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********************************************
The ARRL Letter
Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************
May 2, 2019
Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME
ARRL Home Page ARRL Letter Archive
Audio News
IN THIS ISSUE
- ARRL Reply Comments Stress Need to Update Technician Privileges in a
Digital World
- World Scout Jamboree Gearing Up for Significant Amateur Radio
Presence
- Science and Technology: An Ultra-Small Transmitter for VLF?
- So Now What? Podcast
- ARRL's Free Exam Review for Ham Radio Updated
- The K7RA Solar Update
- Just Ahead in Radiosport
- HamSCI, Ham Radio 2.0 to Combine Efforts at Dayton Hamvention 2019
- Annual Armed Forces Day Crossband Test Set for May 11
- In Brief...
- Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
==> ARRL REPLY COMMENTS STRESS NEED TO UPDATE TECHNICIAN PRIVILEGES IN
A DIGITAL WORLD
In reply comments to the FCC (comments on comments already filed) on
its Petition for Rule Making
(RM-11828), ARRL has
stressed that updating HF privileges for the entry-level Technician
license "is the sole subject and intent" of the petition. ARRL filed
its reply comments on April 29, urging the FCC to disregard comments
irrelevant to its petition and maintaining that Technician privileges
must be relevant within the context of today's technological
environment.
"[T]he increasingly rapid pace of change in communications
technologies, coupled with the national need for self-training in
science, technology, engineering, and math" necessitate the rule
changes requested, ARRL asserted. "ARRL made its request because of the
gap between today's digital technologies and the privileges accorded
the current entry-level Technician license." ARRL characterized its
proposal to update the rules as "balanced and modest."
"If adopted, there would be no change to the operating privileges for
all license classes other than those of the Technician class," ARRL
said. In 2018, ARRL asked the FCC to expand HF privileges for
Technician licensees to include limited phone privileges on 75, 40, and
15 meters, plus RTTY and digital mode privileges on 80, 40, and 15
meters. The FCC invited comments on the proposal in April.
ARRL pointed out that some comments filed on its petition address
subjects related to other open proceedings rather than expanding
Technician privileges, citing comments cross-filed in such proceedings
as WT Docket 16-239, RM-11708, RM-11759, and RM-11831. "Those filings
should be considered in the proceedings that they address, rather than
here," ARRL said.
ARRL said some opposition appears based on fears of increased
interference potential due to additional digital operation by
Technicians. "It is improbable that all, or even a majority, of
Technician licensees suddenly would develop a passion for the same
digital technology," ARRL said. "Our hope and expectation is that many
will engage with digital modes on the high-frequency spectrum at issue,
but it is unrealistic to suggest that every Technician licensee blessed
with new privileges would suddenly appear on the same band."
The comments note the development of very efficient digital modes, such
as FT8, which occupies just 90 Hz of spectrum per signal. "The
experience with FT8 clearly demonstrates the attraction of the digital
modes and the spectrum efficiencies that can be achieved," ARRL said.
"This is why opening up limited digital opportunities to new radio
amateurs so clearly would serve the broad public interest as well as
the specific purposes of Amateur Radio in experimentation and
innovation, as enumerated in the governing FCC rules."
ARRL further said that comments regarding disagreement on the
definition of encryption for masking the content of certain digital
transmissions are also "out of place in this proceeding" and "should
not delay initiation of a proceeding" proposing to update Technician
privileges.
"Technology has changed dramatically in the Amateur Radio domain, and
ARRL believes the requested Technician license enhancement would foster
the regulatory goals for the Amateur Service and continue to increase
amateurs' historical experimentation and service in a meaningful way,"
ARRL concluded.
+++
==> WORLD SCOUT JAMBOREE GEARING UP FOR SIGNIFICANT AMATEUR RADIO
PRESENCE
Amateur Radio will be a part of this summer's 24th World Scout Jamboree
in West Virginia, the first World Jamboree held in North America since
1983. The Jamboree has chosen the theme "Unlock a New World." Thousands
of Scouts and Scout leaders from some 200 countries are expected to
attend. The Jamboree's Amateur Radio Exhibit will use the call sign
NA1WJ -- North America's
1st World Jamboree. It will be on the air during the event, July 22
until August 2, at the Summit Bechtel Reserve, hosted by Canada,
Mexico, and the US. Amateur Radio testing is expected to begin as early
as July 14. Operating frequencies will be posted in real time via
Facebook
and Twitter
or via an NA1WJ email group .
"The goals of the Amateur Radio station at the World Scout Jamboree are
to introduce Amateur Radio to Scouts and Scout leaders through hands-on
participation in two-way communication with other stations across the
globe. This activity will also serve as the Amateur Radio voice of the
Jamboree," the World Scout Jamboree Amateur Radio Exhibit Operational
Vision document
states. Other facets of Amateur Radio at the Jamboree will include
Amateur Radio direction finding (ARDF), Amateur Radio satellite
contacts, and a scheduled Amateur Radio on the International Space
Station (ARISS) contact with an ISS crew member.
"We also expect to launch one or two balloons with Amateur Radio
payloads and track them as they cross the Atlantic," the vision
document continues.
Organizers are encouraging radio amateurs around the globe to get on
the air during the World Jamboree to help NA1WJ demonstrate Amateur
Radio for Jamboree visitors.
The 2019 World Scout Jamboree operation at the Summit Bechtel Scout
Reserve will take advantage of lessons learned by the K2BSA Amateur
Radio operation during the 2013 and 2017 USA National Jamborees. It
will also take advantage of the existing infrastructure, which includes
three VHF/UHF repeaters installed by Icom America, as well as the
utility poles for installing antennas. K2BSA ham gear stored in West
Virginia includes antennas, rotators, and cables.
Evening operation from NA1WJ will involve at least two operators using
the buddy system. VHF/UHF repeaters will offer full coverage of the
Jamboree area via handheld transceivers, facilitating networking as
well as emergency communication. The exhibit will include an Amateur
Radio station with the special event call sign W8J.
The demonstration station will include multiple operating positions
offering a variety of modes. These include six stations with 100 W HF
transceivers, computer logging software, and large screen computer
displays; two VHF/UHF stations for demonstrations and repeater
monitoring, and two satellite communication systems. The antenna farm
will include two HF directional antennas, three HF dipoles, three HF
vertical antennas, VHF/UHF verticals and satellite antennas with
azimuth and elevation control, a trailer-based crank-up tower, a
five-band Yagi, a 40-meter rotatable dipole, and a 6-meter Yagi.
Each station will be able to accommodate four participants at a time,
plus one control operator. The goal is to give each participant up to
about 10 minutes of operating time.
The K2BSA Amateur Radio Association will host a "Radio Scouting" booth
at Dayton Hamvention ® (Booth 2205 in
Building 2).
==> SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: AN ULTRA-SMALL TRANSMITTER FOR VLF?
A study, "A high Q piezoelectric resonator as a portable VLF
transmitter ," by
Stanford University SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory researcher
Mark A. Kemp et al., in the April 12, 2019, edition of Nature
Communications describes using a small rod of lithium niobate and
taking advantage of the material's piezoelectric properties to convert
an imposed voltage to a mechanical effect, which in turn radiates an
electromagnetic current.
The National Accelerator Lab describes the research in an article,
"SLAC develops novel compact antenna for communicating where radios
fail
,"
which said a new type of pocket-sized devices "could be used in
portable transmitters for rescue missions and other challenging
applications demanding high mobility" where conventional radios don't
work, such as under water, through the ground, and over very long
distances through air. "The device emits VLF radiation with wavelengths
of tens to hundreds of miles. These waves travel long distances beyond
the horizon and can penetrate environments that would block radio waves
with shorter wavelengths."
"Our device is also hundreds of times more efficient and can transmit
data faster than previous devices of comparable size," Kemp, the
project's principal investigator. "Its performance pushes the limits of
what's technologically possible and puts portable VLF applications,
like sending short text messages in challenging situations, within
reach."
A new compact VLF transmitter, developed and tested at SLAC, consists
of a 4-inch-long piezoelectric crystal (clear rod at center) that
generates VLF radiation. [Photo courtesy of Dawn Harmer/SLAC National
Accelerator Laboratory]
The paper by Kemp et al. points to the fact that large size and high
loss render conventional transmitter techniques inadequate. "We show
that a strain-based, piezoelectric transmitter can overcome many of the
fundamental limitations of conventional electrically small antennas
(ESA)," the paper's abstract reads. "These transmitters can resonate in
a very small footprint while exhibiting low losses."
Taking a deeper dive: "Traditionally, a disadvantage of passive high-Q
antennas was low bandwidth. Utilizing piezoelectricity as the radiating
element allows us to dynamically shift the transmitter resonant
frequency. Therefore, high total Q (low loss) no longer constrains the
system bandwidth. These are our fundamental advancements: Achieving an
exceptionally high system Q with no external impedance matching network
and an effective fractional bandwidth beyond the passive Bode-Fano
limit
Although demonstrated at VLF, this concept straightforwardly scales to
other frequency bands."
==> SO NOW WHAT? PODCAST
"Finding the Right Club for You" is the focus of the new (May 2)
episode of the So Now What? podcast
for Amateur Radio newcomers. If you're a newly licensed Amateur Radio
operator, chances are you have lots of questions. This biweekly podcast
has answers! So Now What? offers insights from those who've been just
where you are now. New episodes will be posted every other Thursday,
alternating new-episode weeks with the ARRL The Doctor is In
podcast.
So Now What? is sponsored by LDG Electronics
, a family owned and operated business
with laboratories in southern Maryland that offers a wide array of
antenna tuners and other Amateur Radio products.
ARRL Communications Content Producer Michelle Patnode, W3MVP, and ARRL
Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, co-host the podcast. Presented as a
lively conversation, with Patnode representing newer hams and Carcia
the veteran operators, the podcast will explore questions that newer
hams may have and the issues that keep participants from staying active
in the hobby. Some episodes will feature guests to answer questions on
specific topic areas.
Listeners can find So Now What? on Apple iTunes
,
Blubrry , Stitcher
(free registration required, or browse the
site as a guest) and through the free Stitcher app for iOS, Kindle, or
Android devices. Episodes will be archived on the ARRL website.
==> ARRL'S FREE EXAM REVIEW FOR HAM RADIO UPDATED
ARRL Exam Review for Ham Radio (TM) has
been updated in advance of the release of the ninth edition of The ARRL
General Class License Manual for Ham Radio
.
ARRL Exam Review is a free online resource for use with current
editions of ARRL License Manuals
. The
service can be accessed via a web browser, and uses the official
examination question pools to construct chapter-by-chapter reviews.
Upon completing study, Exam Review helps the license candidate take
practice exams with the same number and variety of questions that he or
she will encounter on exam day. Practice tests can be taken over and
over, scored in complete privacy, or even printed with an answer key.
Exam Review includes quick feedback about the questions missed.
The update to Exam Review and the new edition General Class License
Manual coincides with a new General Class question pool released
earlier this year by the National Conference of Volunteer Examiner
Coordinators (NCVEC ). The new 2019 - 2023
General Class question pool becomes effective on July 1, 2019 for
examinations in the Amateur Radio Service. The 2015 - 2019 General
Class pool remains in effect for exams given until June 30, 2019. ARRL
Exam Review provides access to both the current and new General Class
questions. (Read more
.)
==> THE K7RA SOLAR UPDATE
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: No sunspots were visible over the
April 25 - May 1 reporting week, and so the average daily sunspot
number dropped to zero after sitting at 8.1 during the previous 7 days.
Average daily solar flux declined from 70.6 to 67.5. Geomagnetic
indicators were quiet, with average planetary A index at 5.9, up from
4.7 in the previous week.
Predicted solar flux is 68 and 70 on May 2 - 3; 72 on May 4 - 5; 74 on
May 6 - 9; 78 on May 10 - 16; 76, 72, and 70 on May 17 - 19; 69 on May
20 - 21; 68 on May 22; 67 on May 23 - June 2; 70 and 75 on June 3 - 4;
78 on June 5 - 12; 76, 72, and 70 on June 13 - 15.
Predicted planetary A index is 15 and 10 on May 2 - 3; 5 on May 4 - 9;
8 on May 10; 5 on May 11 - 19; 8 on May 20; 5 on May 21 - 26; 10, 14,
12, 8, and 5 on May 27 - 31; 10, 12, and 14 on June 1 - 3; 8 on June 4
- 6, and 5 on June 7 - 15.
The New Yorker recently ran an article about
aurora borealis tourism.
Sunspot numbers for April 25 - May 1, 2019 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, and
0, with a mean of 0. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 67.5, 67.2, 66.9,
67.9, 66.9, 68.5, and 67.6, with a mean of 67.5. Estimated planetary A
indices were 5, 4, 6, 5, 5, 5, and 11, with a mean of 5.9. Middle
latitude A index was 4, 2, 5, 4, 6, 4, and 8, with a mean of 4.7.
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 3 - 4 -- MIE 33 Contest (CW, phone)
- May 4 -- FISTS Spring Slow Speed Sprint (CW)
- May 4 - 5 -- New England QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
- May 4 - 5 -- 7th Call Area QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
- May 4 - 5 -- Indiana QSO Party (CW, phone)
- May 4 -5 -- Delaware QSO Party (CW, phone)
- May 4 - 5 -- 10-10 International Spring Contest, CW
- May 4 - 5 -- SBMS 2.3 GHz and Up Contest (CW, phone)
- May 4 -- Microwave Spring Sprint (CW, phone)
- May 4 - 5 -- ARI International DX Contest (CW, phone)
- May 4 - 5 -- Araucaria World Wide VHF Contest (CW, phone)
- May 7 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW)
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.
==> HAMSCI, HAM RADIO 2.0 TO COMBINE EFFORTS AT DAYTON HAMVENTION 2019
Thanks to support from the Yasme Foundation , the
citizen science organization HamSCI and Ham
Radio 2.0 will share space and combine efforts at Dayton Hamvention
® 2019, which is also the 2019 ARRL National
Convention. Their displays will be in Building 4 (Volta), which is
between the food trucks and the flea market.
The Ham Radio 2.0 area will serve to host a series of "booth talks"
both by HamSCI presenters and presenters with a "2-point-0" perspective
on operating and technology that looks to the future of ham radio.
Presentations begin at 10 AM on Friday and continue through 3 PM on
Saturday.
Friday, 10 AM
HR 2.0
Moonbounce Via the MIT Remote Linked EME Station
Marty Sullaway, NN1C
Friday, 11 AM
HamSCI
New Directions in Sporadic-E Research
Bill Engelke, AB4EJ, University of Alabama
Friday, Noon
HR 2.0
Contesting with FT4: Issues and Opportunities Going Forward
John Pescatore, K3TN
Friday, 1 PM
HamSCI
The Third Source of F2 Region Variability
Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA
Friday, 2 PM
HR 2.0
How Real-Time Scoreboards Change Contesting
Victor Androsov, VA2WA
Friday, 3 PM
HamSCI
RBN & WSPRNet Response to September 2017 Solar Flares and Storms
Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, NJ Institute of Technology
Saturday, 10 AM
HR 2.0
Balloon Pico Races
Bill Brown, WB8ELK
Saturday, 11 AM
HamSCI
To Be Announced
Saturday, Noon
HR 2.0
Youth Contesting Program in North America
Jocelyn Brault, KD8VRX, and Bryant Rascoll, KG5HVO
Saturday, 1 PM
HamSCI
Propagation on 630 and 2200 Meters
Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA
Saturday, 2 PM
HR 2.0
SOTA and New Methods of Portable Operating
Paula Uscian, K9IR
Saturday, 3 PM
HamSCI
HF Satellite Observations of Field Day
Gareth Perry, NJ Institute of Technology
In addition to the presentations, the Ham Radio 2.0 area will be home
to a mini-booth staffed by members of the Young Amateurs Radio Club
(YARC ) and the Young Contesters Program (YC
P) that is associated with the European
Youngsters On The Air (YOTA ) program. It's an
opportunity to get acquainted with radio amateurs doing interesting
things in interesting places.
HamSCI also will offer the HamSCI Forum Saturday, 9:15 - 10:30 AM
(Forum Room 4).
Full details are on the
HamSCI website.
==> ANNUAL ARMED FORCES DAY CROSSBAND TEST SET FOR MAY 11
The Army Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) will host the
traditional military/Amateur Radio communication tests to mark the 68th
annual Armed Forces Day (AFD) on Saturday, May 11. The event is open to
all radio amateurs. Armed Forces Day is May 18, but the AFD Crossband
Military-Amateur Radio event traditionally takes place 1 week earlier
in order to avoid conflicting with Dayton Hamvention®. Complete
information, including military stations, modes, and frequencies, is
available on the US
Army MARS website.
"For more than 50 years, military and amateur stations have taken part
in this event, which is only an exercise scenario, designed to include
hobbyist and government radio operators alike," the event announcement
said. "The AFD Crossband Test is a unique opportunity to test two-way
communications between military communicators and radio stations in the
Amateur Radio Service, as authorized in 47 CFR 97.111. These tests
provide opportunities and challenges for radio operators to demonstrate
individual technical skills in a tightly-controlled exercise scenario
that does not impact any public or private communications."
During the event, military stations in various locations will transmit
on selected military frequencies and announce the specific ham
frequencies they are monitoring.
Military stations expected to be on the air for the event include those
in Arizona, Japan, Hawaii, Okinawa, Washington, DC (and elsewhere in
the contiguous states), the USS Midway, the USS Yorktown, the USS Iowa,
LST-325, the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, and the Newport Naval Radio
Station Museum in Rhode Island. The MARSCOMM and MARSRADIO nationwide
networks will have multiple stations on the air across the continental
US.
An AFD message will be transmitted utilizing the Military Standard
(MIL-STD) serial PSK waveform (M110) followed by MIL-STD Wide Shift FSK
(850 Hz RTTY), as described in MIL-STD 188-110A/B. Technical
information is
available. The AFD message will also be sent in CW and RTTY, as
indicated on the full schedule
. Anyone wanting a
QSL should complete the request form
on the MARS website.
==> IN BRIEF...
School Club Roundup (SCR) certificates are now available for the
February 2019 event as well as for any future SCRs. Download these via
the Certificate menu item on the ARRL Contests Portal
. Top US/Canada performers included the
Russell Elementary Amateur Radio Club (KM4RE) in the Elementary/Primary
category; Schofield Middle School Ham Radio Club (N4SMS) in
Middle/Intermediate/Junior High category; LASA High School Amateur
Radio Club (K5LBJ) in the Senior High category, and Purdue University
(W9YB) in the College/University category. Complete results
are on the School Club
Roundup Results page.
+++
Some 50 students in Gujarat, India, on April 12 were introduced to
Amateur Radio, satellites, and Amateur Radio on the International Space
Station (ARISS ). Rajesh Vagadia, VU2EXP, gave a
brief talk on Amateur Radio, the ISS, ham satellites, astronauts, and
the April ARISS SSTV event. During a visible pass of the ISS, Vagadia,
using a three-element Yagi, handheld transceiver, and a recording
device, was able to record two SSTV images. "It was an exciting
experience for all, sighting the ISS, and at the same time getting
signals from it," Vagadia commented afterward. "[It] felt like having a
handshake with the ISS crew!" Decoded images were shared with all
students as souvenirs.
+++
AMSAT Academy will take place on Thursday, May 16, the day before
Dayton Hamvention ®. AMSAT says this is a
unique opportunity for both beginners and advanced satellite operators
to learn about Amateur Radio in space and working the FM, linear
transponder, and digital satellites now in orbit. AMSAT Academy will
take place on Thursday, May 16, 9 AM until 5 PM, at the Dayton Amateur
Radio Association (DARA) clubhouse, 6619 Bellefontaine Road, in Dayton,
Ohio. The $85 registration fee includes a full day of instruction
taught by some of the most-accomplished AMSAT operators; a digital copy
of Getting Started with Amateur Satellites (2019 ed.); 1 year of AMSAT
Basic membership; pizza buffet lunch, and an invitation to the Thursday
night AMSAT get together at Ticket Pub & Eatery in Fairborn.
Registration closes on May 10 and will not be available at the door. No
refunds or cancellations. Register at the AMSAT Store
.
==> UPCOMING ARRL SECTION, STATE, AND DIVISION CONVENTIONS
- May 5 -- Eastern Pennsylvania Section Convention
, Bristol, Pennsylvania
- 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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