The ARRL Letter
Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************
October 27, 2011
Editor: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA
ARRL Home Page ARRL Letter Archive
Audio News
IN THIS ISSUE
- + BPL: FCC Tightens BPL Interference Rules -- But Not By Enough
- + On the Air: 2011 ARRL CW Sweepstakes -- Are You Ready?
- + ARDF Update: New Mexico Hosts Successful Foxhunting Championships
- + DXCC Desk Offers Special "Paper Application Offer" for ST0R QSLs
- + ARRL Webinar Scheduled for November 3: Hams, Emergencies and the
News
- ARESŪ/NTS Study: ECAC Submits Interim Report
- Now You Know: The National Traffic System
- + FCC, FEMA, NOAA to Conduct First Nationwide Test of Emergency Alert
System
- Solar Update
- + Silent Key: Former ARRL Midwest Division Vice Director C. Richard
Dyas, W0JCP
- This Week on the Radio
- Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events
+ Available on ARRL Audio News .
> + BPL: FCC TIGHTENS BPL INTERFERENCE RULES -- BUT NOT BY ENOUGH
On October 24, 2011, the FCC released the Second Report and Order in
its proceeding -- now in its 9th year -- to adopt rules for Access
Broadband over Power Line (BPL) systems. The Second Report and Order is
the final step in the Commission's effort to comply with the directives
of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
Circuit, which in April 2008 ordered the FCC to correct errors it had
committed in the course of adopting rules in 2004. The Court acted in
response to a Petition for Review filed by the ARRL.
In July 2009, the FCC issued a Request for Further Comment and
Further Notice of Proposed Rule Making in which it proposed slight
modification of measurement standards for determining whether a BPL
system is in compliance with the maximum allowable levels of radiated
emissions. In response, the ARRL argued that coupled with a
scientifically valid extrapolation factor for determining those levels,
mandatory notching of the amateur bands to a level 35 dB below the
general emission limit would reduce the likelihood of harmful
interference to amateur stations to a level that would permit any
remaining harmful interference to be remedied on a case-by-case basis.
The ARRL noted that its request for mandatory notching simply reflected
the best practices of the BPL industry.
In the Second Report and Order, the Commission decided not to adopt its
own proposal and also declined to adopt the ARRL's request for
mandatory notching. Instead, the Commission has increased the
requirement for BPL systems to be able to notch frequency bands to at
least 25 dB, an increase of 5 dB from the existing requirement of 20
dB. The Commission also made technical adjustments to its rules for
determining the distance between a power line and a measurement antenna
and for determining site-specific extrapolation factors. Read more here
.
> + ON THE AIR: 2011 ARRL CW SWEEPSTAKES -- ARE YOU READY?
Steeped in tradition and still as exciting as ever, the 78th Annual
ARRL Sweepstakes offers US and Canadian operators a fun-filled contest
opportunity again this fall. First up is CW Sweepstakes during the
weekend of November 5-7. "Last year's CW Sweepstakes provided some
great activity with a number of new regional and divisional records,"
said ARRL Sweepstakes Contest Manager Larry Hammel, K5OT. "But you
don't have to have a huge station with large antennas to have fun in
Sweepstakes. Maybe you have 100 W and a backyard dipole or vertical. Or
perhaps the challenge of a 5 W QRP effort hits your hot button this
year. You will be amazed at the number of stations you can work as you
trade exchanges all over the continent." ICOM is the Principal Awards
Sponsor for the ARRL November Sweepstakes. Read more here
.
> + ARDF UPDATE: NEW MEXICO HOSTS SUCCESSFUL FOXHUNTING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Results of the USA's 11th national championships of Amateur Radio
Direction Finding (ARDF) are in the record books. Members of
Albuquerque Amateur Radio Club went all out to provide a top-notch
experience for fans of on-foot transmitter hunting, also called
radio-orienteering and foxtailing. They came from 10 states and four
other nations to see who would win medals by finding transmitters in
the forests of central and northern New Mexico. From September 14-18,
competitors took to the woods with directional antennas and receivers.
They navigated not with GPS sets, but with maps and compasses. Their
goal was to find all of their required transmitters and to get to the
finish line in the shortest elapsed time. For fairness, the organizers
didn't disclose the exact sites of the competition in advance. That
kept anyone from doing advance reconnaissance in person or via Google
Earth. Competitors boarded buses on Saturday and Sunday mornings, not
knowing where there were going. Read more here
.
> + DXCC DESK OFFERS SPECIAL "PAPER APPLICATION OFFER" FOR ST0R QSLS
DXers around the world are now receiving QSL cards for the 2011 ST0R
operation from the new DXCC entity of South Sudan. With next year's
publishing deadline for 2011 results fast approaching on December 31,
2011, the ARRL DXCC Desk is offering a special reduced price option for
those DXCC participants who have already made at least one application
during 2011.
To take advantage of this offer, you must have already made a
submission in the 2011 calendar year via either Logbook of The World
(LoTW ) or via a traditional
paper application. If you have already made an application in 2011, you
may then submit a paper ST0R QSL (no other cards -- just the ST0R South
Sudan card) following these rules:
- Enclose $5 (check, money order, credit card number or cash at your
risk) for amateurs in the US.
- Enclose $6 (check, money order, credit card number or cash at your
risk) for amateurs who reside outside the US.
- Enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope for the return of the ST0R
card.
- This special submission is only for the ST0R card.
- If any other card(s) are included, this will be considered a full
submission subject to full fees, even if you already submitted in 2011.
- These submission conditions apply only if you have already made a
submission in 2011 and this offer does not apply if you have not yet
made your 2011 submission. All DXCC fees are in effect, as you can
include this card with your regular submission.
This special offer expires on December 31, 2011 and will not be
extended into 2012. If you have any questions concerning these
procedures, please contact ARRL Awards Branch Manager Bill Moore, NC1L,
via e-mail .
> + ARRL WEBINAR SCHEDULED FOR NOVEMBER 3: HAMS, EMERGENCIES AND THE
NEWS
ARESŪ and emergency groups have had their hands full in the past
months. Time and time again, Amateur Radio has been called upon to
provide emergency communications. In some places, the hams made the
news and were highly praised, while in other places, the community
never knew they were there because no one worked with the news media.
On November 3, The ARRL's national Public Relations Committee will
present a 90 minute webinar -- Hams, Emergencies and the News. Read
more here
.
> ARESŪ/NTS STUDY: ECAC SUBMITS INTERIM REPORT
ARESŪ and the National Traffic System (NTS) exist as the League's
implementation of the basic principle stated in Part 97.1(a):
"Recognition and enhancement of the value of the Amateur Service to the
public as a voluntary non-commercial communication service,
particularly with respect to providing emergency communications.' The
ARRL Board of Directors' Programs and Services Committee (PSC) tasked
the League's Emergency Communications Advisory Committee (ECAC) to
recommend improvements to ARESŪ and NTS so that the Amateur Service can
better serve the public in providing emergency communications. Assigned
study topics include, but are not limited to, ARESŪ and NTS objectives
and organizational structures, integration between ARESŪ and NTS,
training, certification, and credentialing, and relationships with
served agencies. Read more here
.
> NOW YOU KNOW: THE NATIONAL TRAFFIC SYSTEM
The American Radio Relay League was founded in 1914 because Hiram Percy
Maxim could not get a message via wireless from Hartford, Connecticut
to Springfield, Massachusetts -- a distance of only about 30 miles. He
had to rely on another wireless operator in Agawam, Massachusetts to
relay his message to its intended recipient. This was the very
beginning of what is now the National Traffic System (NTS). But what is
the NTS?
The Public Service Communications Manual
defines the
NTS as "a structure that allows for rapid movement of message traffic
from origin to destination and training amateur operators to handle
written traffic and participate in directed nets. These two objectives
are the underlying foundations of the NTS. It's a system that operates
daily, even continuously, with advanced digital links."
The NTS consists of operators who usually participate for one or two
periods a week, and some who are active daily. The National Traffic
System is an organized effort to handle traffic in accordance with a
plan that is easily understood, and employs modern methods of network
traffic handling. The NTS is not intended as a deterrent or competition
for the many independently organized traffic networks. When
necessitated by overload or lack of outlet for traffic, the facilities
of such networks can function as alternate traffic routings where this
is indicated in the best interest of efficient message relay and/or
delivery.
One of the most important features of NTS is the system concept. No NTS
net is an independent entity that can conduct its activities without
concern for or consideration of other NTS nets. Each net performs its
function and only its function in the overall organization. If nets
fail to perform their functions or perform functions intended for other
nets, the overall system may be adversely affected. Nets may sometimes
find it necessary to adopt temporary measures to ensure the movement of
traffic.
According to ARESŪ E-Letter Editor Rick
Palm, K1CE, the best way to get to know the National Traffic System is
to hook up with a local NTS traffic net in your area where messages
(Radiograms) are entered and others are accepted for delivery by mail
or phone. Local clubs, repeater groups and ARES operators are all good
sources for local info on NTS activity.
> + FCC, FEMA, NOAA TO CONDUCT FIRST NATIONWIDE TEST OF EMERGENCY
ALERT SYSTEM
The FCC, in coordination with the Federal Emergency Management
Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, will
conduct the first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS)
at 2 PM EST (1900 UTC) Wednesday, November 9. According to FEMA, EAS
participants -- broadcasters, satellite and digital radio and
television providers, and cable and wireline video providers --
"provide a critical public service to the nation as the resilient
backbone of alert and warning when all other means of communication are
unavailable." Read more here
.
> SOLAR UPDATE
Tad "There has to be an invisible Sun
" Cook, K7RA, reports: On
Friday, October 21, the daily sunspot number broke another record for
Solar Cycle 24 when it rose to 207. You have to look back to November
26, 2003 when it was two points higher - 209 -- to find a number at
least as high. Last Thursday, the daily sunspot number was 195, another
record until the following day. The average daily sunspot number for
the week was off by two points to 156.6, while the average daily solar
flux rose nearly 8 points to 151.8. Propagation on HF is quite exciting
right now, with 10 meters opening up worldwide daily. The predicted
solar flux is 130 on October 27-29, 125 on October 30-November 3, 120
on November 4-5, and then 125 and 130 for November 6-7 and 135 on
November 8-10. Flux values for the near term are expected to peak at
165 on November 17-18. The predicted planetary A index is 5, 7, 8 and
10 on October 27-30 and 5 on October 31-November 3, 8 on November 4-5
and 5 on November 6-10. Geophysical Institute Prague predicts quiet to
unsettled conditions October 28, unsettled October 29, quiet to
unsettled October 30 and quiet October 31 through November 3. Look for
more information on the ARRL website on Friday, October 28. For more
information concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical
Information Service Propagation page
. This week's "Tad
Cookism" is brought to you by The Police's Invisible Sun
.
> + SILENT KEY: FORMER ARRL MIDWEST DIVISION VICE DIRECTOR C. RICHARD
DYAS, W0JCP
Former Midwest Division Vice Director C. Richard Dyas, W0JCP, of
Oxford, Nebraska, passed away October 17. He was 90. Dyas -- a Charter
ARRL Life Member -- was first elected Vice Director in 1975 and began
his term on January 1, 1976. He resigned in 1985 to take care of his
wife. In 1987, when then-ARRL Midwest Division Vice Director Richard
Ridenour, KB0ZL, resigned, then-ARRL President Larry Price, W4RA,
appointed Dyas to serve Ridenour's unexpired term. Dyas was laid to
rest on October 21 with military honors by Oxford American Legion Post
219 in conjunction with the US Army National Guard Military Honors
Team.
> THIS WEEK ON THE RADIO
This week:
- October 29-30 -- CQ Worldwide DX Contest (SSB); 50 MHz Fall Sprint
Next week:
- November 5-6 -- Ukrainian DX Contest
- November 5-7 -- ARRL Sweepstakes Contest (CW)
- November 6 -- High Speed Club CW Contest; DARC 10 Meter Digital
Contest
- November 9-10 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test
All dates, unless otherwise stated, are UTC. See the ARRL Contest
Branch page , the ARRL Contest Update
and the WA7BNM Contest
Calendar for more
information. Looking for a Special Event station? Be sure to check out
the ARRL Special Event Stations Web page
.
> UPCOMING ARRL SECTION, STATE AND DIVISION CONVENTIONS AND EVENTS
- November 6, 2011 -- ARRL Iowa Section Convention
, Davenport, Iowa
- November 19-20, 2011 -- ARRL Indiana State Convention
,
Fort Wayne, Indiana
- December 3-4, 2011 -- ARRL West Central Florida Section Convention
,
Palmetto, Florida
- January 8, 2012 -- ARRL New York/Long Island Section Convention
,
Bethpage, New York
- January 27-28, 2012 -- ARRL Mississippi State Convention
,
Jackson, Mississippi
- February 4, 2012 -- ARRL Virginia State Convention
,
Richmond, Virginia; ARRL South Carolina State Convention
,
Ladson, South Carolina
- February 10-12, 2012 -- ARRL Northern Florida Section Convention
,
Orlando, Florida
- February 17-18, 2012 -- ARRL Southwestern Division Convention
,
Yuma, Arizona
- February 18, 2012 -- ARRL Arkansas Section Convention
, Hoxie,
Arkansas
- February 25, 2012 -- ARRL Vermont State Convention
,
South Burlington, Vermont
To find a convention or hamfest near you, click here
.
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