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ARRL Letter November 7, 2019
- IARU Reports Early Progress, Contention on Difficult Issues Mark First Week
of WRC-19
- Pitcairn Island DXpedition Logs More Than 80,000 Contacts
- MARSRADIO is Keeping the Phone Patch Alive
- The Doctor Will See You Now!
- W1AW to Commemorate 98th Anniversary of First Amateur Radio Signals to
Span the Atlantic
- SKYWARN Recognition Day Celebrates 20 Years on December 7
- The K7RA Solar Update
- Just Ahead in Radiosport
- Preparations Resume for 3Y0I Bouvet Island DXpedition
- France Gives its Highest Honor to The Secret Wireless War Author
Geoffrey Pidgeon
- In Brief...
- Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
IARU Reports Early Progress, Contention on Difficult Issues Mark First Week
of WRC-19
The first week of World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 (WRC-19) saw
agreement reached on several issues on which discussions prior to the
conference had revealed consensus. Those were the easy ones; the rest will
be more difficult, the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) said. The
conference is in its second week in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. The IARU said
the early agreements were only possible because of countless hours of work
conducted within the ITU Radiocommunication Sector and the six regional
telecommunications organizations (RTOs) since WRC-15. Three of those
decisions were on issues of interest to the IARU.
The band 47.0 - 47.2 GHz was allocated solely to the Amateur and Amateur
Satellite Services by the 1979 World Administrative Radio Conference
(WARC-79). Commercial wireless broadband interests had expressed some
interest in the band being designated for International Mobile
Telecommunications (IMT), and there was some concern that such a proposal
might be made at WRC-19. The fact that none was forthcoming was due in part
to the work of the IARU at the Conference Preparatory Meeting earlier this
year and in the RTOs. The WRC has agreed to "no change" (NOC) at 47.0 - 47.2
GHz.
Another NOC decision that avoided impact on the Amateur Service applies
to the band 5850 - 5925 MHz, an amateur secondary allocation in Region 2.
Consideration of proposals involving other parts of spectrum in the 5 GHz
range will take much longer, according to the IARU.
Consideration of a 50 MHz allocation in ITU Region 1 (Europe, Africa,
and the Mideast) to harmonize the allocations in the three regions was the
subject of spirited debate in a Sub Working Group chaired by Dale Hughes,
VK1DSH, of the Australian delegation. The four RTOs in Region 1 made
disparate proposals to the conference, and a small group of administrations
proposed no change. For 3 days, there was no progress toward a consensus
solution, but that changed on Friday morning. An agreement was made, subject
to confirmation by the regional groups, that will provide administrations in
Region 1 with flexibility in how to accommodate their radio amateurs.
The WRC agreed to make no frequency allocations or other changes to the
Radio Regulations to accommodate wireless power transmission for electric
vehicles (WPT-EV). "Much more work remains to be done on an urgent basis in
the ITU and other standards organizations if
IARU President Tim Ellam, VE6SH (right), chats with IARU Secretary David
Sumner, K1ZZ, on the way to a WRC-19 session. [Jon Siverling, WB3ERA, photo]
radiocommunication services are to be adequately protected from harmful
interference that may be generated by WPT-EV, both at the fundamental
frequency and from unwanted emissions," the IARU said.
One of the most difficult issues facing WRC-19 is to develop an agenda for
WRC-23. Dozens of proposals for agenda items have been suggested, and they
cannot all be accommodated within available ITU resources.
Delegates have been warned to expect more intensive use of weekend and
evening hours as the conference proceeds toward its conclusion on November
22. -- Thanks to the IARU
Pitcairn Island DXpedition Logs More Than 80,000 Contacts
The VP6R DXpedition to Pitcairn Island shut down at 1800 UTC on November 1,
reporting 82,700 contacts. They reported excellent weather for the teardown
and got everything packed and aboard the Braveheart, which is taking them to
Mangareva. According to their update, the oldest resident of Pitcairn Island
died on November 1, and the VP6R team attended the funeral the next day. The
individual was buried next to Tom Christian, VP6TC, who gave many radio
amateurs their first Pitcairn contacts.
During their stay on the island, VP6R team members helped two local radio
amateurs to get on the air -- Meralda Warren, VP6MW, and Mike Warren, VP6AZ.
The entire VP6R log will be posted to Logbook of The World (LoTW), and
stations may QSL via K9CT.
"On behalf of the team, our off-island support members, and our sponsors,
may I say thank you to our DX audience for your interest, support, and of
course, the QSOs," Ralph Fedor, K0IR, said. "To the kids at the Dorothy
Grant Elementary School, thank you for taking part in this great adventure
with us through ham radio. You brightened our path."
The DXpedition reported high spirits, big pileups, and good propagation,
giving out "many all-time new ones" during its stay. "We had fun with this,"
Fedor said. "We hope you did too."
VP6R operated from two sites on the island. During their stay, the team took
part in the CQ World Wide DX Contest (SSB). A DXpedition veteran, Fedor had
to pull out of the Pitcairn Island trip due to health issues, but maintained
a support role.
MARSRADIO is Keeping the Phone Patch Alive
A military plane over the North Atlantic suddenly experiences rapid
decompression. A call goes out to MARSRADIO, explaining the emergency and
requesting a phone patch to the aircraft's command post. Over the next few
hours, a MARSRADIO volunteer handles many phone patches to help resolve the
situation. An adjunct within the Air Force Military Auxiliary Radio System
(MARS), MARSRADIO is reminiscent of an era when MARS facilitated hundreds of
troop morale phone patches each night between soldiers deployed in Vietnam
and their families and loved ones back home.
Today, MARS is more oriented to official Department of Defense (DoD)
communication, but the venerable phone patch remains viable within
MARSRADIO, a special MARS operations group that provides primary service and
a backup system that handles requests for official and morale phone patches,
weather forecasts, informal messages, selective calling tests, and radio
checks. Membership in MARSRADIO is open to both Army and Air Force MARS
members, and it is seeking additional volunteers.
MARSRADIO members have advanced station capabilities, put in many hours of
participation, and operate under more stringent requirements than the
standard MARS program does. These include the ability to monitor two
frequencies simultaneously; an amplifier; a directional antenna (i.e., Yagi)
for operation above 13 MHz; dipoles for use below 13 MHz; internet access;
at least 36 hours of participation per quarter, and no digital requirement,
if MARSRADIO is the station's primary assignment.
"MARSRADIO" is the net call sign for the 11th Air Force MARS MARSRADIO
Squadron (11AFMS) under the 1st AFMARS Special Operations Group (1AFMSOG).
MARSRADIO net members guard frequencies as much as possible, and the net is
authorized 24/7/365. MARSRADIO serves as a backup to US Defense Department
communication, including the US Air Force Global System, handling an average
of 2,500 requests each year for assistance -- from providing estimated times
of arrival to communications involving medical or mechanical emergencies.
MARSRADIO has evolved into a DoD asset that's noteworthy for its volunteer
support, and interest is rising as HF regains importance. Volunteers handle
communication for all branches of the military and for other US government
users. All types of DoD aircraft and ground units may request support to
complete their missions, and the net is open to US allies.
MARSRADIO is not for every ham or every MARS member, but those interested in
service would be working with real-time traffic on a daily basis. A
fast-track program is in place to bring well-qualified operators directly
into MARSRADIO. While today's MARS is highly digital and encrypted, the
phone patch is a totally different animal. Members of MARSRADIO do not need
digital capability. They don't even need a landline. A Voice over Internet
Protocol (VoIP) connection via the internet will provide the phone line
needed to run a patch.
More information on MARSRADIO is available.
The Doctor Will See You Now!
"Antenna Switches" is the topic of the new (November 7) episode of the ARRL
The Doctor is In podcast. Listen...and learn!
Sponsored by DX Engineering, ARRL The Doctor is In is an informative
discussion of all things technical. Listen on your computer, tablet, or
smartphone -- whenever and wherever you like!
Every 2 weeks, your host, QST Editor-in-Chief Steve Ford, WB8IMY, and the
Doctor himself, Joel Hallas, W1ZR, will discuss a broad range of technical
topics. You can also email your questions to doctor@arrl.org, and the Doctor
may answer them in a future podcast.
Enjoy ARRL The Doctor is In on Apple iTunes, or by using your iPhone or iPad
podcast app (just search for ARRL The Doctor is In). You can also listen
online at Blubrry, or at Stitcher (free registration required, or browse the
site as a guest) and through the free Stitcher app for iOS, Kindle, or
Android devices. If you've never listened to a podcast before, download our
beginner's guide.
W1AW to Commemorate 98th Anniversary of First Amateur Radio Signals to Span
the Atlantic
December 11 marks the 98th anniversary of the success of ARRL's
Transatlantic Tests in 1921, organized to see if low-power amateur radio
stations could be heard across the Atlantic using shortwave frequencies
(i.e., above 200 meters). On that day, a message transmitted by a group of
Radio Club of America members at 1BCG in Greenwich, Connecticut, was copied
by Paul Godley, 2ZE, in Scotland.
While the first two-way contact would not take place until 1923, the 1921
transatlantic success marked the beginning of what would become routine
communication between US radio amateurs and those in other parts of the
world -- the birth of DX.
To commemorate this amateur radio milestone, Maxim Memorial Station W1AW
will be on the air through the day on December 11 with volunteer operators.
The goal is to encourage contacts between radio amateurs in the US and
Europe while showcasing the significance of the transmissions that pioneered
global communication and laid the groundwork for technology widely used today.
The event will run from 1300 until 0000 UTC. Some details are still being
worked out, but operation will focus on 40 and 20 meters (SSB).
Contact Clark Burgard, N1BCG, for more information.
SKYWARN Recognition Day Celebrates 20 Years on December 7
SKYWARN Recognition Day (SRD) will mark its 20th anniversary on December 7,
0000 to 2400 UTC. This is the day each year when radio amateurs operate from
National Weather Service (NWS) forecast offices across the country,
celebrating the long relationship between the amateur radio community and
the National Weather Service SKYWARN program. The purpose of the event is to
recognize amateur radio operators for the vital public service they perform
during times of severe weather and to strengthen the bond between radio
amateurs and their local NWS offices.
Developed in 1999, SRD is cosponsored by ARRL and the NWS. Traditionally,
radio amateurs have assisted the mission of the NWS through providing near
real-time reports of severe weather and storm development. Reports received
from radio amateurs have proven invaluable to NWS forecasters.
During SRD, participants exchange contact information with as many NWS
stations as possible on 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6, and 2 meters, plus 70
centimeters. Contacts via repeaters are permitted. Stations should exchange
call signs, signal reports, and locations, plus a quick description of the
weather at your location (e.g., sunny, partly cloudy, windy, rainy, etc.).
EchoLink and IRLP nodes, including the Voice over Internet Protocol Weather
Net (VoIP-WX), are expected to be active as well.
WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center will also be on the air for SRD,
1300 - 1700 UTC, for its 21st year of SRD participation.
Event certificates are electronic and printable from the main website at the
conclusion of SRD. To learn more, visit the SKYWARN Recognition Day website.
The K7RA Solar Update
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Two new sunspot groups appeared this week
on two consecutive days, each lasting for only a day, with a daily sunspot
number of 11 and 13 last Friday and Saturday, just in time for the ARRL
November Sweepstakes CW weekend. Both sunspot groups had a magnetic polarity
signature indicating Solar Cycle 25 and appeared after 4 weeks of no sunspots.
Spaceweather.com reported both appearances as region AR2750, while NOAA
reported a new sunspot group on each day.
Solar flux was higher over the October 31 - November 6 reporting week, with
average daily solar flux rising from 68.5 to 70.4. Geomagnetic indicators
were low, with average daily planetary A index declining from 16.4 to 4.1,
and average mid-latitude A index softening from 13 to 2.7.
Predicted solar flux is 70 on November 7; 68 on November 8 - 14; 67 on
November 15 - 19; 68 and 70 on November 20 - 21; 71 on November 22 - 30; 70
on December 1 - 6; 69 on December 7 - 19, and 70 on December 20 - 21.
Predicted planetary A index is 8 on November 7; 5 on November 8 - 10; 8 on
November 11 - 12; 5 on November 13 - 19; 15, 25, 18, 12, and 10 on November
20 - 24; 8 on November 25 - 26; 5 on November 27 - December 16, and 15, 20,
18, 12, and 12 on December 17 - 21.
Even during days with no sunspots, there was notable HF propagation
recently, with the just-ended VP6R Pitcairn Island DXpedition making HF
contacts across the Americas, even on 10 meters.
Sunspot numbers for October 31 - November 6 were 0, 11, 13, 0, 0, 0, and 0,
with a mean of 3.4. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 71.2, 70.7, 70.7, 69.4,
70.8, 70.4, and 69.3, with a mean of 70.4. Estimated planetary A indices
were 7, 4, 2, 2, 4, 5, and 5, with a mean of 4.1. The middle latitude A
index was 5, 2, 1, 1, 4, 2, and 4, with a mean of 2.7.
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
November 9 - 10 -- WAE DX Contest RTTY
November 9 - 10 -- 10-10 International Fall Contest (Digital)
November 9 - 10 -- JIDX Phone Contest
November 9 - 10 -- SARL VHF/UHF Analogue Contest (CW, phone)
November 9 - 10 -- OK/OM DX Contest (CW)
November 9 - 10 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon (CW)
November 9 - 11 -- CQ-WE Contest (CW, phone, digital)
November 9 - 11 -- PODXS 070 Club Triple Play Low Band Sprint (Digital)
November 9 - 17 -- AWA Bruce Kelley 1929 QSO Party (CW)
November 10 -- North American SSB Sprint Contest
November 11 -- 4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint (CW, phone)
November 11 -- RSGB 80-Meter Autumn Series (Digital)
November 15 -- YO International PSK31 Contest
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.
Preparations Resume for 3Y0I Bouvet Island DXpedition
Another attempt to activate Bouvet Island is in the planning stages,
according to the 3Y0I website. Efforts are under way to secure the necessary
funds.
"As you probably know, our first attempt to reach the island of Bouvet in
March 2019 failed," the news update said. "Despite complex preparations and
training received in Cape Town, South Africa, our vessel got hit by a big
storm so badly that we had no choice but to sail back to Cape Town to
reshuffle our plans. We were so close -- just 63 nautical miles offshore!"
The 3Y0I sponsors estimate that a second attempt would cost around $170,000.
"[W]e have already secured half of the required budget to go back to
Bouvet," the announcement said, adding that it's beyond the capacity of the
DXpedition team members to cover the entire cost, so they are trying to
collect $85,000 to fund the second attempt.
The 3Y0I team has a GoFundMe page, set up by 3Y0I team leader Dom Grzyb,
3Z9DX. No time frame was given for the second attempt by Grzyb's team, and
it's not known if Grzyb has obtained operating permission from the Norwegian
government. The 19-square-mile subantarctic island is a Norwegian dependency.
"Our intentions are clear: If we don't reach our fundraising goal, we won't
receive nor spend a single cent you donate and it would be returned to your
GoFundMe account for withdrawal, or to support any other GoFundMe project of
your choice," the announcement says.
"The future of amateur radio expeditions, especially in terms of activating
entities placed across cold high-latitude seas, isn't bright," the 3Y0I
statement says. "Apart from the uncertainty of future solar cycles' strength
that may badly reflect radio propagations, there are still very few of us
who realize that visiting remote cold islands may become very seldom or even
almost impossible."
According to Club Log's DXCC Most Wanted List, Bouvet Island is number 2,
right behind North Korea. The unrelated 3Y0Z DXpedition attempt to land on
Bouvet in early 2018 failed after the vessel transporting the team developed
engine issues as it lay just offshore. The last successful Bouvet activation
was 3Y0E, during a scientific expedition over the winter of 2007 - 2008. --
Thanks to Southgate Amateur Radio News via OPDX
France Gives its Highest Honor to The Secret Wireless War Author Geoffrey
Pidgeon
The author of The Secret Wireless War, Geoffrey Pidgeon, recently became the
6,000th veteran to receive the French Legion of Honor (Legion d'Honneur).
Through his undercover work in British intelligence, Pidgeon, now 93, played
a pivotal role in the D-Day landings. His book, which recounts the important
role of the
Geoffrey Pidgeon. [Forces TV]
Communications Division of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service (SIS)
during World War II, has long been a favorite among hams.
"There never was, in the whole history of wireless, a bigger role for the
amateur wireless enthusiast," says Pidgeon. "This is an extraordinary story
that includes hams among those patriots that undoubtedly helped the Allied
war effort."
Pidgeon said he was "somewhat overwhelmed" by the turnout for the award
presentation by French Ambassador to the UK Catherine Colonna. UK Defence
Secretary Ben Wallace also attended. The event attracted news media as well.
Reports included one from Forces TV. Pidgeon also was interviewed by
London's The Sunday Times.
"They made a fuss of me today," Pidgeon told Forces TV.
The Secret Wireless War offers a history of the SIS, its growing use of
wireless in the 1930s, its involvement in the dissemination by wireless of
Enigma (Ultra) intelligence, and a whole range of secret uses of wireless as
part of the successful prosecution of the war.
The book documents the personal tales of those who were part of this most
secret of units, and events that helped to win the war: Secret agents
abroad, wireless operators handling Ultra and agents' traffic, wireless
engineers, interceptors, and administrators; the story of Churchill's
personal wireless operator; a fleet of 70+ Packard motor cars and converted
Dodge ambulances used as mobile wireless stations; and hams listening to the
German secret service and the Gestapo.
Pidgeon's memoir of his days in MI6 Communications during World War II is
distributed in the US by ARRL.
In Brief...
The American Legion Amateur Radio Club (TALARC) will operate special event
station N9V on Veterans Day, November 11. The club's headquarters station,
K9TAL, will anchor the N9V Veterans Day operations, joined by several TALARC
stations around the US, for its annual national salute to veterans. The
American Legion is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Operation
will be from 1800 to 0000 UTC on or about 7.285, 14.285, and 21.285 MHz.
Certificates will be available to all sending a QSL card. More information
is on the N9V profile page on QRZ.com. -- Thanks to Jim Harris, W0EM, and
The National Legion Amateur Radio Club
University of Washington doctoral candidate Paige Northway with a HuskySat
engineering model. [Courtesy of UW News]
A Cygnus cargo spacecraft carrying the University of Washington's
student-built HuskySat-1 CubeSat has been successfully launched. The Cygnus
docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on November 4. It then is
scheduled to depart the ISS on January 13, 2020, and raise its orbit to
approximately 500 kilometers (310 miles), where HuskySat-1 and SwampSat will
be deployed. After deployment, HuskySat-1's 1,200 bps BPSK beacon on 435.800
MHz should be active and decodable with the latest release of FoxTelem.
HuskySat-1 is expected to run its primary mission for 30 days -- testing a
pulsed plasma thruster and experimental 24 GHz data transmitter -- before
being turned over to AMSAT for amateur radio operation. HuskySat-1 features
a 30 kHz wide 145 to 435 MHz linear transponder for SSB/CW. "Usually people
buy most of the satellite and build one part of it," said Paige Northway, a
doctoral student who's been involved with the project since inception. "We
built all the parts. It was a pretty serious undertaking." For more
information about HuskySat-1's development and its science, read the UW News
article, "Washington's first student-built satellite preparing for launch."
-- Thanks to AMSAT News Service via SpaceNews.com; Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, and
UW News
The FCC is looking for a telecommunications specialist to work at the HF
Direction Finding Center in Columbia, Maryland. This is a full-time position
with a competitive salary. The incumbent would perform "watch duty" and
serve as a technical authority, providing technical assistance and guidance
to communication systems users to resolve radio interference complaints and
problems. The telecommunications specialist collects radio signal analysis
information using equipment deployed throughout the US to collect,
correlate, and analyze characteristics of radio signals involved in
interference problems, distress, or safety-related signals, or other radio
signals involved in other high-priority activities, such as law enforcement
or national defense. This individual analyzes complaints, inquiries, and
comments from multiple sources; investigates compliances with FCC rules and
regulations, and determines appropriate actions, utilizing the FCC's remote
HF network of radio direction finders and radio signal analysis equipment.
For additional information, see the full job description.
The FCC has solicited comments on a Petition for Declaratory Ruling
clarifying Amateur Service rules governing encrypted or encoded messages.
Filed on behalf of New York University (NYU), the Petition seeks to clarify
that Section 97.113(a)(4) of the Amateur Service rules prohibits the
transmission of "effectively encrypted or encoded messages, including
messages that cannot be readily decoded over-the-air for true meaning."
Comments are due by December 2, with reply comments (comments on comments
already filed) due on December 17. The FCC has requested that all filings
refer to WT Docket No. 16-239, which grew out of an ARRL Petition for Rule
Making requesting elimination of symbol rate limitations on the amateur
bands and is unrelated to the wider encryption issue. The NYU Petition
contends that some communication modes incorporating dynamic compression
techniques "by extension, effectively encrypt or encode the communications."
Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
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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