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N9PMO > LETTER 31.10.19 21:22l 533 Lines 25878 Bytes #999 (0) @ ARRL
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World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 Opens in Egypt
Congressional Champion of Amateur Radio Greg Walden, W7EQI, Announces
Retirement
Taking vantage of Coaxial Cable Capacitance
So Now What? Podcast
ARRL November Sweepstakes Offers Two Weekends of Fun
ARRL Headquarters Welcomes New Section Managers for Orientation
The K7RA Solar Update
Just Ahead in Radiosport
Revised AMSAT-NA Website in Development
In Brief...
Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 Opens in Egypt
World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 (WRC-19) is under way in Sharm
el-Sheikh, Egypt. More than 3,500 delegates from 193 member-states around
the world are attending the month-long gathering, sponsored by the
International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which opened on Monday, October
28. WRC-19 delegates will discuss changes to the ITU Radio Regulations.
Amateur radio issues are but a small part of the conference agenda. The ITU
is characterizing the aim of the conference as forging pathways for future
digital communications.
"WRC-19 [is] to manage scarce radio-frequency spectrum for rapidly evolving
terrestrial and space-based communication technologies," ITU said in a news
release, describing WRC-19 as an "international treaty-making conference
governing the global management of scarce radio-frequency spectrum as well
as geostationary-satellite and non-geostationary-satellite orbits." UN
Secretary-General António Guterres addressed WRC-19 by video.
The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) and its member-societies are
representing the Amateur and Amateur Satellite Services with a team of 14
people from 10 countries. Agenda Items of particular interest to IARU are:
Agenda Item 1.1, to allocate spectrum in the 50 - 54 MHz Region in Region 1
to the Amateur Service.
Agenda Item 1.13, to consider new spectrum for International Mobile
Telecommunications, which could potentially impact amateur spectrum at
around 47 GHz.
Agenda Item 1.16, which could impact amateur spectrum at 5 GHz.
Agenda Item 9.1.6, addressing Wireless Power Transmission (WPT), where
harmonics of WPT systems could negatively impact the MF/HF radio spectrum.
Agenda Item 10, to consider WRC-23 agenda items that could impact the
Amateur Service, including the 1240 - 1300 MHz band.
"This meeting is the culmination of 4 years' work by IARU in ITU and
regional telecommunications organizations to protect and enhance Amateur
Service frequency allocations," IARU said.
At WRC-19 this week, the official document on IARU WRC-19 positions on
various current agenda items and views on future proposals that may impact
the Amateur Service was released. Also released was the detailed 50 MHz
study report that provides the basis for the consideration of Agenda Item
1.1. In addition to classical narrow-band analog usage, the study considers
wider-bandwidth digital systems.
IARU Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ, reported on the ITU Radiocommunication
Assembly (RA) that took place in Sharm el-Sheikh just ahead of WRC-19.
"Last week, the RA met to approve standards developed during the 2015 - 2019
cycle of work in the ITU Radiocommunication Sector and to begin planning the
work for the next 4 years," Sumner said in a post to the ARRL IARU Group.
Sumner said Brazilian delegation member Flavio Archangelo, PY2ZX, with the
support of several other administrations, pressed for greater attention to
the growing problem of radio noise.
"There is tight security around the conference center and the official
hotels," Sumner reported.
Congressional Champion of Amateur Radio Greg Walden, W7EQI, Announces
Retirement
One of amateur radio's strongest supporters in the US House of
Representatives, Oregon Republican Greg Walden, W7EQI -- the top Republican
on the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee -- said this week that
he will not seek another term in 2020. Walden, 62, who will have served for
22 years in the US House at the end of his current term, championed the
Amateur Radio Parity Act as the chair of the Subcommittee on Communications
and Technology. He went on to chair the US House Energy and Commerce
Committee in the 115th Congress, and has served as the panel's ranking
member since the Democratic Party gained control of the House.
"I will close the public service chapter of my life, thankful for the
friends I've made and the successful work we've done together," Walden said
in a statement.
In 2014, the ARRL Board of Directors voted to confer the first Barry
Goldwater, K7UGA, Achievement Award "in recognition of many years of
exceptional contributions to the strength and vitality of the Amateur Radio
Service in the United States."
In 2002, Walden was an original cosponsor of H.R. 4720, the Amateur Radio
Emergency Communications Consistency Act, which aimed to provide relief to
amateurs faced with private deed covenants, conditions, and restrictions --
CC&Rs -- in erecting antennas by requiring private land-use regulators, such
as homeowners' associations, to "reasonably accommodate" amateur radio
communication
In 2003, he cosponsored H.R. 713, the Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act,
and during a hearing on the bill, Walden called for a halt to the
"astonishing" erosion of amateur radio spectrum.
"Despite [ham radio's] widespread use and importance in times of
emergencies, land-use restrictions in some areas have prioritized esthetics
over the rights of hams. -- US Representative Greg Walden, W7EQI
In 2004, Walden wrote the FCC chairman, seeking to have the Commission defer
action on the Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) rulemaking until the release
of a National Telecommunications and Information ministration (NTIA) study
and an opportunity for public comment. That same year, during a hearing on
telecom convergence, Walden grilled a BPL industry representative about
interference.
In 2010, Walden cosponsored H.R. 2160, the Amateur Radio Emergency
Communications Enhancement Act -- a subsequent bill addressing the issue of
private land-use constraints on amateur radio antennas.
In 2011, ARRL was invited to testify before Walden's subcommittee on
"Creating an Interoperable Public Safety Network," offering an opportunity
to defend 420 - 440 MHz against reallocation.
During a 2016 Capitol Hill hearing, Walden called the Amateur Radio Parity
Act (H.R. 1301) "a commonsense bill" and urged his colleagues to support it.
"As a ham radio operator, I'm acutely aware of the passion that amateur
radio operators have for their service," Walden told the subcommittee.
"Despite [ham radio's] widespread use and importance in times of
emergencies, land-use restrictions in some areas have prioritized esthetics
over the rights of hams. H.R. 1301 seeks to ensure that amateur radio
operators get a fair shake and protection from unnecessary bans on their
equipment by instructing the FCC to adopt rules to this end."
Taking vantage of Coaxial Cable Capacitance
Jeff Blaine, AC0C, had a bad capacitor in the 15-meter filter section of his
5B4AGN multiband band-pass filter, because as he puts it, "they have been
treated terribly over the years." One way to damage a filter is to use power
levels at the limit of the filter into a load that presents a high SWR --
especially a high duty cycle mode like RTTY. He didn't have the required
small 14 pF capacitor, so he trimmed a piece of
Jeff, AC0C, used a small length of RG58 coaxial cable to replace a failed
low-value capacitor in a bandpass filter. [Jeff Blaine, AC0C, photo]
RG-58 to the required value - coaxial cable exhibits a certain amount of
capacitance per unit length.
"The repaired 15-meter filter runs 1.10:1 or better SWR across the band with
an insertion loss of about 0.65 dB," he reports. Blaine advises that the
RG-58 "can be coiled up and secured with some tie wraps" and that it should
be kept away from the toroid to minimize interaction -- a half-inch is
probably sufficient. This approach may work well for other applications
where a low-value capacitor is difficult to obtain and space is available.
Blaine uses an L/C meter to measure the capacitance as the piece of cable is
trimmed to approach the target value, and he leaves the cable about a
quarter of an inch, then trims the braid back to increase the distance
between it and the center conductor. He puts shrink wrap over the end, and
measures the passband of the filter section with the chassis cover in place.
-- Thanks to the ARRL Contest Update
So Now What? Podcast
"A Halloween and Throwback Special with QST Senior Editor, Jen Glifort,
KC1KNL," will be the focus of the new (October 17) 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 W1AW
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 ARRL's website.
ARRL November Sweepstakes Offers Two Weekends of Fun
The ARRL November Sweepstakes (SS) weekends again loom large on the amateur
radio contest horizon. The CW weekend is November 2 - 4 -- this weekend --
while the phone weekend is November 16 - 18. Both events begin on Saturday
at 2100 UTC and conclude on Monday at 0259 UTC. An Operating Guide that
relates some of the history and evolution of these North American contests
is available. SS offers operating categories for every preference. The goal
for many seasoned SS operators is to complete a "clean sweep" by working all
83 ARRL and Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) Sections. Some may just want to
dabble. Others enjoy trying to make a clean sweep by working one station in
each section. Most SS operators, though, simply try to run up the contact
and multiplier counts, staying in the chair for the full 24 (out of 30)
allowable hours.
Some multipliers are much rarer than others, although these can shift from
one event to the next. Stations in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have
been absent in recent years after hurricanes devastated those areas.
Northern Territories (NT) is often the most difficult, and for a while, it
looked as though the NT mainstay, VY1AAA (at the Yukon Territory station of
J. Allen, VY1JA), might not be on the air this month. Allen has stepped away
from amateur radio, and his station was supposed to have been dismantled
already. But circumstances changed, the VY1JA station is still intact, and
Gerry Hull, W1VE/VE1RM, says he'll be making the NT multiplier available to
the SS multitude.
"100% I will be on with guns blazing, CW and SSB," Hull told ARRL this week.
"The big 'if' was getting J's Alpha 9500 back in working order, and that
happened last Friday. After that, we are done. So, a sweep will be
possible."
Hull will operate VY1AAA remotely from New Hampshire. He said that for the
CW event this weekend, he'll either stay very low in the band -- the bottom
5 kHz -- or operate above 40 kHz to avoid interference. And while he's a
snappy CW operator, he promises to slow down for anyone.
"The trick will be finding my own Section," Hull added. "Let's see if the
propagation gods are with us. I hope so, for this swan song."
Once the VY1JA station is finally dismantled, VY1AAA will also be off the
air, unless Hull is able to secure another station. Hull told ARRL earlier
this year that he's been searching for several months for another Northern
Territories station that would be willing to host remote operation.
Allen cited long-term health issues and hearing loss for his decision to
retire from ham radio, and his familiar VY1JA call sign will retire with
him.
Gerry Hull, W1VE/VE1RM, operates VY1AAA remotely during ARRL Field Day.
"The VY1AAA team is greatly saddened by this turn of events," Hull said.
"Hams around the world will surely miss J and the VY1AAA team on the bands.
J has been an incredible friend and mentor." Over the past 4 years, VY1AAA
has logged more than 35,000 contacts, and QSL requests will continue to be
honored.
Operators with limited time to get on the air may want to raise the
excitement level by "running" -- i.e, calling CQ -- a lot of stations or by
operating later in the contest, when the SS regulars will be on the lookout
for call signs they have not yet encountered.
For both the CW and phone events, stations exchange a sequential serial
number (no leading zeros needed), an operating category (precedence), call
sign, the last two digits of the year of first license for either operator
or station (check), and ARRL/RAC Section.
Many areas of the US change from daylight saving time to standard time at 2
AM local time on November 3 by moving clocks back 1 hour. UTC is not
affected. -- Thanks to Gerry Hull, W1VE/VE1RM, and The ARRL Contest Update
ARRL Headquarters Welcomes New Section Managers for Orientation
Back row (L - R): Rick Breininger, N1TEK (Wyoming); Tom Preiser, N2XW
(Southern New Jersey); John Gotthardt, K1UAF (New Hampshire); Dan Marler,
K7REX (Idaho), and Lelia Garner, WA0UIG (Iowa). Bottom row (L - R): Paul
Stiles, KF7SOJ (Montana), Steve Ewald, WV1X (ARRL Field Services Manager),
Steve Smith, KG5VK (North Texas). [Michelle Patnode, W3MVP, photo]
Newly elected ARRL Section Managers were at ARRL Headquarters October 11 -
13 for the 2019 New Section Manager Workshop. Attendees got a detailed tour
through ARRL Headquarters to meet and talk with staff leaders and staff
members, participated in various training and orientation presentations and
discussions, and enjoyed the chance to operate W1AW. Attending were Tom
Preiser, N2XW (Southern New Jersey); Paul Stiles, KF7SOJ (Montana); Steven
Lott Smith, KG5VK (North Texas); Dan Marler, K7REX (Idaho); Rick Breininger,
N1TEK (Wyoming); John Gotthardt, K1UAF (New Hampshire), and Lelia Garner,
WA0UIG (Iowa). -- Thanks to Steve Ewald, WV1X
The K7RA Solar Update
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Still no sunspots, but average daily solar
flux rose this week from 65.3 to 68.5 -- yet there have been surprising
reports of HF stations heard and worked over long distances.
On Friday and Saturday, a coronal hole let loose a solar wind stream,
causing geomagnetic instability, and the average daily planetary A index
rose from 4.7 to 16.4.
Predicted solar flux has increased recently, with values of 70 on October 31
- November 7; 66 on November 8-23; 70 on November 24 - December 6, and 69 on
December 7-14.
Predicted planetary A index is 8 on October 31 - November 1; 5 on November
2-4; 8 and 10 on November 5-6; 5 on November 7-16; 15, 8, and 5 on November
17-19; 20 and 24 on November 20-21; 15 on November 22-23; 12 on November 24;
5 and 15 on November 25-26; 12 on November 27-28, and 5 on November 29 -
December 14.
Sunspot numbers for October 24 - 30 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, and 0, with a
mean of 0. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 65, 68.6, 68.6, 68.8, 69.4, 69.2,
and 69.7, with a mean of 68.5. Estimated planetary A indices were 18, 29,
25, 15, 11, 8, and 9, with a mean of 16.4. Middle latitude A index was 12,
29, 17, 11, 8, 8, and 6, with a mean of 13.
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
November 1 -- Silent Key Memorial Contest (CW)
November 2 -- IPARC Contest (CW)
November 2 - 3 -- Ukrainian DX Contest (CW, phone)
November 2 - 4 -- ARRL November Sweepstakes (CW)
November 3 -- IPARC Contest (SSB)
November 3 -- EANET Sprint (CW, phone, digital)
November 3 -- High Speed Club CW Contest
November 4 -- RSGB FT4 Contest Series
November 5 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW)
November 6 -- UKEICC 80-Meter Contest (Phone)
November 7 -- NRAU 10-Meter Activity Contest (CW, phone, digital)
November 7 -- SKCC Sprint Europe (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.
Revised AMSAT-NA Website in Development
AMSAT Treasurer and Vice President of User Services Robert Bankston, KE4AL,
has announced that the AMSAT Board has approved his recommendations for an
internet-based membership management system, the transition to a digital
full-color edition of AMSAT Journal, and a complete overhaul of the AMSAT-NA
website.
"I have been putting together these proposals for several months and thank
the Board of Directors for the permission to move these projects forward,"
Bankston said at the conclusion of the 2019 AMSAT Symposium and Annual
General Meeting over the weekend. He said the improvements will modernize
how AMSAT serves its members and that the new membership management system
will give members control over their membership accounts, allowing them to
update contact information, pay dues, and register for events. He did not
indicate when the updated website would be up and running.
Bankston said the new website will aim to make navigating the site more
intuitive with portals for members and friends in the AMSAT community,
how-to guides on getting started in amateur radio satellites, and
information about current satellites and what is needed to work them.
"In addition, the program will automatically push out reminders,
newsletters, and a digital copy of the AMSAT Journal," Bankston explained.
"Transitioning to a digitally delivered AMSAT Journal will allow us to
provide a full-color magazine without raising the cost of membership. In
addition, we will have the opportunity to provide member-only content on our
website and to include back issues of our AMSAT Journal."
AMSAT is marking its 50th anniversary in 2019. -- Thanks to AMSAT News
Service
In Brief...
Results and certificates from the Hiram Percy Maxim (HPM) Birthday
Celebration August 31 - September 8 are now available. The 9-day operating
event commemorated the 150th anniversary of the birth of ARRL cofounder and
first president Hiram Percy Maxim, W1AW. Amateurs from 57 ARRL/RAC Sections
and four countries submitted more than 25,000 contacts over the course of
the event. Results of the event and downloadable certificates are on the
ARRL Contests Page. A special HPM 150 QSL card is available for stations
that worked W1AW/150 during the event. To receive a card, send your QSL with
an SASE to W1AW, 225 Main St., Newington, CT 06111.
The ARRL Foundation has announced for additional recipients of scholarships
that it manages. The Albemarle Scholarship was awarded to Dalton
Southerland, W1DGS, of Louisburg, North Carolina; the Atlanta Radio Club
Scholarship was awarded to Emily Wilbourn, KM4JXB, of Buford, Georgia; the
Cordel Scholarship was awarded to Collin Pike, KJ4AXB, of Roanoke, Alabama,
and the Winscot Scholarship was awarded to Anna Grogen Pike, KD4PCU, of
Roanoke, Alabama.
More than 50 Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES®) and Auxiliary
Communication Service (ACS) volunteers supported the MCAS Miramar Air Show.
They donated some 500 hours of their time to support public safety at the
largest show of its type in the US over the September 27 - 29 weekend in San
Diego, California. Miramar served as the shooting location for the 1986 film
Top Gun. Performances by the US Navy Blue Angels and the British Royal Air
Force Red Arrows drew large crowds that strained anxious public safety
services at the annual event. Working daily 12-hour shifts, ARES operators
continuously patrolled the crowds looking for air show guests in distress
with heat exhaustion or lost family members, while ACS hams liaised with law
enforcement agencies and kept information flowing between agencies. High
noise levels from low-flying aircraft were challenging. During a barbecue
break, volunteers compared notes about whose noise-cancelling headphones
worked best, as well as how to secure the transceiver connections and to
avoid open mics. -- Thanks to Dave Kaltenborn, N8KBC, via The ARRL ARES
E-Letter
Louisiana and Mississippi amateur radio volunteers supported the "Bike MS:
Dat's How We Roll" Event. Over the October 5 - 6 weekend, 32 amateur radio
volunteers from the Southeast Louisiana Amateur Radio Club (SELARC), the
Southwest Mississippi Amateur Radio Club (SMARC), and Southeast Louisiana
ARES supported the "Bike MS: Dat's How We Roll" event. The tour provided 267
volunteer hours in support of the annual multiple sclerosis bike ride from
Hammond, Louisiana, to Percy Quin Park, Mississippi, and back. The hams used
the SELARC VHF repeater and the LWARN UHF repeater system to provide
communication for safety, logistics, and medical teams along the route on
the back-country roads of Louisiana and Mississippi. Event sponsors,
staffers, and friends and families of the cyclists as well as the cyclists
themselves expressed their appreciation for the work of the ham radio
volunteers and were impressed with the capabilities of amateur radio,
Communications Coordinator Bob Priez, WB5FBS, said.
The Yasme Foundation Board of Directors has approved a supporting grant of
$4,000 to Club Log and Club Log Author Michael Wells, G7VJR. The grant will
support capital improvements, needed to take the system into the future with
improved resiliency, enhanced performance, and the hardware needed for
continued innovation, such as an interface to other online services like
CloudLog. Club Log caters to DXers and DXpedition hosting. Yasme's
association with Club Log began with a grant in 2012, when the system hosted
67 million contacts with 7,300 users. Today, Club Log boasts some 70,000
active users and some 590 million contacts. The Yasme Foundation is a
not-for-profit corporation organized to support scientific and educational
projects related to amateur radio, including DXing and the introduction and
promotion of amateur radio in developing countries.
Eric Tichansky, NO3M, and Roger Crofts, VK4YB, are claiming a new world
distance record on 630 meters. They worked each other on October 14 at 1032
UTC using JT9 mode. Tichansky said the contact represented the culmination
of 2 years of effort around every equinox since September 2017. "Hopes were
wearing thin as we were moving away from the recent equinox on September
23," he said. "Even when the path may have been open over the past 3 weeks,
either end would be plagued with QRN." He said that while the opening that
facilitated the record-breaking contact was not comparably as strong as past
openings, "something special was obviously at play." The contact covered
9,307.5 miles (14,979 kilometers), topping the previous record of 8,351.9
miles set by Roger Crofts, VK4YB, and Kenneth Roberson, K5DNL, by nearly
1,000 miles. Tichansky said his transmit antenna is a 67-foot top-loaded
vertical, and the receive antenna is a full-sized eight-circle array
comprised of short verticals. The transmit/receive at VK4YB is a
linear-loaded vertical. -- Thanks to Eric Tichansky, NO3M
Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
November 2 - 3 -- Georgia State Convention, Lawrenceville, Georgia
November 16 -- Indiana Section Convention, Fort Wayne, Indiana
December 13 - 14 -- West Central Florida Section Convention, Plant City,
Florida
January 4 -- New York City-Long Island Section Convention, Brookville, New
York
January 17 - 18 -- North Texas Section Convention, Forest Hill, Texas
January 19 - 25 -- Quartzfest, Quartzsite, Arizona
January 24 - 26 -- Puerto Rico State Convention, Hatillo, Puerto Rico
January 25 -- ARRL Midwest Conference (Winterfest), Collinsville, Illinois
Find conventions and hamfests in your area.
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