The ARRL Letter
May 9, 2019
* Mobile Event App will Help Dayton Hamvention Visitors to Navigate
the Show
* Dayton Hamvention to Provide Information Radio Station on 1620 AM
* High-Altitude Celebration at SAQ
* The Doctor Will See You Now!
* ARRL Field Day Site Locator is Live, Promotional Material and FD
Gear Now Available
* May 14 FT4 Mock Contest Session Canceled, New WSJT-X Beta Version
Pending
* The K7RA Solar Update
* Just Ahead in Radiosport
* Spectrum: FCC Adopts Order on Use of Bands above 24 GHz for
Next-Gen Wireless
* Hams Help Trace "Mystery" Signal Disrupting Keyless Entry Devices
in Ohio
* Former ARRL Headquarters Staffer Ellen White, W1YL, is Krenkel
Medalist
* DX Voice from Mount Athos Monk Apollo, SV2ASP, SK
* "Put Howard to Work" Event Canceled
* In Brief...
* Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
Mobile Event App will Help Dayton Hamvention Visitors to Navigate the
Show
Dayton Hamvention^A(R) 2019, host of the ARRL National Convention,
will mark the debut of a free mobile event app to help attendees
navigate the extensive Hamvention program, activities, and exhibits
using their smartphones or tablets. Hamvention is May 17 - 19 at the
Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center in Xenia, Ohio.
A collaborative effort between ARRL and Dayton Hamvention, the app
was developed by TripBuilder Media^â*¢. ARRL Convention and Event
Coordinator Eric Casey, KC2ERC, has been readying the app, with
content contributions from Dayton Hamvention Committee members, and
he has introduced it in a new ARRL YouTube video.
"Our goal is to have all of the printed program content mirrored in
the app, organized so that you can schedule the forums you're
planning to attend, and find the exhibitors you want to visit," Casey
said. In addition to including exhibits and forums, the app will
highlight schedules and details for affiliated events, such as
dinners and other special gatherings, and a feature to allow
attendees to follow the hourly prize drawings from wherever they are.
"Use the app so you don't miss a winning ticket!" Casey suggested.
The Dayton Hamvention Prize Committee will populate the app as
winners are drawn.
Attendees are also encouraged to tap on the "MyProfile" icon to
optionally include their name and call sign, email address, and any
other information they'd like to share with other attendees. "One of
the neat features of this app is connecting with other Dayton
Hamvention guests who choose to share their contact info," says
Casey. "The icon labeled 'Scan Badge' will allow users to scan a QR
Code displayed on a second device using the 'MyBadge' icon --
instantly connecting your shared contact information with another
ham. After all, Dayton Hamvention and the ARRL National Convention is
where you meet with other members and friends from this great big
world of Amateur Radio."
[IMG]The free 2019 Dayton Hamvention event app is available for both
Apple and Android smart devices. A web-browser version is also
available, which is optimized for nearly any browser or other mobile
device type. Visit your app store to download the Apple and Android
versions (search "Hamvention" or find links on the ARRL National
Convention web page. If you are reading this article on a mobile
device, click here to be automatically redirected to the appropriate
app store to download the app, or to be redirected to the web browser
version. Email with any questions about the app.
+++
Dayton Hamvention to Provide Information Radio Station on 1620 AM
Dayton Hamvention^A(R) again will provide an Information Radio
Station at 1620 kHz on the AM band to help ease the trip for inbound
attendees. Hamvention will host ARRL's 2019 National Convention.
The low-power station will offer traffic, weather, parking, and event
information to motorists as they approach Xenia, which is bracing to
handle an influx of nearly 30,000 visitors -- roughly doubling the
city's population for the weekend.
Due to the web of two-lane roads that serves the Greene County
Fairgrounds and Expo Center, a sophisticated shuttle-bus operation
will be in place to alleviate traffic congestion. The 1620 AM signal
will blanket Xenia and be audible in surrounding Greene and
Montgomery counties, directing approaching attendees to special
parking facilities.
The service is being provided to Dayton Hamvention by Information
Station Specialists of Zeeland, Michigan, which this year will
utilize a newly designed, high-efficiency/high-capacity antenna. The
transmitter and antenna system will be on display during Dayton
Hamvention at Booth 6503.
High-Altitude Celebration at SAQ
On May 1, the Day of Industrial Culture in Europe sponsored "WORK it
OUT," during which workers all over the continent displayed their
skills in choreographed dance. The occasion involved thousands of
dancers in a "massive Pan-European dance event" at 1500 UTC.
Participants included a dozen women and men at SAQ in Sweden -- the
VLF Alexanderson alternator transmitter and UNESCO World Heritage
Site -- all apparently unafraid of heights.
[IMG]Video, likely shot by a drone and posted on YouTube, shows
appropriately equipped workers arrayed across the T-bar support of
one of SAQ's tall antenna support towers, dancing to "WORK it OUT," a
techno-style theme based largely on Beethoven's "Ode to Joy." They
joined other worker groups -- displaying various levels of dancing
prowess -- who took part in the May Day event at 41 industrial
monuments in 12 European countries.
SAQ maintains a 1920s-vintage electromechanical radio transmitter
once used for transatlantic telecommunication in that pre-high-power
transmitting tube era. The nearly century-old Alexanderson Alternator
at SAQ transmits on CW at 17.2 kHz on special occasions from
Grimeton, Sweden. Read more about SAQ in the July 2019 issue of QST.
The Doctor Will See You Now!
"It's About Time!" is the topic of the new (May 9) 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 email your questions to
doctor@arrl.org, and the Doctor may answer them in a future podcast.
Enjoy ARRL The Doctor is In on Apple iTunes, or by using your iPhone
or iPad podcast app (just search for ARRL The Doctor is In). You can
also listen online at Blubrry, or at Stitcher (free registration
required, or browse the site as a guest) and through the free
Stitcher app for iOS, Kindle, or Android devices. If you've never
listened to a podcast before, download our beginner's guide.
ARRL Field Day Site Locator is Live, Promotional Material and FD Gear
Now Available
Amateur Radio's most popular operating event, ARRL Field Day is June
22 - 23. See the May issue of QST, page 85, for the official Field
Day announcement. The complete 2019 ARRL Field Day packet is online.
The Field Day site locator is now up and running, and by mid-week,
475 sites already were in the database. To find a Field Day site near
you, enter your town and state in the "Location or Call Sign" box at
the upper left. Listings also are available by state or Canadian
province. To add a site, visit the Add Field Day Station page.
Information on promoting Field Day is available. Also, visit the
Field Day social media page for information on promoting your Field
Day operation via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and
YouTube.
The ARRL Public Relations Committee will host a series of live
video/audio conference calls every Thursday starting on May 9 to help
ARRL PIOs with their Field Day publicity efforts. Field Day public
service announcements (PSAs) are set to be posted to the ARRL Field
Day web page this week.
Official FD 2019 Gear!
Official Field Day gear and supplies available from ARRL including
pocket T-shirts, hats, pins, patches, stickers, and coffee mugs are a
great way to acknowledge -- and commemorate -- your participation in
this most popular on-the-air operating event in Amateur Radio.
Encourage club members, family, friends, and prospective hams to take
part using ARRL Field Day with recruitment posters and attractive
"Get on the Air" (GOTA) pins for those newcomers.
ARRL's new Radio Communications vinyl banner is perfect for showing
off Amateur Radio at ARRL Field Day, any public exhibit or
recruitment display. It's good for indoor and outdoor use and
reusable for years to come.
Clubs are encouraged to order early. Place a group order and pay just
$12.50 shipping for all orders over $50 (while supplies last). Get
your 2019 ARRL Field Day supplies from the ARRL online store or by
calling (888) 277-5289 in the US, Monday through Friday, from 8 AM to
5 PM Eastern Time. Outside the US, call (860) 594-0355.
The complete 2019 ARRL Field Day packet is online. ARRL encourages
participants to register their Field Day operations using the FD Site
Locator.
May 14 FT4 Mock Contest Session Canceled, New WSJT-X Beta Version
Pending
A second hour-long FT4 "practice contest" set for May 14 UTC has been
cancelled, following the success of an initial mock contest held on
May 9 UTC (the evening of Wednesday, May 8, in continental US time
zones). The event followed ARRL RTTY Roundup rules, with everyone
working everyone. WSJT-X program suite developer Joe Taylor, K1JT,
was among those jumping into the fray. He called the exercise "very
useful" and has drawn some preliminary conclusions as to how the FT4
protocol functions in a contest setting.
"FT4 works well, but -- as implemented WSJT-X 2.1.0-rc5 -- it has
some rough spots and performance issues," Taylor said in a post to
the Yahoo WSJT Meteor Scatter and Weak Signal Group. "Many of these
have been fixed already during this beta-testing period, and more
improvements are still to come."
Taylor said a second mock contest session using the current -rc5
"release candidate" (beta version) would not be helpful, and it's not
convenient for the developers to build and distribute -rc6 in time
for a session early next week, a few days before the Dayton
Hamvention. "Instead, we are aiming now to release WSJT-X 2.1.0-rc6
about 2 weeks later -- probably in the last week of May or the first
week of June," Taylor said. "Another mock contest practice session
will be scheduled soon after that release." The current -rc5 beta
version will expire automatically on June 7.
Post observations and comments to the Yahoo WSJT Group reflector or
to the WSJT Development Group Mailing List. Read more.
The K7RA Solar Update
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: We saw zero sunspots April 21 - May
2, but on May 3 sunspots returned. The average daily sunspot number
rose to 16.1 this week, and the average daily solar flux increased as
well, from 67.5 to 73.5. Both the average middle latitude and
planetary A index this week were 6.6, and last week those numbers
were 4.7 and 5.9, respectively.
Predicted solar flux is 75 on May 9 - 11; 73 on May 12 - 15; 74 and
76 on May 16 - 17; 72 on May 18 - 20; 68 on May 21 - 22; 67 on May 23
- 26; 69, 68, 69, 70, and 72 on May 27 - 31; 75 on June 1; 76 on June
2 - 13; 72 on June 14 - 16; 68 on June 17 - 18, and 67 on June 19 -
22.
Predicted planetary A index is 5 on May 9 - 10; 14 and 12 on May 11 -
12; 5 on May 13 - 19; 8 on May 20; 5 on May 21 - 27; 10, 12, 8, and
10 on May 28 - 31; 5, 12, and 14 on June 1 - 3; 8 on June 4 - 6; 5 on
June 7 - 15; 8 on June 16, and 5 on June 17 - 22.
Sunspot numbers for May 2 - 8 were 0, 11, 12, 14, 25, 27, and 24,
with a mean of 16.1. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 69.2, 69.8, 72.3,
73.5, 76, 78.7, and 75.3, with a mean of 73.5. Estimated planetary A
indices were 12, 7, 10, 4, 5, 5, and 3, with a mean of 6.6. Middle
latitude A index was 13, 8, 9, 4, 5, 5, and 2, with a mean of 6.6.
A comprehensive K7RA Solar Update is posted Fridays on the ARRL
website. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the
ARRL Technical Information Service, read "What the Numbers Mean...,"
and check out K9LA's Propagation Page.
A propagation bulletin archive is available. Monthly charts offer
propagation projections between the US and a dozen DX locations.
Share your reports and observations.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Just Ahead in Radiosport
* May 11 -- FISTS Spring Unlimited Sprint (CW)
* May 11 - 12 -- CQ - M International DX Contest (CW, phone)
* May 11 - 12 -- VOLTA WW RTTY Contest
* May 11 - 12 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon (CW)
* May 11 - 12 -- Arkansas QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
* May 11 - 12 -- 50 MHz Spring Sprint (CW, phone)
* May 12 -- WAB 7 MHz Phone/CW
* May 13 -- 4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint (CW, phone)
* May 13 -- RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship (SSB)
* May 16 -- NAQCC CW Sprint
See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. For in-depth
reporting on Amateur Radio contesting, subscribe to The ARRL Contest
Update via your ARRL member profile email preferences.
Spectrum: FCC Adopts Order on Use of Bands above 24 GHz for Next-Gen
Wireless
The FCC on April 12 adopted a Report and Order (GN Docket 14-177)
aimed at making available millimeter wave (mmW) spectrum at or above
24 GHz for fifth-generation (5G) wireless, Internet of Things, and
other advanced spectrum-based services, including satellite broadband
services. The FCC first adopted rules to allow Fixed-Satellite
Service (FSS) Earth stations to be individually licensed to transmit
in the 50.4 - 51.4 GHz band using criteria identical to those
applicable in the 24.75 - 25.25 GHz band.
"This action will allow FSS operators to provide faster, more
advanced services to their customers," the FCC said in announcing the
action.
The Commission also established a coordination process to accommodate
the military's potential need for additional sites in the upper 37
GHz band (37.6 - 38.6 GHz band) in limited circumstances, while
protecting the interests of non-federal licensees in this band.
"The[se] steps are an integral step toward the auction of the Upper
37 GHz, 39 GHz, and 47 GHz spectrum bands slated to begin later this
year," the FCC said.
Hams Help Trace "Mystery" Signal Disrupting Keyless Entry Devices in
Ohio
A recent article in The New York Times reported that many garage door
openers and keyless vehicle entry fobs in an Ohio town near Cleveland
mysteriously stopped working. While the article invoked The X-Files
and hinted initially that a NASA research center might be involved,
the cause was not so much mystifying as arcane.
"Garage door repair people, local ham radio enthusiasts, and other
volunteer investigators descended on the neighborhood with various
meters," the May 4 article by Heather Murphy recounted. "Everyone
agreed that something powerful was interfering with the radio
frequency that many fobs rely on, but no one could identify the
source."
More than a dozen residents reported intermittent issues getting
their key fobs and garage door openers to operate, and most lived
within a few blocks of each other. At one point, the local power
utility started shutting off power to areas where the strongest RF
signal was detected, but the signal persisted. Dan Dalessandro,
WB8ZQH, a TV repairer, was among several hams who investigated. He
initially picked up "little blips" on a signal detector, but finally,
on one block and at a particular house, the signal was quite loud.
"The source of the problem was a homebrew, battery-operated device
designed by a local resident to alert him if someone was upstairs
when he was working in his basement," the Times reported. "It did so
by turning off a light." The inventor, not identified for privacy
concerns, had no malicious intent nor any no inkling that his device
was wreaking havoc on the neighborhood until a North Olmstead City
Council member and a volunteer knocked on his door. The device
operated on 315 MHz, the frequency many keyless-entry devices use
under FCC Part 15 rules. The device's battery was removed, the signal
stopped, and all who were involved breathed sighs of relief.
Former ARRL Headquarters Staffer Ellen White, W1YL, is Krenkel
Medalist
ARRL Headquarters staff alumna and Life Member Ellen White, W1YL, has
been awarded the Russian E.T. Krenkel Medal, a prestigious award
granted to individuals and organizations for outstanding global
contributions to Amateur Radio.
First licensed in 1946, White had already learned Morse code in high
school, and even today, she only rarely operates any other mode. She
served for more than 25 years (1952 - 1978) on the Headquarters
staff, at one point heading up ARRL contesting activities. She
retired as Deputy Communications Manager and became QST "How's DX?"
editor. On her own time, she recorded QST on tape for the vision
impaired through the US Library of Congress talking book program.
Ellen White, W1YL [Photo courtesy of
MABUHAY DXstitch]
Her husband Bob White, W1CW (SK), was ARRL DXCC manager. Their son
Jim White, K4OJ (SK), also once served on the ARRL HQ staff and was
president of the Florida Contest Group, which now holds his call
sign.
For several years now, Ellen White has been operating via the W7RN
remote contest station in Nevada to stay active on CW as W1YL/7,
usually on 40 meters at around 1000 UTC. She is on the roster of the
A-1 Operators Club and has served as a West Central Florida Assistant
Section Manager. The article "A Conversation with Ellen White, W1YL,"
by Rosalie White, K1STO (no relation), appeared in the May/June 2015
edition of NCJ.
"It has been quite a ride and one I could not have made without ham
radio," White told ARRL. "I am proud and delighted to be a chosen
recipient of 'The Krenkel.""
QST was awarded a Krenkel Medal in 2018.
The award's namesake, Ernst Teodorovich Krenkel, was a radio amateur
who, over the years, used the call signs RAEM, U3AA, and UA3AA.
Krenkel's image appears on postage stamps from the USSR and Russia,
and he authored a biography entitled My Callsign is RAEM. Read more.
-- Thanks to George Wagner, K5KG
DX Voice from Mount Athos Monk Apollo, SV2ASP, SK
Mount Athos' best-known radio amateur, Monk Apollo, SV2ASP, died on
May 5 after complications resulting from cancer. He was 64. Monk
Apollo was essentially the lone DX voice from Mount Athos, the 20th
most-wanted DXCC entity, where he operated from his Orthodox
Monastery of Docheiariou. Born into a large family in western Greece,
he became a monk in 1973, eventually joining the ascetic monastery on
Mount Athos in 1980.
When the need for reliable communication from the monastery surfaced
in the 1980s, Monk Apollo followed a recommendation to become a radio
amateur, which he did in 1988. He had to wait for permission from the
Holy Council to operate, however, before he was able to get on the
air for the first time in 1990. He celebrated his 10th anniversary on
the air with the special call sign SY2A.
Monk Iakovos, SV2RSG, who lives at Koutloumousiou Holy Monastery on
Mount Athos, was licensed in 2015 and has been active on the air. He
is a member of DX Plus Hellenic Radio Amateur Team.
Peter Vekinis, KH6VP, has visited Mount Athos a few times recently to
help Monk Iakovos, and an article on his experiences there will
appear in an upcoming issue of QST. Read more.
"Put Howard to Work" Event Canceled
In late April, ARRL had announced that ARRL CEO Howard Michel,
WB2ITX, would be on the air at W1AW on Monday, May 13, giving ARRL
members a chance to chat with the CEO and get to know him better as a
ham. An issue was raised, however, that this event may be a potential
FCC rule violation.
The particular rule is AS:97.113: "A station is also not allowed to
transmit communication in which the station licensee or control
operator has a pecuniary interest, including communications on behalf
of an employer." Given that ARRL is Michel's employer and that an
effort was made to publicize an event at which members of the
organization could chat with the CEO, such an event could be
perceived as a benefit to the organization. So, out of an abundance
of caution and to avoid any potential violation of FCC rules, or even
the appearance of a violation, Michel decided to cancel plans for the
"Put Howard to Work" event.
"I've operated W1AW before and will continue to do so in the future,"
Michel said. "I hope to meet many of you on the air, but only as part
of my regular ham radio activities and not as part of an
ARRL-promoted event."
The "Put Howard to Work!" event was conceived by the ICQ Amateur/Ham
Radio Podcast, on which Michel was a guest on March 31. "We are
disappointed, of course, at this turn of events, but fully understand
and endorse ARRL's decision," said ICQ Podcast Presenter Frank
Howell, K4FMH.
In Brief...
Support ARRL when shopping for Mother's Day. Mother's Day is Sunday,
May 12. If you're looking for the perfect gift, shop at AmazonSmile
and choose American Radio Relay League, Inc. (ARRL) as your charity
of choice. With every purchase you make at AmazonSmile, Amazon will
make a contribution to ARRL. This helps the League to extend its
reach in public service, advocacy, education, technology, and
membership. Make Mom smile, and get her something special this year
while supporting Amateur Radio and ARRL. Help to support ARRL all
year long: Bookmark ARRL's link and support Amateur Radio and ARRL
every time you shop online.
+++
National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting will expand its
hours during Dayton Hamvention^A(R). The museum, located at the site
of the former Voice of America Bethany Relay Station in West Chester,
Ohio (between Dayton and Cincinnati, off the I-75 Tylersville Road
exit), will be open Thursday and Friday, May 16 and 17, 4 - 9 PM;
Saturday, May 18, ^ 1 - 9 PM, and Sunday, May 19, 1 - 5 PM during
Dayton Hamvention 2019 weekend. The WC8VOA station also will be open.
The museum includes a comprehensive collection of Drake Amateur Radio
gear. More information is on the VOA Museum website.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
* May 17 - 19 -- Dayton Hamvention -- ARRL National Convention,
Xenia, Ohio
* May 31 - June 1 -- Arizona State Convention, Prescott, Arizona
* May 31 - June 2 -- Northwestern Division Convention, Seaside,
Oregon
* June 1 -- Georgia Section Convention, Marietta, Georgia
* June 1 - 2 -- Western Pennsylvania Section Convention, Prospect,
Pennsylvania
* June 7 - 8 -- West Gulf Division Convention (Ham-Com), Plano,
Texas
* June 15 -- W8DXCC DX Convention, Owensville, Ohio
* July 19 - 21 -- Nevada State Convention, Reno, Nevada
* July 25 - 27 -- Central States VHF Conference, Lincoln, Nebraska
* July 26 - 27 -- Ham Holiday, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Find conventions and hamfests in your area.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
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Amateur Radio Interest 
