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The ARRL Letter

March 8, 2018
Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME

 *  Valerie Hotzfeld, NV9L, is "Amateur of the Year," as Hamvention
    Announces Award Winners
 *  3Y0Z Bouvet Island Team: We'll Be Back
 *  The Doctor Will See You Now!
 *  ARRL Repurposes AM Broadcast Transmitter for Ham Radio Use
 *  Amateur Radio CubeSats Among NASA Ninth-Round CubeSat Launch Initiative
    Picks
 *  History-Related Events Will Operate from Rare Grid in Cape Cod National
    Seashore
 *  Expanded ARRL Presence at HamCation Provides Room to Meet and Greet
    Volunteers
 *  Swedish Telecoms Regulator Considering Charging Hams a Fee to Run More
    Than 200 W
 *  The K7RA Solar Update
 *  Just Ahead in Radiosport
 *  Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions

____________________________________________________________________________


Valerie Hotzfeld, NV9L, is "Amateur of the Year," as Hamvention Announces Award
 Winners

Valerie Hotzfeld, NV9L, of Crescent City, Illinois, is the 2018 Hamvention(R)
"Amateur of the Year." The Hamvention Awards Committee -- chaired by Michael
Kalter, W8CI, and Frank Beafore, WS8B -- this week announced its 2018 award
recipients for Club of the Year, Technical Achievement, and Special
Achievement.

"I am extremely honored to even be nominated for Amateur of the Year, let alone
 to win this award," Hotzfeld told ARRL. "I would like to thank the Hamvention
Awards Committee. Their decision must have been a tough one, as I am certain
the other nominees have done an outstanding job representing this hobby too. I
would also like to thank those who mentored me throughout my different learning
 phases of this hobby. Not only has Amateur Radio been a life-changing
experience for me, there are so many helpful hams in this hobby that it just
feels natural to give back."

First licensed in 2006, Hotzfeld has been very active in local Amateur Radio
clubs and in ARES. Once she "discovered" HF, she became obsessed with DXing and
 contesting. In the past few years, she has enjoyed inviting new hams to her
station to DX or contest. She has been the pilot or lead pilot for four major
DXpeditions. Hotzfeld also is a co-host of the Ham Nation webcast and has
created how-to videos on YouTube for the ham radio community.

In 2017, Hotzfeld became engaged in public service, first traveling to Texas in
 the wake of Hurricane Harvey to help rescue small animals. She subsequently
was deployed to Puerto Rico with the American Red Cross for 3 weeks as part of
an Amateur Radio volunteer contingent, facilitating critical communications
after Hurricane Maria.


Club of the Year

The Portage County Amateur Radio Service (PCARS) of Ravenna, Ohio, is
Hamvention's 2018 Club of the Year. PCARS was established in November 2005, and
 it is an ARRL-Affiliated Special Service Club. PCARS members average more than
 40 hours of club activities each month, including special interest groups,
license training, contesting run from the club site (K8BF), and club social
events.

"Our members cover a wide range of interests that allow us to support public
safety organizations, student outreach programs, and activities focused on
growing our hobby," the club told the Hamvention Awards Committee. "We love to
share our experiences and have a requirement that our events be filled with a
lot of fun. Members have joined PCARS because of all the activities and fun we
have."

The club donated more than $6,000 in time and money to the community last year.
 It has created its own contests and events, including the annual Freeze Your
Acorns Off in February and Ohio State Parks on the Air, which was used as a
model for ARRL's year-long National Parks on the Air event in 2016.

PCARS sponsors several "Build Days" each year, with projects including
home-built transceivers, antennas, and digital equipment to allow members to
expand their horizons into new areas of Amateur Radio. A monthly "Get on the
Air Day" lets members and non-members use club site equipment to learn about HF
 and new operating modes. "It is all about building our hobby, helping our
community, building our skills, and, most of all, having fun," PCARS said.


Technical Achievement Award

Chip Cohen, W1YW, of Belmont, Massachusetts, has received the Hamvention 2018
Technical Achievement Award. Licensed for 52 years and bitten by the antenna
bug, Cohen became a radio astronomer and astrophysicist, working at Arecibo,
the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), the Very Large Array (VLA),
and others. While a professor at Boston University, Cohen connected fractal
geometry with antennas, pioneering a paradigm shift in the design of fractal
antennas and what they make possible. The holder of 41 US patents, Cohen is
known for inventing the invisibility cloak using fractal antenna techniques.

Starting 30 years ago with simple flea market treasures, W1YW bootstrapped
fractal antennas with modest gear and employed ham radio to report on the
success of his new technology. He started Fractal Antenna Systems, Inc. with
WA1ZWT (SK) in 1995, and is presently its CEO.

Cohen is a DXCC Top of the Honor Roll DXer and a strong advocate for technical
"innovation culture" through Amateur Radio. He is a Life Member of ARRL and a
Fellow of the Radio Club of America, where he has served as vice president and
director.


Special Achievement Award

Heriberto Perez, KK4DCX; Victor Torres, WP4SD, and Emilio Ortiz Jr., WP4KEY,
are Hamvention's 2018 Special Achievement Award winners. In the wake of
Hurricane Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico last September, Perez mobilized
his radio equipment to Radio Sol in San Germán, the local public broadcasting
station, accompanied by Torres and Ortiz. The team handled health-and-welfare
traffic to thousands of families across the continental US. Thanks to the
support of more than 45 radio amateurs across the US, more than 4,000 messages
were delivered via telephone to anxious families.

"We would like to thank everyone who nominated a candidate," the committee said
 in announcing the award recipients. "The process is always difficult." A
formal awards presentation will take place this May at Hamvention 2018 in
Xenia, Ohio.

____________________________________________________________________________


3Y0Z Bouvet Island Team: We'll Be Back

Now safely home in the wake of their ill-fated DXpedition attempt to Bouvet
Island, the members of the 3Y0Z Bouvet Island team hope to try again to mount
an operation from what's been described as the most remote place on Earth. The
subantarctic Bouvet -- a Norwegian dependency -- stands as the second
most-wanted DXCC entity.

"[W]e are not the kind of people to give up," DXpedition co-leader Bob Allphin,
 K4UEE, said in a statement released last weekend. "The same thing happened
when we were trying to activate Peter I Island in 2005. We came back the
following year and...we got it done." The 2006 3Y0X operation subsequently was
judged the "DXpedition of the Decade."

All told, the 3Y0Z team spent a month aboard MV Betanzos, the vessel that
transported them from Chile to less than a mile off Bouvet to Cape Town, South
Africa. Now back home for about 2 weeks, the team has had a little time to
reflect.

"We have been to Bouvet Island, and as a result, we have a better appreciation
for the challenges we face," Allphin said. "It is a dark, dismal, and dangerous
 place. Yet, when the sun shines, it is magnificent."

The most difficult memory for the team, Allphin recounted, is the team's final
day off the coast of Bouvet, "when we saw the island, crystal clear in calm
winds, less than a mile away. The conditions were perfect for our first
reconnaissance flight and possible landing of men and camp infrastructure. But,
 during the violent night before, the captain had made the decision to abort.
In retrospect, his call was clairvoyant. The mechanical propulsion failure on
the ship that occurred would have brought disaster if it resulted in some of
our men being stranded ashore."

Allphin said the 3Y0Z Bouvet team is optimistic that it will get at least some
of its money back from DAP, the Chilean company that owns the vessel. "That
money [with] what we still have in the bank will allow us to begin making plans
 to try again," he said. "We have begun the difficult task of looking for a
suitable vessel, and would hope to go back to Bouvet in the next year or two."

____________________________________________________________________________


The Doctor Will See You Now!

"Adding an Amplifier to your Station" is the topic of the current (March 1)
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: "Mailbag."

____________________________________________________________________________


ARRL Repurposes AM Broadcast Transmitter for Ham Radio Use

Thanks to a joint effort by ARRL and the Vintage Radio and Communications
Museum of Connecticut (VRCMCT), a classic Gates BC-1T AM broadcast transmitter
will enjoy a second life on the Amateur Radio bands for occasional use under
W1AW or under the ARRL Headquarters Operators Club call sign, W1INF.

Spearheaded by broadcast engineer Dan Thomas, NC1J, VRCMCT volunteers restored
the1 kW transmitter to operating condition, after obtaining it from the
National Capital Radio and Television Museum in Bowie, Maryland. The VRCMCT
will retain ownership of the transmitter, while the League houses and maintains
 it on loan. The transmitter will be located in the ARRL Lab, and Assistant Lab
 Manager Bob Allison, WB1GCM, said the transmitter could be on the air as W1AW
during such operating events as the AM Rally and the Heavy Metal Rally.

ARRL turned to AM guru and veteran broadcast engineer Tim "Timtron" Smith,
WA1HLR, of Skowhegan, Maine, to handle shifting the BC-1T from 1,340 kHz to the
 ham bands. Timtron not only has been an AM mainstay on 75 and 40 meters over
the years, he's engineered all manner of AM, FM, and HF broadcast transmitters
in his extensive career. This combination of familiarity and experience made
him a logical choice to handle the conversion to amateur use of the Gates
BC-1T.

Various stipulations added a level of complexity to the endeavor. First, the
transmitter had to be modified as little as possible, retaining original
components. The 833 final amplifier tubes, better suited for broadcast-band
use, would be retained as would the inductance-heavy tuning circuits. Another
requirement -- this one set by Smith -- ambitiously called for the transmitter
to function on 75 as well as on 160 meters.

Each RF stage was converted, starting with the Colpitts oscillator -- which
offered two octal tube sockets to hold broadcast crystals, and a selector
switch. More complicated was changing out feedback and loading capacitors in
the oscillator stage, along with the buffer tank circuit. The driver tank
circuit was next. Removing one-half of the windings on the multiple tank,
changing some connections, shortening long leads on RF bypass capacitors, and
modifying the neutralization circuit were necessary.

The output tuning circuit proved to be the easiest to convert; parallel
capacitors that enabled broadcast-band operation were rewired in series to
resonate on the amateur bands. A spare inductor, not required for higher
frequencies, was repurposed in place as a dc safety shunt. The modulator just
needed only minor changes. All was documented.

Initial tests at 250 W on February 22 demonstrated the success of the
modifications and marked completion of the first phase of a new lease on life
for the BC-1T as ARRL's flagship AM amateur band transmitter. "It took many
volunteers and their resources to make this project come together," said
Allison, who calls the BC-1T "The Ambassador."

"It's an ambassador for the AM mode, reaching out a friendly hand to radio
amateurs old and new," he said.

The project began in ARRL Lab on February 18 with the presentation to "Timtron"
 of an official ARRL Lab coat. As if stepping from the pages of a 1960s ARRL
Handbook, he looked the part and was ready to begin the operation. -- Thanks to
 Clark Burgard, N1BCG, and Bob Allison, WB1GCM

____________________________________________________________________________


Amateur Radio CubeSats Among NASA Ninth-Round CubeSat Launch Initiative Picks

AMSAT reports that two of its "GOLF" (Greater Orbit, Larger Footprint) series
CubeSats are among 21 missions recommended for NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative
 (CSLI) -- GOLF-TEE (Technology Evaluation Environment) and GOLF-1, were among
the 21 missions recommended for selection. AMSAT now must negotiate and execute
 a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with NASA for each project,
in order to finalize selection.

"The GOLF-TEE project tees off the next phase of our CubeSat program," AMSAT
Vice President-Engineering Jerry Buxton, N0JY, quipped. According to AMSAT,
NASA anticipates a sufficient number of launch opportunities but does not
guarantee that all recommended payloads will be launched. GOLF-TEE will also
carry a Fox-1E design V/u linear transponder and radiation effects experiment
for Vanderbilt University.

GOLF-TEE will serve as a rapidly deployable low-Earth-orbit (LEO) testbed for
technologies necessary for a successful CubeSat mission to a wide variety of
orbits, AMSAT said. GOLF-TEE is aimed at providing AMSAT with the hardware and
knowledge for attitude determination and control capability, and the
opportunity to develop a 3U spaceframe with deployable solar panels suitable
for LEO or high-Earth-orbit (HEO) missions, two of the major systems required
in future GOLF and HEO missions.

GOLF-TEE and the GOLF program will provide for the development of
"five-and-dime" field-programmable gate array software-defined radio (FPGA SDR)
 transponders for use on a variety of missions and orbits. The target GOLF-TEE
launch date is in the final quarter of 2019.

GOLF-1 will serve as a follow-on mission; AMSAT has not yet specified its
Amateur Radio payload. Launch is targeted for 2020 - 2021. The GOLF-1 CubeSat
will require a de-orbiting plan that complies with NASA requirements for
limiting orbital debris, due to the high altitude that AMSAT has requested.

AMSAT-NA unveiled the GOLF program its annual meeting last October as a crucial
 step toward fulfilling AMSAT's strategic goals involving high-altitude,
wide-access satellite missions. -- Thanks to AMSAT News Service via Paul
Stoetzer, N8HM

____________________________________________________________________________


History-Related Events Will Operate from Rare Grid in Cape Cod National
Seashore

It is mere coincidence that the Titanic disaster in 1912 -- one of the worst
maritime disasters in history -- and the birth of Guglielmo Marconi in 1874 --
the developer of the wireless gear equipping the ill-fated ship -- both
occurred in April. Marconi Wireless Company radio operators aboard the Titanic
transmitted the distress signal after the gigantic vessel struck an iceberg in
the North Atlantic on its maiden voyage. Co-located Amateur Radio special
events in April will commemorate both events, which will take place from FN51,
a rare grid square that's mostly water. ARRL International Grid Chase 2018
(IGC) enthusiasts take note! Both events will be held at the Nauset Coast Guard
 Station in Eastham, Massachusetts.

The Titanic/Marconi Memorial Radio Association of Cape Cod operation will use
W1MGY, in recognition of the Titanic's MGY call sign. Operation will begin on
Saturday, April 12, at 9 AM ET and continue until April 15 at 1:27 AM ET (0527
UTC) -- the time when the Virginian heard Titanic's last radio message 106
years ago. The Titanic disaster claimed some 1,500 lives. W1MGY trustee Barry
Hutchinson, KB1TLR, said plans call for coverage on all bands, mostly within
the General-class subbands, on CW and SSB. Two stations are planned.

Marconi's wireless station in Wellfleet on Cape Cod -- now on the National
Register of Historic Places -- played a role in the rescue of 740 survivors
from the Titanic. Marconi's wireless operator onboard the rescue ship Carpathia
 contacted the Titanic that fateful night to inform the wireless operator that
the Cape Cod station was transmitting messages to the ill-fated ship. The
Titanic's Marconi wireless operator promptly replied, "Come at once. We have
struck a berg," initiating the rescue of survivors.

The Saturday, April 21, International Marconi Day (IMD) operation by the
Marconi Cape Cod Radio Club will use the call sign KM1CC, which recognizes the
former WCC shore station on Cape Cod. Operation will be on CW, SSB, and digital
 modes.

KM1CC will be among many stations participating in IMD activities on April 21.
The 24-hour event is typically held on the Saturday closest to Marconi's birth
date. During IMD, Amateur Radio enthusiasts around the world will attempt to
make contact with various historic Marconi sites using communication techniques
 similar to those that Marconi used. Registered stations must operate from a
site with some connection to Marconi.

Stations may register for International Marconi Day 2018 via e-mail. The list
of stations already signed up for the 2018 IMD, along with their operating
sites, is posted on the Cornish Radio Amateur Club website.

____________________________________________________________________________


Expanded ARRL Presence at HamCation Provides Room to Meet and Greet Volunteers

ARRL's expanded presence at Orlando HamCation(R) February 9 - 11 -- the 2018
ARRL Florida State Convention -- enabled a suitably sized gathering place for
attendees to meet and greet volunteers from the ARRL Southeastern Division,
including ARRL Director Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, and Vice Director Joey Tiritilli,
N4ZUW, as well as Section Managers and ARRL Field Organization volunteers. ARRL
 President Rick Roderick, K5UR, also greeted visitors to the second-largest US
hamfest.

Many attendees took advantage of the huge ARRL book store, made possible this
year by HamCation's generous support for ARRL. Convention goers picked up
copies of popular new and flagship ARRL publications. ARRL Circulation Manager
Yvette Vinci, KC1AIM; Membership Manager Diane Petrilli, KB1RNF; Marketing
Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, and volunteers Holly Roderick and Sherry
Mahafza, KM4VSW, all contributed to the store's operation.

A standing-room-only crowd attended the ARRL membership forum, moderated by
Southeastern Division Director Greg Sarratt, W4OZK. President Roderick
addressed the gathering to highlight ARRL initiatives and answer questions.
Sarratt recognized ham radio operators from throughout the Division and country
 who helped provide public service and emergency communications throughout the
2017 hurricane season and its devastating impact on the southeast US, Puerto
Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

Sarratt also invited ARRL Puerto Rico Section Manager Oscar Resto, KP4RF, and
US Virgin Islands Section Manager Fred Kleber, K9VV, forward to accept the 2018
 ARRL International Humanitarian Award on behalf of radio amateurs in their
Sections who aided in hurricane relief and recovery. Southern Florida Section
Manager Jeff Beals, WA4AW, awarded Mo Dake, K9EE, a Certificate of Merit for
his 12 years of service as Palm Beach County SKYWARN(R) Coordinator.

A display featuring the ARRL Collegiate Amateur Radio Initiative (CARI)
included college pennants contributed by a handful of university radio clubs.
Disney systems engineer Andy Milluzzi, KK4LWR, a recent University of Florida
doctoral program graduate, led a college Amateur Radio forum. He introduced
many opportunities to help foster interest in ham radio among college students
and campus radio clubs. Topics Milluzzi and other participants covered included
 ARRL scholarships, sources of funding for campus radio clubs, and networking
students with alumni and professionals.

Inderbitzen also addressed the forum. "There is a renaissance going on right
now with renewing Amateur Radio among our nation's colleges and universities,"
he observed. Inderbitzen described ARRL's support for college radio clubs by
providing opportunities for students, faculty advisors, and other supporters to
 network via the ARRL CARI Facebook Group and at hamfest forums and exhibits
held throughout the country. A video of the forum is available on YouTube,
produced by Tony Milluzzi, KD8RTT, an Ohio University graduate research
assistant who also participated in the forum.

A booth and forum for the ARRL CARI program will also be organized for
Hamvention(R) in Xenia, Ohio, May 19-21. "Bring your school colors to hang in
the ARRL exhibit area!" Andy Milluzzi urged.

Inderbitzen has posted HamCation photos to the ARRL Facebook page. HamCation is
 held each year at the Central Florida Fairgrounds. The Orlando Amateur Radio
Club (OARC) sponsors the event, with support from volunteers and clubs
throughout the region. -- Thanks to Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, for information and
photos.

____________________________________________________________________________


Swedish Telecoms Regulator Considering Charging Hams a Fee to Run More Than 200
 W

Sweden's Post and Telecom Authority (PTS) is considering lowering the maximum
transmitter output power for general Amateur Radio stations to 200 W PEP. Under
 a set of wide-ranging proposed regulatory changes affecting many radio
services, radio amateurs wishing to run higher power would have to apply for a
license and pay an annual fee of about $33.

Amateur Radio licenses were eliminated in Sweden in 2004, and Amateur Radio in
Sweden is "permission free," but prospective radio amateurs still must pass an
examination, typically arranged by Sweden's International Amateur Radio Union
(IARU) member-society in Sweden, SSA. A certificate and a call sign, valid for
life, are issued without any future fees. The maximum permitted power on most
HF bands is 1 kW; that power level would not necessarily be guaranteed under an
 Amateur Radio license, and conditions could apply.

The PTS's rationale is that requiring a license for radio amateurs who want to
run more than 200 W will make it easier to trace any interference that those
transmitters may cause.

"The matter is widely discussed in Sweden," Henryk Kotowski, SM0JHF, told ARRL,
 "since there are quite a few opponents to permission-free operation, resulting
 -- in their eyes -- in degradation of quality and discipline on the air."

SSA is planning to comment on the proposal by the March 30 deadline.

____________________________________________________________________________


The K7RA Solar Update

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Only March 2 showed any sunspot activity over
 the past week, with a daily sunspot number of 11, so average daily sunspot
activity declined from 6 to 1.6. Average daily solar flux went from 68.3 to
67.6. Geomagnetic indicators were quiet, with average planetary A index
dropping from 10.4 to 5.1, and mid-latitude A index from 7.4 to 4.6.

Predicted solar flux is 68 on March 8-15; 70 on March 16; 72 on March 17-29; 70
 on March 30; 68 on March 31-April 11; 70 on April 12, and 72 on April 13-21.

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