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N9PMO > LETTER 28.06.19 05:02l 550 Lines 25829 Bytes #999 (0) @ ARRL
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Sent: 190628/0349Z 23115@N9PMO.#SEWI.WI.USA.NOAM BPQ6.0.18
ARRL Field Day 2019 is a Hit, Entries Due by July 23
Petition for Rulemaking Asks FCC to Create a New 8-Meter Amateur Band
New Device Creates Electricity from Snowfall
So Now What? Podcast
The K7RA Solar Update
Just Ahead in Radiosport
LightSail 2 Launches, Will Transmit CW Beacon
HAM RADIO 2019 Reports 14,300 Attended from 50 Countries
Over-the-Horizon Radars Continue to Plague Amateur Bands
In Brief...
Getting It Right
Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
ARRL Headquarters will close on July 4 and 5 for Independence Day.
The ARRL Letter will not be published on July 4, and ARRL Audio News will
not be produced on July 5. ARRL Headquarters will re-open on Monday, July 8,
at 8 AM EDT. We wish everyone an enjoyable and safe holiday weekend.
ARRL Field Day 2019 is a Hit, Entries Due by July 23
ARRL Field Day isn't over until participants take that final step of
submitting their entries. By Thursday at 1800 UTC, nearly 1,400 had done so.
The preferred method of submitting a Field Day entry is via the 2019 Field
Day Entry Form on the ARRL website. This app, developed and supplied by
Bruce Horn, WA7BNM, asks for the call sign used (as well as the GOTA station
call sign, if applicable), entry class, number of participants, list of
operators, power source and multiplier, claimed bonus points, contact totals
by band and mode, and GOTA station operators and contact totals. It also
allows the attachment of supporting information for bonuses. In addition,
all entries require a list of stations contacted by band and mode (a dupe
sheet). A Cabrillo file is also acceptable. Log files or summary sheets
alone sent to ARRL do not constitute a valid Field Day entry. To confirm
that your web entry has been received, visit the Field Day logs received
page. If the entry indicates "Pending documents," upload the missing items
for maximum scoring. Entries must be postmarked or submitted by Tuesday,
July 23, 2019. Late entries cannot be accepted.
Field Day is typically a club activity, and by the time the fourth weekend
in June had arrived, nearly 1,600 groups had registered their locations.
The NB6GC crew operated from the deck of the USS Hornet.
The South Jersey Radio Association's (SJRA) K2AA operated in the 7A
category. "This was a great effort by the SJRA members and guest operators,
especially at the low point in the sunspot cycle and what seemed like not
very good conditions," Bob Beyer, KE2D, reported on 3830scores.com. "Our
digital station was the new star this year, contributing 232 QSOs -- a
considerable improvement over other years."
W3AO, the well-known call sign of the National Press Radio Club in Maryland,
had an unofficial contact count of 10,000 in the 14 A category. "Propagation
on 15 and especially 10 meters was somewhat sub par, same for 6 meters,"
said Frank Donovan, W3LPL. "FT8 has fundamentally changed the digital
landscape; there was very limited RTTY and PSK31 activity. There was also
very limited CW and SSB activity on 6 meters."
Rob Collins, W8HAP, tweaks the antenna tuning at the Ellsworth (Maine)
Amateur Radio Association's W1TU Field Day site. [Rick Lindquist, WW1ME,
photo]
One operator who posted to the ARRL Field Day 2019 Facebook page was among
those pointing out that propagation was difficult; while he was able to hear
stations on the other side of the country and in the Caribbean, they could
not hear him. He also reported high atmospheric noise. Nonetheless, others
reported openings on 6, 10, and 15 meters, where good propagation has been
sparse in recent months.
Wade Harris, KF5IF, was part of the crew at the USS Batfish WW2SUB Field Day
in Oklahoma. "Everyone seemed to have a good time, but it was a
less-than-wonderful Field Day event, mainly due to storms that caused noisy
band conditions and severe lightning and high winds that caused everyone to
disconnect and drop the antennas to stay safe," he said on the ARRL Field
Day 2019 Facebook page. Less than a month ago, extreme flooding at the
museum floated the World War II submarine downriver, after mooring lines
broke.
Donald Purnhagen, K4ILG, in Florida said his 10-year-old daughter, Donalyn,
caught the bug operating the GOTA station at the Platinum Coast Amateur
Radio Society Field Day site (W4MLB). "After some quick instructions, she
was answering CQs, exchanging information, and logging contacts," he
reported on the ARRL Field Day soapbox page. Her dad said Donalyn was eager
to return the next day and logged a total of some 40 contacts. "I am pretty
sure that she will be ready to take her Technician exam by the time our
hamfest rolls around in October," he added.
Michelle Gangi, AC2SQ, who was among the Community Amateur Radio Club
(K2SRV) operators in New York, asked in jest if bonus points were available
for having a wedding take place in the midst of a Field Day setup.
"Apparently, the lighthouse we're set up at double booked," she posted on
the ARRL Field Day 2019 Facebook page. "We respectfully shut down our
stations for the ceremony."
Brenda Plummer, KD9GDX, narrated a video tour of the Fort Wayne Radio Club's
Field Day operation in Indiana.
Petition for Rulemaking Asks FCC to Create a New 8-Meter Amateur Band
The FCC has put on public notice for comment a Petition for Rulemaking
(RM-11843) that seeks the creation of a new 8-meter Amateur Radio allocation
on a secondary basis. The Petition suggests the new band could be centered
on an industrial-scientific-medical (ISM) segment somewhere between 40.51
and 40.70 MHz. The spectrum between 40 and 41 MHz is currently allocated to
the Federal Government and, as such, within the purview of the National
Telecommunications and Information ministration (NTIA). ARRL member Michelle
Bradley, KU3N, of Maryland, filed the Petition in May on behalf of REC
Networks, which she founded and described in the Petition as "a leading
advocate for a citizen's access to spectrum," including Amateur Radio
spectrum.
"REC feels that the time is right for the Commission to open a Notice of
Inquiry and eventually a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, and in cooperation
with the NTIA, this new band opportunity can be realized to spark the next
generation of 'makers' in the fields of science, technology, education, and
math (STEM), especially women and girls," Bradley told the FCC in the
Petition. "The more opportunities we give to make things, the more
opportunities we have to build a pool of experts in STEM, right here at
home."
The Petition said the objective of a new band would be "an effort to foster
experimentation into the propagation characteristics of this band midway
between the 10- and 6-meter bands." An allocation in the 8-meter band is
available to radio amateurs in Ireland, where the Irish Radio Transmitters
Society has developed a band plan for 40 - 41 MHz.
"REC perceives this spectrum can be used for weak signal experimentation and
eventually general amateur use, especially along transatlantic paths using
CW, SSB, digital modes such as FT8 and digital voice," the Petition said.
"As no radios are mass-produced for this band at this time, this opens up
new opportunities for 'makers' to construct transmitters, receivers, and
antenna systems that can be used in this spectrum."
REC anticipates "very low" usage of the new band, "with peak usage around
sporadic-E episodes, operating events such as ARRL Field Day, and VHF
contests, as well as during the peak of sunspot cycles," Bradley told the
Commission. "[W]e feel that the sharing of 40 MHz can be accomplished in a
manner that serves the needs of the Amateur Radio Service while meeting the
organizational missions of Federal Government agencies that utilize this
spectrum."
Interested parties may file short comments on RM-11843 via the FCC's
Electronic Comment Filing Service (Express).
New Device Creates Electricity from Snowfall
UCLA reports that researchers and colleagues there have designed a new
device that creates electricity from falling and fallen snow. The
first-of-its-kind device is inexpensive, small, thin, and flexible like a
sheet of plastic.
"The device can work in remote areas, because it provides its own power and
does not need batteries," said senior author Richard Kaner. "It's a very
clever device -- a weather station that can tell you how much snow is
falling, the direction the snow is falling, and the direction and speed of
the wind."
The researchers call it a snow-based triboelectric nanogenerator, which
generates charge through static electricity and produces energy from the
exchange of electrons.
Findings about the device are published in the journal Nano Energy.
"Static electricity occurs from the interaction of one material that
captures electrons and another that gives up electrons," said Kaner. "You
separate the charges and create electricity out of essentially nothing."
Snow is positively charged and gives up electrons. Silicone -- a synthetic
rubber-like material composed of silicon and oxygen atoms, combined with
carbon, hydrogen and other elements -- is negatively charged. When falling
snow contacts the surface of silicone, that produces a charge that the
device captures, creating electricity.
Hiking shoe with device attached. [Abdelsalam Ahmed for UCLA, photo]
"While snow likes to give up electrons, the performance of the device
depends on the efficiency of the other material at extracting these
electrons," said co-author Maher El-Kady, a UCLA assistant researcher of
chemistry and biochemistry. "After testing a large number of materials
including aluminum foils and Teflon, we found that silicone produces more
charge than any other material."
About 30 percent of the Earth's surface is covered by snow each winter,
during which time solar panels often fail to operate, El-Kady noted. The
accumulation of snow reduces the amount of sunlight that reaches the solar
array, limiting the panels' power output. The new device could be integrated
into solar panels to provide a continuous power supply when it snows, he
said.
So Now What? Podcast
"Available Operating Modes to Us New Hams" is the focus of the new (June 27)
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.
The K7RA Solar Update
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: A new sunspot group emerged on June 24,
but don't count on it persisting much longer. It emerged already far along
the western limb, and it's about to rotate off the visible solar disc.
The average daily sunspot number increased from 0 to 6.7 over the June 20 -
26 reporting week, while average daily solar flux increased from 67.1 to
67.4.
The average daily planetary A index decreased from 5.3 to 5, and the average
daily middle latitude A index decreased from 7 to 5.7.
Predicted solar flux is 68 on June 27 - July 6; 69 on July 7 - 9; 68 on July
10 - 11; 67 on July 12 - 27; 68 on July 28; 69 on July 29 - 31; 68 on August
1 - 2; 69 on August 3 - 5; 68 on August 6 - 7, and 67 on August 8 - 10.
Predicted planetary A index is 8 on June 27; 5 on June 28 - 30; 8 on July 1;
5 on July 2 - 5; 8 on July 6; 5 on July 7 - 9; 8 on July 10 - 11; 5 on July
12 - 20; 8, 12, and 10 on July 21 - 23; 5 on July 24 - August 1; 8 on August
2; 5 on August 3 - 5; 8 on August 6 - 7, and 5 on August 8 - 10.
Sunspot numbers for June 20 - 26 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 24, 12, and 11, with a
mean of 6.7. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 67.7, 66.5, 66.4, 67.2, 67.9,
67.9, and 68, with a mean of 67.4. Estimated planetary A indices were 7, 6,
4, 3, 5, 4, and 6, with a mean of 5. Middle latitude A index was 8, 8, 5, 4,
5, 5, and 5, with a mean of 5.7.
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
June 29 -- Feld Hell Sprint
June 29 -- Battle of Carabobo International Contest (CW, phone, digital)
June 29 -- UFT QRP Contest (CW)
July 1 -- RAC Canada Day Contest (CW, phone)
July 1 -- RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship, CW
July 1 - 7 -- 10-10 International Spirit of 76 QSO Party (CW, phone,
digital)
July 1 - 7 -- IQRP Quarterly Marathon (CW, phone, digital)
July 2 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW)
July 4 -- NRAU 10-Meter Activity Contest (CW, phone, digital)
July 4 -- SKCC Sprint Europe CW
July 6 -- FISTS Summer Slow Speed Sprint (CW)
July 6 -- Venezuelan Independence Day Contest (CW, phone, digital)
July 6 - 7 -- DL-DX RTTY Contest
July 6 - 7 -- Marconi Memorial HF Contest (CW)
July 6 - 7 -- Original QRP Contest (CW)
July 6 - 7 -- PODXS 070 Club 40-Meter Firecracker Sprint (Digital)
July 10 -- RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship, SSB
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.
LightSail 2 Launches, Will Transmit CW Beacon
The Planetary Society's LightSail 2 CubeSat, launched on June 25, will
transmit Morse code from space on 437.025 MHz, within the Amateur Radio
70-centimeter band. LightSail is a citizen-funded project to send a small
spacecraft, propelled solely by sunlight, into Earth's orbit. The innovative
satellite is due to be deployed on July 2 from Prox-1, a Georgia Tech
student-built spacecraft. Once deployed, LightSail 2 will automatically
transmit a beacon packet every few seconds, which can be decoded into 238
lines of text telemetry describing the spacecraft's health and status,
including everything from battery status to solar sail deployment motor
state.
LightSail 2 lifted off from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, carried by the
SpaceX triple-booster Falcon Heavy rocket. The launcher also carried aloft
two dozen US Air Force spacecraft.
"During its ride to orbit, LightSail 2 was tucked safely inside its Prox-1
carrier spacecraft," The Planetary Society said post-launch. "The Falcon
Heavy upper stage's payload stack released Prox-1 about an hour and 20
minutes after liftoff, at an altitude of roughly 720 kilometers (446 miles).
Prox-1 will house LightSail 2 for one week, allowing time for other vehicles
released into the same orbit to drift apart so each can be identified
individually."
LightSail 2 team members will soon converge at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in
California, where the spacecraft's mission control is located. Once
LightSail 2 is released from Prox-1, the team will spend several days
checking out its systems before commanding its dual-sided solar panels to
deploy. Following that, the spacecraft's solar sails will be deployed in
approximately 2 weeks.
Two US Naval Academy student-built satellites carrying Amateur Radio
payloads were on the launch. BRICSat-2 (call sign USNAP1) will function as a
1.2/9.6 kB APRS digipeater on 145.825 MHz. Telemetry will be transmitted on
437.975 MHz. PSAT-2 also will operate on 145.825 MHz with APRS to voice and
DTMF to voice/APRS, and it will carry a 28.120 MHz up/435.350 MHz down PSK31
transponder. An SSTV camera will transmit on the same downlink. -- Thanks to
The Planetary Society, Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, and AMSAT News Service
HAM RADIO 2019 Reports 14,300 Attended from 50 Countries
While thousands were enjoying ARRL Field Day over the June 21 - 23 weekend,
some 14,300 visitors from more than 50 countries arrived on the shores of
Lake Constance in Friedrichshafen, Germany, for HAM RADIO 2019. Show
officials said this 44th event attracted about 400 more visitors this year.
The previously reported 2018 attendance of 15,460 included radio amateurs,
invited Scouts, and attendees at the concurrent and co-located Maker Faire,
which did not take place at this year's show. This year's show boasted 184
exhibitors and associations from 32 countries.
A young operator at the HAM RADIO youth "Ham Camp" station DA0HC. [Messe
Friedrichshafen, photo]
ARRL fielded a contingent of representatives to HAM RADIO 2019, headed by
President Rick Roderick, K5UR.
"The ARRL booth was busy," reported ARRL Product Development Manager Bob
Inderbitzen, NQ1R. "Many international attendees joined ARRL or renewed
their memberships. It was nice to meet so many radio amateurs from around
the globe." Inderbitzen said he was struck by the large number of younger
attendees.
"Many of these young radio amateurs and prospective hams attended Ham Camp,"
Inderbitzen said. "A large contingent representing Youngsters on the Air
(YOTA), an initiative of IARU Region 1, helped promote the 2019 YOTA summer
camp, August 11 - 17 in Bulgaria. During HAM RADIO, young hams carried the
YOTA flag to each of the stands organized by International Amateur Radio
Union (IARU) member-societies, gathering crowds to cheer on the young hams."
HAM RADIO 2020 will take place June 26 - 28.
Over-the-Horizon Radars Continue to Plague Amateur Bands
The International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 Monitoring System (IARUMS)
reports a "new kind" of over-the-horizon (OTH) radar on 20 meters. The
intruding signal, appearing to emanate from the Far East, was monitored
during May on 14.140 - 14.150 MHz. Another Chinese wideband OTH radar has
been showing up on 15 meters, with a signal 160 kHz wide. An Iranian radar
has appeared on 10 meters, centered on 28.860 MHz, and is audible in Europe
during sporadic-E
A spectrograph of the "new kind" of over-the-horizon radar on 20 meters.
[Wolf Hadel, DK2OM, image]
conditions. The signal is about 46 kHz wide. The Russian OTH radar
"Konteyner," centered on 14.127 MHz, continues to be observed, with a 12 kHz
wide signal.
The so-called "Foghorn" OTH radar from China, first heard in 2017, and other
OTH radars were spotted on several 20-meter frequencies. The Foghorn is a
burst radar that has been heard on other bands, with the signal often
jumping. The signal is frequency modulation on pulse (FMOP) with 66.66
sweeps-per-second bursts.
From the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) that emerged following the
breakup of the Soviet Union, taxi traffic continues to appear on 10 meters,
using FM. IARUMS said pirates in the Far East have been "abusing" 20 meters,
transmitting on 14.000 MHz, using USB. IARUMS monitors also logged several
fish net (driftnet) buoys between 28.000 and 28.500 MHz, transmitting a
carrier followed by a CW identification. Codan selective callings (selcalls)
believed to be in Oceania have been heard between 7.108 and 7.150 MHz.
In Brief...
A "Grand Solar Minimum" may be approaching. A juried research paper in
Nature, "Oscillations of the baseline of solar magnetic field and solar
irradiance on a millennial timescale," suggests that a "grand solar minimum"
-- similar to the legendary "Maunder Minimum" -- is approaching, starting as
early as next year and lasting for three solar cycles. That would be bad
news for HF enthusiasts already struggling with marginal conditions. As the
paper's abstract explains, "Recently discovered long-term oscillations of
the solar background magnetic field associated with double dynamo waves
generated in inner and outer layers of the Sun indicate that the solar
activity is heading in the next three decades (2019 - 2055) to a modern
grand minimum similar to Maunder one." As propagation buff and contester
Frank Donovan, W3LPL, observed, "It's very uncertain if this forecast is
correct, but, as usual, the forecasts of the next solar cycle are all over
the map. Let's hope these scientists are wrong."
The January 2019 VHF Contest results showed FT8 played a major role. The
results article has been posted, and article author James Duffey, KK6MC,
says the digital modes -- FT8 in particular -- played a major role in the
January contest, increasing the logs submitted significantly. "Despite
conditions, a surprising 918 logs were submitted, by far the most in this
century!" Duffey said in his contest write-up. "While the total number of
QSOs reported in 2019 did not differ significantly from 2018 (61,532 in
2019, as opposed to 59,587 in 2018), the number of submitted logs was up.
Apparently, the FT8 operators are more inclined to submit logs than the
casual operator on SSB and CW." Duffey went on to point out that nearly half
of contacts made in the 2019 event occurred on 6 meters, and 60% of those
were made on one or more of the digital modes.
The annual "Alexanderson Day" transmission from SAQ in Grimeton, Sweden,
will take place on June 30. The Alexanderson alternator will transmit on
17.2 kHz on the following schedule: Startup/tuning at 0830 UTC, and message
transmission at 0900 UTC; startup/tuning at 1130 UTC, and message
transmission at 1200 UTC. Both events will be livestreamed on YouTube. SAQ
has introduced an online SAQ reception report form for listeners to report
reception of any SAQ transmissions. This replaces the former email route.
Amateur Radio station SK6SAQ will be active on Alexanderson Day on or about
7.035 MHz and 14.035 MHz on CW, and 3.755 MHz on SSB. QSL via the SM QSL
Bureau. Two stations will be on the air most of the time. An article
discussing Alexanderson Day, called "The Legacy of Radio at Grimeton
Station, SAQ," appears on page 66 of the July 2019 issue of QST.
The Yasme Foundation Board of Directors has made a supporting grant to
Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network (AREDN). AREDN extended the early work
of the Broadband Ham Net mesh developers by developing firmware and related
user software for more modern and efficient consumer routers. Based in San
Diego, California, the AREDN development team has produced code for the
Ubiquiti 2, 3, and 5 GHz routers and has recently added firmware to convert
lower-priced consumer equipment from other manufacturers for amateur mesh
network use. Yasme's grant will go toward the purchase of test equipment to
aid AREDN's development efforts.
Getting It Right
In recent editions of The ARRL Letter, the dates for the Society of Midwest
Contesters Specialty Convention in Normal, Illinois, were incorrect. The
event will take place August 24.
Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
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
August 2 - 3 -- Austin Summerfest, Austin, Texas
August 3 - 4 -- Cedar Valley ARC Hamfest/Midwest STEM Techfest, Central
City, Iowa
August 8 - 10 -- Rocky Mountain Division Convention, Ogden, Utah
August 9 - 11 -- Pacific Northwest DX Convention, Everett, Washington
August 17 - 18 -- Huntsville Hamfest, Alabama State Convention, Huntsville,
Alabama
August 24 -- Society of Midwest Contesters Specialty Convention, Normal,
Illinois
August 23 - 25 -- West Virginia State Convention, Weston, West Virginia
September 6 - 7 -- Arkansas State Convention, Mena, Arkansas
September 6 - 7 -- Wyoming State Convention, Gillette, Wyoming
September 7 -- Virginia Section Convention, Virginia Beach, Virginia
September 13 - 14 -- W9DXCC 2019, St. Charles, Illinois
September 21 - 22 -- New Mexico State Convention, Albuquerque, New Mexico
September 27 - 28 -- Central Division Convention, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
September 28 -- Dakota Division Convention, West Fargo, North Dakota
September 28 -- Washington State Convention, Spokane Valley, Washington
Find conventions and hamfests in your area.
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