Fire Response Also Demonstrates Amateur Radio's Social Media Value

Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club (SBARC) members kept a close watch on the
Thomas Fire after it broke out in early December. Using a variety of the club's
 analog and digital Amateur Radio assets, radio operators were able to observe
fire-fighting efforts first hand and pass along immediate information, often
before it was reported by official sources or by local news media. SBARC
operates five communication sites in Santa Barbara County, including sites on
Diablo Peak on the mostly uninhabited Santa Cruz Island, and on Santa Ynez
Peak.

"These two sites host [Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast] ADS-B
receivers that are connected via a combination of amateur microwave IP links
and mesh networking and were used to track and monitor airborne firefighting
activities," Levi Maaia, K6LCM, co-chair of SBARC's Telecommunications Services
 Committee, told ARRL.

Starting in mid-December, a round-the-clock emergency net convened on 2 meters,
 as commercial power for much of Santa Barbara County was cut and the fire
descended on residential communities in Santa Barbara County, prompting
multiple evacuation orders. With repeaters on generator power and many
operators running on battery power, net traffic consisted of official
information, including evacuation orders, live reports on the rapidly
approaching fire line from operators who remained inside the mandatory
evacuation area, related traffic about firefighting efforts, and wind and
weather conditions. SBARC volunteers set up an ad hoc remote receiving station
to stream live fire ground and air communications audio over the internet and
mesh network.

As fire crews came off duty, one firefighter and Amateur Radio operator joined
the net to offer a firsthand account of operations from an insider's
perspective. SBARC members also assisted visiting fire crew members with mobile
 radio antenna repairs in the field.

Maaia said social media proved to be a valuable communication asset, as most
official organizations, such as incident command and emergency management
agencies, were disseminating official information via Twitter immediately upon
release. "Amateur stations without power, cell phone or internet access could
be kept informed of important information including evacuation orders, via the
Amateur Radio net," Maaia explained. "SBARC also served as an aggregator for
Thomas Fire-related information by featuring tweets on the club website."

The largest in modern California history, the Thomas Fire caused devastating
losses in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. "Although the Santa Barbara ARES
group never activated, Amateur Radio proved to be a valuable mode of
communication, especially when coupled with social media, amateur mesh
networking, IRC chat (over mesh and internet) and live audio streaming," Maaia
said.

In Ventura County, the Thomas Fire damaged or destroyed some Amateur Radio
resources normally available to provide emergency communication. It was an
Amateur Radio TV camera that caught the first images of the Thomas Fire on
December 4. A fundraising effort now is under way to help a repeater system
operator to replace gear and to bolster the rest of the system for future such
emergencies. Fundraising sparkplug Ben Kuo, AI6YR, said the fire demonstrated
the difficulty of keeping equipment running in remote locations during fire
emergencies.

"We also discovered other sites faced serious limitations after utility power
was cut and solar panels were obscured by vast clouds of smoke," Kuo recounted
in his solicitation. "This GoFundMe [campaign] will go toward enhancing the
existing ham radio repeater network, to make it more reliable in emergencies."
High-quality video cameras for those repeater sites is another possibility.

During the Thomas Fire, Kuo helped bridge the divide between Amateur Radio and
social media, and even firefighters would check his feed to see what was going
on in other areas of the fire, he said. "It's a very powerful combination," Kuo
 told VC Star. An ARRL member, Kuo, of Newbury Park, founded the socaltech news
 site. He's been licensed for 3 years and serves as an ARRL Technical
Specialist for the ARRL Santa Barbara Section.

____________________________________________________________________________


Radio Amateurs Track Major East Coast Winter Storm

WX1BOX, the Amateur Radio Station at the National Weather Service (NWS) office
in Taunton, Massachusetts, joined numerous SKYWARN nets across New England in
activating for an early-January nor'easter that brought significant coastal
flooding, damaging winds -- with hurricane-force wind gusts downing trees and
power lines -- and heavy snow accumulations to the region. The eastern coast of
 New England experienced high snowfall rates, whiteout conditions, and even
"thunder snow." A dramatic drop in barometric pressure generated a so-called
"bomb cyclone."

WX1BOX was active for 16.5 hours, supporting data gathering for the NWS. Local
and state emergency managers, broadcast media, and other agencies also used
these reports for situational awareness during the storm and to assess the need
 for any later recovery efforts.

"A widespread 8 to 18 inches of snow fell across southern New England away from
 Cape Cod and the Islands. There were reports of thunderstorms with snowfall
rates in the 2 to 3 inches per hour range," said Rob Macedo, KD1CY, Eastern
Massachusetts Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator and NWS Taunton SKYWARN
liaison. "Wind gusts between 70 and 76 MPH were recorded over Cape Cod and the
Islands, and wind gusts in the 40-70 MPH range were common across the rest of
southern New England."

Macedo said the severe and widespread coastal flooding in some eastern
Massachusetts locations was at the higher end of coastal flood events
experienced in the last 10 years or so.

WX1BOX posted a report, with details on snowfall amounts, winds, coastal
flooding, wind damage, and photos and videos from the storm on its Facebook
page.

Cape Cod Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) was active at the Barnstable
County Mutual Aid Coordination Center (MACC), convening ARES/SKYWARN nets and
providing wind damage and coastal flood reports from their region. For the most
 part, Cape Cod and the Islands received rain, which was followed by a period
of snow as temperatures dropped. The resulting "flash freeze" conditions led to
dangerously icy roadways. Damaging winds causing scattered power outages and
coastal flooding were the biggest problems, with an inch or two of rainfall in
the area. Staffing the station was Cape Cod ARES District Emergency Coordinator
 Frank O'Laughlin, WQ1O, and Tom Wruk, KB1QCQ.

The Peabody Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was active on the Massachusetts
North Shore, and the EOC served as a net control point for SKYWARN nets in the
North Shore area. Coastal flooding reports from the North Shore and surrounding
 areas and snowfall totals were relayed to WX1BOX and other agencies from their
 nets. Staffing the EOC station were North Shore ARES DEC Jim Palmer, KB1KQW;
Matt Knowles, KC1AEI, and Dave Pais, N1VSI.

At the Eastern Massachusetts ARES section level, ARES went on standby for any
agency needs or to support any local ARES activations by Eastern Massachusetts
ARES SEC Marek Kozubal, KB1NCG. Local nets were active on approximately 10
different repeaters across the NWS Taunton coverage area. The New England
Echolink/IRLP reflector system was also active, with reporting stations from
across New England, supplemented by a tie-in to the conference node typically
used by the VoIP Hurricane Net.

An offer of assistance came from members of Illinois SKYWARN, including a team
member who handles SKYWARN for WX9LOT, the Amateur Radio station at the NWS
Chicago/Romeoville office. Debby Gray, WX9VOR, and Joe Perry, K9JPP, assisted
by monitoring Echolink and supported data entry of snowfall reports from the
region.

"This demonstrated a 'virtual EOC' approach to storm monitoring utilizing
out-of-area resources to support a storm incident with local personnel
providing local perspective," Macedo said.

Operators at WX1GYX, the Amateur Radio station at the Gray, Maine, NWS Office,
were active all day on January 4, gathering reports from various sources via
2-meter FM, DMR, and HF. Tim Watson, KB1HNZ, and Eric Emery, KC1HJK, handled
net control duties, with support from Waylon McDonald, KC1HJN, and members of
Mt. Washington Valley ARES. -- Thanks to Rob Macedo, KD1CY, and Tim Watson,
KB1HNZ

____________________________________________________________________________


The Doctor Will See You Now!

"Keeping Cool -- The Importance of Maintaining Proper Equipment Temperature" is
 the topic of the latest (January 4) 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: "Antenna Wire."

____________________________________________________________________________


The 2018 ARRL Repeater Directory -- Complete, Comprehensive, and Now Available

The ARRL Repeater Directory(R) -- 2018 edition is now available! For decades,
The ARRL Repeater Directory has been an invaluable source for locating repeater
 frequencies while traveling. New hams often use the Repeater Directory to find
 local activity after purchasing a new handheld radio. Public service
volunteers often keep a copy nearby or in their emergency "go kits."

The 2018 edition is the second to include crowdsourced listings contributed by
users, repeater owners, and volunteer frequency coordinators. This means more
listings, and updated more often. With 31,000 listings, the ARRL Repeater
Directory(R) is the most complete printed directory of on-the-air repeaters,
covering repeater systems throughout the US and Canada.

Repeater systems are listed by state/province, city, and operating mode.
Digital repeater systems are included: FUSION, D-STAR, DMR, NXDN, and P25
systems. The Directory is a convenient 6 x 9 inches and sports a lay-flat
spiral binding. Make it yours! The cover of the new 2018 edition includes space
 to personalize your directory. Pages of supplemental information include
VHF/UHF and microwave band plans, as well as repeater operating practices.

The 2018 ARRL Repeater Directory is now shipping. Order from the ARRL Store, or
 find an ARRL publication dealer; ARRL Item No. 0758, ISBN: 978-1-62595-075-8,
$19.95 retail; ARRL member price $17.95. For additional questions or ordering,
call 860-594-0355 (toll-free in the US, 888-277-5289).

____________________________________________________________________________


DXpedition Leader, Contester, Mentor David Collingham, K3LP, SK

Well-known DXpedition leader and contester David Collingham, K3LP, of Mt. Airy,
 Maryland, died on January 6 after falling through the ice on a pond near his
home the previous evening while trying to rescue his stranded dog. An ARRL
member, he was 59. Collingham was co-leader, with Paul Ewing, N6PSE, of the
2016 VP8STI/VP8SGI DXpedition to South Sandwich and South Georgia Islands, and
he was president of the Intrepid-DX Group.

According to news accounts, Collingham had alerted his family that his golden
retriever had fallen through the ice, but by the time they and rescuers arrived
 on the scene, Collingham had already slipped beneath the ice.

Licensed at age 15 as WN6KTF in his home state of California, Collingham went
on to take part in more than 70 DXpeditions and served as leader or co-leader
of 14 major DXpeditions. He was a 2014 inductee to the CQ DX Hall of Fame,
credited with focusing on using Amateur Radio as an educational tool at home
and abroad. With the support of Collingham's long-distance coaching, teacher
Bev Matheson, KJ6RSX, a Fontana, California, elementary school teacher, was
encouraged to start a ham radio club for fourth and fifth graders at Dorothy
Grant Elementary School. A Fontana High School graduate, Collingham provided a
complete station for the school. He also promoted and taught Amateur Radio
abroad.

Professionally, Collingham was president and CEO of International Quality
Registrars Corporation, a global ISO 9001 certification firm.

NCJ Editor Scott Wright, K0MD, recalled hearing Collingham speak at a Dayton DX
 Dinner. "He challenged those in attendance to always think of others,
especially DXers who are generally less fortunate," Wright recounted.
Collingham also challenged those in attendance to help school clubs and start
one, and to realize that ham radio would die, were a new generation not
mentored and fostered, Wright said.

"David lived his life bold, courageous, and heroically, and he died trying to
save his beloved dog," Ewing wrote in announcing Collingham's death. "He will
always be a hero in our hearts."

____________________________________________________________________________


In Brief...

The National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC) has released
 the 2018-2022 Amateur Radio Element 2 Technician class license question pool.
Each question pool must be published and made available to the public prior to
its use as a question set, from which individual examinations are developed.
Alert the NCVEC Question Pool Committee of any necessary corrections or
typographical errors. The new Technician license question pool contains 428
questions. It will become effective for all Technician class license
examinations starting on July 1, 2018.


Registration for th 69th annual International DX Convention opens on January
15. The convention takes place April 20-22 at the Visalia Convention Center.
The Southern California DX Club (SCDXC) sponsors the 2018 event. Online
convention registration opens on January 15 at 1700 UTC. The Saturday banquet
program will be on the 3Y0Z DXpedition to Bouvet Island. Convention co-chairs
are Cathy Gardenias, K6VC, and Kris Jacob, KC6TOD. E-mail for more information.
 The convention is calling for DX and technical presentations. If interested,
contact Bill Kendrick, N6RV, with a brief description.


Denny Berg, WB9MSM, of Watertown, Wisconsin, has achieved his goal of
completing DXCC using the new FT8 digital mode. It took him just 4 months. "I
can tell all of you that this mode is spreading like wildfire throughout all
the HF bands," Berg told The Daily DX. "I have also noticed that most of these
FT8ers use Logbook of The World (LoTW) for their confirmation process." Berg,
an ARRL member, said his current DXCC count stands at 104 entities, all
confirmed via LoTW. He said he was able to work all states on FT8 in about 6
weeks of operating. A radio amateur since 1970, Berg was among the stations
activating W1AW/9 from Wisconsin during the ARRL Centennial in 2014. -- Thanks
to The Daily DX

____________________________________________________________________________


The K7RA Solar Update

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: The average daily sunspot number over the
January 4-10 reportingweek was 11.9, compared to zero (no sunspots) over the
previous 7 days, but the average daily solar flux declined slightly, from 70.4
to 69.9. The average daily planetary A index went from 5.1 to 5.4, and average
mid-latitude A index changed from 3.4 to 4.6.

The predicted solar flux is 70 on January 11-13; 69 and 68 on January 14-15; 70
 on January 16-21; 72 on January 22-27; 70 on January 28-February 17; 72 on
February 18-23, and 70 on February 24.

---
 * Origin:  (1:3634/12.73)
SEEN-BY: 116/116 18 120/302 123/120 140 141 25 124/5014 5015 5016 130/803
SEEN-BY: 135/300 15/0 153/7715 154/10 19/25 33 36 218/700 220/60 222/2 230/150
SEEN-BY: 2320/100 105 240/1120 250/1 261/100 38 266/404 512 267/155 275/100
SEEN-BY: 280/1027 282/1031 1056 291/1 111 31999/99 320/119 219 34/999 340/400
SEEN-BY: 342/13 3634/119 12 15 22 24 27 50 387/21 25 393/68 396/45 5020/1042
SEEN-BY: 712/848 801/161 189 90/1