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      The ARRL Letter                                                            
      April 16, 2020                                                             
                                                                                 
        * Remotely ministered Amateur Exam Systems Showing Promise              
        * New Volunteer Monitor Program is Up and Running                         
        * Greater LoTW Database Accuracy is the Goal of TQSL Update(s)            
        * ARRL Announces New Benefits for Members                                 
        * ARRL Podcasts Schedule                                                  
        * The K7RA Solar Update                                                  
        * Just Ahead in Radiosport                                               
        * ARRL Rookie Roundup SSB Edition Considers Social Distancing            
        * HAM RADIO in Friedrichshafen, Germany, Announces Cancellation of       
          2020 Show                                                              
        * ARISS Altering its Approach in Light of COVID-19 Pandemic              
        * In Brief...                                                            
        * Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions                 
                                                                                 
        -------------------------------------------------------------------      
                                                                                 
      COVID-19 Impact & News                                                     
                                                                                 
      Find the latest news and information on the impact of the coronavirus      
      pandemic to ARRL members and our global amateur radio community.           
                                                                                 
        -------------------------------------------------------------------      
                                                                                 
      Remotely ministered Amateur Exam Systems Showing Promise                 
                                                                                 
      Facing a growing demand for amateur radio exam sessions in a time of       
      social distancing and stay-at-home orders, sponsors of some Volunteer      
      Examiner (VE) teams have risen to the challenge and are developing         
      systems to remotely proctor test sessions.                                 
                                                                                 
      "Many of our VEs and VE Teams have been working on remotely proctored      
      exam session ideas, employing both video and in-person components --       
      following social distancing protocols," ARRL Volunteer Examiner            
      Coordinator (VEC) Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM, said. "We have been          
      receiving interesting and innovative suggestions, and we appreciate the    
      dedication and ingenuity our examiners have shown."                        
                                                                                 
      The Spalding County Amateur Radio Club in Georgia is among those that      
      have come up with plans to remotely administer amateur exams while         
      complying with ARRL VEC testing standards during COVID-19 stay-home        
      mandates and social distancing guidelines. Current systems leverage        
      Zoom video-teleconferencing technology, the "Fill & Sign" feature of       
      obe PDFs, reliable email, appropriate computer equipment and internet    
      connection, and no volunteer examiners (VEs) present at individual         
      remote test sites. The Georgia club collaborated and shared ideas with     
      the Emergency Amateur Radio Club (EARC) in Hawaii, which has               
      successfully conducted sessions since 2011 with its own remote testing     
      system, initially with paper exams with a proctor on site and now with     
      fillable PDFs, with no on-site proctor.                                    
                                                                                 
      The Georgia club obtained ARRL VEC approval to administer                  
      video-supervised exams. "We have started with testing just one             
      candidate at a time, but are planning to ramp up to multiple candidates    
      -- probably two or three -- simultaneously," club member David             
      Robinson, K4WVZ, told ARRL. "Before we do that, we want a few more         
      single sessions under our belt and a few more Video VEs trained."          
                                                                                 
      The club's procedures entail a pre-exam video interview with candidates    
      to ensure they understand all the requirements and procedures.             
      Following the exam, the VEs score the test and sign off on the             
      paperwork, with the VE Team Leader submitting the application online       
      and by mail, per ARRL VEC instructions.                                    
                                                                                 
      New England Amateur Radio Inc (NE1AR), an affiliate of New England         
      Sci-Tech, (NESciTech), has taken it one step further, Somma said. It       
      got the approval of ARRL VEC to begin trials of what it describes as       
      "completely online testing with strict rules and protocols for             
      maintaining the integrity of the testing environment." NE1AR is            
      limiting candidates to one exam per session, due to the current            
      candidate backlog and the "difficulty of administering exams online."      
      Candidates must agree to a list of protocols, which include a              
      cell-phone camera scan of the entire room and exam area "to show that      
      there are no materials or people [in the room] that could aid in taking    
      the exam."                                                                 
                                                                                 
      "We began a series of trials on April 1 under ARRL VEC review and have     
      now been asked to help train more VE teams on the process," NE1AR          
      President Bob Phinney, K5TEC, told ARRL. "We have now tested 12            
      applicants and are still working on streamlining the process. We are       
      working with the software developer of the exam delivery system to help    
      them adapt the system for video-supervised testing."                       
                                                                                 
      With pressure continuing to build to provide testing compatible with       
      COVID-19 guidelines and stay-home orders, ARRL VEC Manager Maria Somma     
      has asked the amateur radio community to be patient. "Please remember      
      that with the introduction of significant new processes such as these,     
      that there should be proof of concept, establishment of protocols and      
      procedures, and beta testing, before expanding to a larger audience,"      
      she said this week. Somma said video-supervised exam sessions require a    
      different skillset than in-person exam administration, and not all         
      teams will be equipped to deliver video exams right away.                  
                                                                                 
      "ARRL is pleased to be one of the leaders in providing an opportunity,     
      although limited initially, for video-supervised exams in this time of     
      social distancing and isolation required by the current health             
      situation," Somma said. Read more.                                         
                                                                                 
      New Volunteer Monitor Program is Up and Running                            
                                                                                 
      After kicking off on January 1, the new Volunteer Monitor Program has      
      ramped up to operational status. A "soft rollout" of the program began     
      on February 1, designed to familiarize Volunteer Monitors (VMs) with       
      issues on the bands and to put into practice what to report -- and what    
      to ignore, based on their training. The VMs will not only be looking       
      for operating discrepancies, but for examples of good operating. The VM    
      program has, at least for the moment, put Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH,      
      back in the center of amateur radio enforcement as the Volunteer           
      Monitor Coordinator (VMC). He was brought aboard to get the program up     
      and running, and ARRL will eventually take over the VMC function.          
                                                                                 
      Hollingsworth is using a system called VMTRAC -- developed by a VM --      
      to measure the work of VMs and determine instances that qualify for        
      good operator or discrepancy notices, referral to the FCC, or follow-up    
      with FCC requests to the VM program. Hollingsworth reported that during    
      March, the 165 active VMs logged upward of 2,300 hours of monitoring on    
      HF, and nearly 2,000 hours on VHF-UHF and other frequencies.               
                                                                                 
      "I am extremely pleased with the number of hours devoted to monitoring     
      this early in the program," Hollingsworth said. No stone is being left     
      unturned. Two VMs constantly monitor FT8 watering holes and have           
      developed programs that alert them if a licensee is operating outside      
      of privileges accorded to that license class or if a license has           
      expired. "We have 30 open cases, five of which are good operator           
      cases," Hollingsworth said. "Regarding open cases relating to rule         
      violations, none have yet had to be referred to the FCC." He said he's     
      experimented with letters, telephone calls, or emails to the subjects      
      of                                                                         
                                                                                 
                                                   Riley Hollingsworth,          
                                                   K4ZDH.                        
                                                                                 
      discrepancy reports where they could be identified. While he's still       
      waiting for replies to his written correspondence, he has received         
      responses to his calls and emails, and the violations have either          
      stopped or were explained. "They were violations such as expired           
      licenses, Technicians operating on General frequencies, unauthorized       
      use of a call sign, and deliberate interference," he said.                 
                                                                                 
      One case "being groomed for FCC referral," he said, involves               
      long-standing interference to a repeater in the Philadelphia area by       
      someone using an unauthorized call sign. Hollingsworth said he worked      
      with net control operators of nets on 75 and 40 meters that had been       
      suffering serious interference, and so far the solutions are working.      
                                                                                 
      "It is becoming apparent that if informal contact can be made by the       
      VMC with a known offender, the problem can sometimes be stopped,"          
      Hollingsworth said. "We do not want to call upon the FCC unless            
      absolutely necessary." Read more.                                          
                                                                               
      Greater LoTW Database Accuracy is the Goal of TQSL Update(s)               
                                                                                 
      The recently released TQSL version 2.5.2 application for uploading logs    
      to Logbook of The World (LoTW) tightens requirements for data              
      consistency, with the goal of improving the integrity of the LoTW          
      database. Starting with TQSL version 2.5.2, discrepancies in submitted     
      logs are now flagged, especially when it comes to the Amateur Data         
      Interchange Format (ADIF) files frequently uploaded to LoTW. This has      
      prompted questions and concerns, however, when the system fails to         
      accept a user's uploaded contact or log.                                   
                                                                                 
      ADIF exists precisely to help ensure the accuracy of "data interchange"    
      among amateur radio applications -- different logging programs, for        
      example. TQSL uses ADIF file data for cross-checks that help to keep       
      inaccurate or incomplete information from contaminating the LoTW           
      database, and that's where some user issues have arisen. For example,      
      the OPERATOR field, which should be a call sign, sometimes shows up as     
      a name. Occasionally, operators have reversed their ITU and CQ zones.      
      Another issue is in the MY_STATE field, which should show a US Postal      
      Service two-letter state abbreviation. Anything else is a problem.         
                                                                                 
      "The value of the checks added to TQSL is that it lets operators know      
      when the data they're handling in their computer-based logs is             
      correct," said TQSL Developer Rick Murphy, K1MU. "It's important to        
      make sure that when a ham submits a log to LoTW that the content of        
      that log accurately captures the details."                                 
                                                                                 
      Some help is on the way. Murphy will soon release TQSL version 2.5.3,      
      which, among other things, skips over the OPERATOR field check. "We        
      have found that some of the checking performed for TQSL 2.5.2 was          
      incomplete in some cases -- for example, allowing incorrect zone           
      information to pass, and overly strict in other cases -- for example,      
      the STATION_OWNER tag," Murphy said. "We've made great strides in          
      improving the way logs are checked to ensure that checking is more         
      complete while not raising false alarms."                                  
                                                                                 
      The problem is not always with the user. The initial implementation of     
      cross-checks in TQSL 2.5.2 revealed that not all logging applications      
      conform to the ADIF standard. TQSL 2.5.2 has offered support for           
      operations from several locations, as well as the ability to detect        
      uploads that contain incorrect location data.                              
                                                                                 
      "Operators have a right to insist that the logging applications they       
      use conform to the standards agreed upon by the ADIF collective," said     
      Greg Widin, K0GW, the chair of the ARRL LoTW Committee. "Those who find    
      that their logger is out of conformance should demand an update." Read     
      more.                                                                      
      ARRL Announces New Benefits for Members                                    
                                                                                 
      ARRL members will now receive digital access to four ARRL magazines        
      beginning with their May/June issues. Joining QST and On the Air           
      magazines on a digital platform will be the bimonthly editions of QEX      
      -- The Forum for Communications Experimenters and NCJ -- National          
      Contest Journal. QEX includes articles, columns, and other features        
      ranging from construction projects to more advanced technical              
      information in radio theory and practice. NCJ, published since 1973,       
      targets radio amateurs active in radiosport. NCJ includes scores,          
      technical articles, contributions from top contesters, and advice for      
      beginners and seasoned radiosport enthusiasts alike.                       
                                                                                 
      "Feedback from ARRL members and our readership surveys has shown that      
      our magazines are one of the most valued member benefits," said ARRL       
      Publications Manager Steve Ford, WB8IMY. "Our investment in digital        
      access provides another channel through which we can deliver content to    
      our members across the expanse of interests and activities in amateur      
      radio. All members can enjoy specialized content and a high-quality        
      reading experience whether at their desk or on the go. Offering this       
      suite of digital magazines is an opportunity for us to give members        
      more of what they want while adding value to ARRL membership."             
                                                                                 
      ARRL's digital magazine editions provide replicas of the printed           
      editions with added functionality, allowing users to fully search          
      issues, enlarge pages, share articles, and more. The free ARRL             
      Magazines app also supports downloading complete issues onto your          
      mobile device or tablet for offline reading.                               
                                                                                 
      Members who have elected to receive a printed QST or On the Air as part    
      of their membership benefits will continue to have this service.           
      Members may not substitute a print subscription of QEX or NCJ as their     
      delivered magazine member benefit. Print subscriptions of QEX and NCJ      
      will continue to be available at additional cost for those who want to     
      receive them.                                                              
                                                                                 
      All four magazines are easily accessed through any web browser from        
      members-only links. The free ARRL Magazines app is available for iOS       
      and Android in the Apple App Store and Google Play. If you're already      
      an ARRL member and previously created an arrl.org website account, your    
      username and password will provide you access to the digital editions,     
      whether online or in the app. Members who have not previously              
      registered will need to create a new account. If you've forgotten your     
      
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