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The ARRL Letter February 27, 2020
- ARRL Seeks a New Chief Executive Officer
- ARRL Comments in Opposition to FCC Plan to Delete the 3.4 GHz Band
- AMSAT Cites Need for Adequate Spectrum in Opposing Deletion of 3.4 GHz Band
- ARRL Podcasts Schedule
- ARRL Announces Interruptions to Online Services
- FCC Turns Down Amateur Licensee's Appeal
- The K7RA Solar Update
- Just Ahead in Radiosport
- Auxiliary Communications Training to Be Held in Conjunction with Dayton
Hamvention©
- It's Never Too Late to Upgrade
- In Brief...
- Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
ARRL Seeks a New Chief Executive Officer
----------------------------------------
ARRL is seeking an experienced radio amateur to be Chief Executive Officer
(CEO) at its headquarters in Newington, Connecticut. The CEO is the top
compensated employee in ARRL's management structure and oversees all
operations in collaboration with the President and the Board of Directors,
in accordance with ARRL's Articles of Association, Bylaws, and Board
policies. The successful candidate will ensure day-to-day management of
ARRL, including fiscal operations and will oversee and make certain that its
fund-raising, marketing, human resources, technology, advocacy, and
governance strategies are effectively implemented.
Essential CEO Functions Include:
Leading the headquarters staff and field volunteers, in response to
Board policy, in the development and implementation of effective programs
for the promotion and growth of amateur radio and the provision of services
to members.
Planning, developing, organizing, implementing, directing, and
evaluating ARRL's operational and fiscal performance.
Providing leadership, directing headquarters staff, and maintaining
performance standards in headquarters operations.
Participating, in collaboration with officers, Directors, and staff, in
developing ARRL's plans and programs.
The successful candidate will be a strategic thinker with a record of
significant amateur radio experience and a broad understanding of its
operational, technical, regulatory, and social facets. The CEO will be
responsible for effective financial and operational management and oversight.
CEO candidates should possess a bachelor's degree or equivalent (master's
degree preferred), be an active radio amateur who has initiated or led a
significant amateur radio activity within the past 10 years, and have 10
years of management and supervisory experience. Candidates should be able to
demonstrate ability in providing effective leadership and management of
business operations.
The position is located at ARRL Headquarters, and the successful candidate
will be required to establish a residence in the Hartford, Connecticut, area.
For More Information
The CEO Position Announcement includes details. Interested candidates should
submit a cover letter and resume via e-mail to ARRL Human Resources
Assistant Monique Levesque.
ARRL Comments in Opposition to FCC Plan to Delete the 3.4 GHz Band
------------------------------------------------------------------
ARRL has filed comments opposing an FCC proposal to delete the 3.3 - 3.5 GHz
secondary amateur allocation. The comments, filed on February 21, are in
response to an FCC Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in WT Docket 19-348
in which the FCC put forward a plan to remove "existing non-federal
secondary radiolocation and amateur allocations" in the 3.3 - 3.55 GHz band
and relocate incumbent non-federal operations. The FCC's proposal was in
response to the MOBILE NOW [Making Opportunities for Broadband Investment
and Limiting Excessive and Needless Obstacles to Wireless] Act, enacted in
2018 to make new spectrum available for mobile and fixed wireless broadband
use. ARRL noted that amateur radio has a long history of successful
coexistence with primary users of the band.
"There is no reason suggested by the Commission, or known to us, why the
secondary status for amateur radio operations should not be continued for
the indefinite future," ARRL said in its comments. "We understand that
secondary commercial users are less flexible than amateur radio users and
may desire to relocate to protect continued provision of services and
service quality. Radio amateurs, by contrast, benefit from having technical
knowledge and no customer demands for continuous service quality, more
flexibility to make adjustments, and often have the technical abilities
necessary to design and implement the means to coexist compatibly with the
signals of primary users."
ARRL pointed to amateur radio's "decades-long experience observing and
experimenting with radiowave propagation" in the 3.3 - 3.5 GHz band that
includes mesh networks, amateur television networks, weak signal
long-distance communication, Earth-Moon-Earth (moonbounce) communication,
beacons used for propagation study, and amateur satellite communications. In
its comments, ARRL argued that it would be "premature" to remove the current
secondary amateur radio allocation.
Radio amateurs have established extensive infrastructure for the current
band and are engaged in construction and experimentation that includes
innovative "mesh networks" and amateur television networks that can be
deployed to support public service activities.
"This spectrum should not be removed from the amateur radio secondary
allocation and left unused," ARRL told the FCC. "Only at a later time may an
informed assessment of sharing opportunities be made in the specific
spectrum slated for re-allocation.... This depends upon the Congressionally
mandated NTIA studies of sharing or relocation options that have yet to be
completed and, if all or part of this spectrum is re-allocated, the nature
and location of buildout by the non-federal users." The National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) oversees spectrum
allocated to federal government users. ARRL noted that radio amateurs have
established extensive infrastructure for the current band and are engaged in
construction and experimentation that includes innovative "mesh networks"
and amateur television networks that can be deployed to support public
service activities.
With the NTIA report addressing the 3.1 - 3.55 GHz spectrum not expected
until late March, ARRL said, "we do not yet know how much spectrum below and
above the amateur secondary allocation may be reallocated to non-federal
users and what opportunities may exist or be developed to share [that]
spectrum" with new primary users and systems.
"Even if suitable new spectrum could be found for the existing amateur uses
-- which is difficult before the spectrum musical chairs activity is
concluded -- the costs to radio amateurs would be significant and be borne
with no countervailing public benefit," ARRL told the FCC.
"If the advent of new primary licensees forecloses some types of secondary
operations, the amateur community will reevaluate the situation when some
certainty exists," ARRL concluded.
AMSAT Cites Need for Adequate Spectrum in Opposing Deletion of 3.4 GHz Band
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
AMSAT has commented on the FCC Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in WT
Docket 19-348 that proposes to delete the 3.3 - 3.5 GHz (9 centimeter)
amateur band and relocate incumbent non-federal operations. The band
includes the 3.40 - 3.41 GHz Amateur Satellite Service allocation. In its
remarks, AMSAT said it opposes deletion of the allocation and stressed the
necessity of having adequate microwave spectrum available for future amateur
satellite projects, including AMSAT's GOLF program and the Lunar Gateway.
AMSAT acknowledged that the 3.4 GHz Amateur Satellite Service allocation is
not currently used by any amateur satellites and that it is unsuitable for
worldwide communication because it is not available in ITU Region 1. AMSAT
said a number of potential future uses for the band remain, however, as
worldwide usage of other available allocations increases.
"These potential uses include a future amateur satellite in geostationary
orbit above the Americas," AMSAT said, explaining that the segment could
support uplink or downlink frequencies for such a spacecraft without
potential interference to worldwide activities involving space stations in
high-Earth or lunar orbit. The most-desirable allocations for use as uplinks
are between 2.4 GHz and 5.67 GHz -- 80 MHz in all, AMSAT told the FCC. "As
many of the proposed uses include amateur television and high-speed data
transmission with satellites in high-Earth orbit or lunar orbit, these
allocations may quickly become inadequate," AMSAT said.
AMSAT told the FCC the 3.40 - 3.41 GHz allocation could be utilized as a
command channel or secondary data downlink for AMSAT ground stations in ITU
Region 2 without interfering with the primary communications on the other
allocations or other satellites utilizing those segments.
AMSAT said several non-amateur satellites use the broader 3.3 - 3.5 GHz
amateur allocation, which also sees wide use for amateur radio mesh
networking, EME communications, and contesting.
"The Amateur Satellite Service continues to provide immense value to the
growing field of small satellites," AMSAT concluded. "Experiments conducted
by amateur satellites...continue to inform the development of the commercial
small satellite industry. Additionally, student participation in amateur
satellite projects provides both inspiration for young men and women to
pursue careers in the commercial satellite industry and practical experience
for those careers.
"A strong and robust Amateur Satellite Service will continue to benefit the
public interest and inspire future developments in satellite technology,"
AMSAT said. "Continued progress in achieving these goals requires adequate
spectrum, especially in suitable microwave bands." -- Thanks to AMSAT News
Service via AMSAT Executive Vice President Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
ARRL Podcasts Schedule
----------------------
The February 13 episode of the On the Air podcast focuses on building the
hands-free soldering tool from the article, "Extend Your Handheld's Range
with a Simple Ground-Plane Antenna," seen in the January/February 2020 issue
of On the Air magazine; a discussion of open-wire feed lines, and an
interview with a public service volunteer. New On the Air podcast episodes
are available monthly.
The new episode of Eclectic Tech podcast goes live February 27. Episode 2
touches on these topics: Most expensive home PC ever; Alexa and amateur
radio; solar activity's influence on whales, and a HamSCI update from Ward
Silver, N0AX.
Both podcasts are available on iTunes (iOS) and Stitcher (Android) as well
as on Blubrry -- On the Air | Eclectic Tech.
ARRL Announces Interruptions to Online Services
-----------------------------------------------
The ARRL website and other online services will be offline on Friday,
February 28, for up to 8 hours in order to conduct necessary maintenance.
The outage will begin at 0500 UTC and should end by 1300 UTC. It will affect
the main ARRL website, the ARRL Store, and the ARRL contesting-related
pages, including the log submission page. Logbook of The World (LoTW),
email, and all ARRL Headquarters systems will not be affected.
As part of ARRL Headquarters' transition to new internet service providers,
an interruption of internet access at ARRL Headquarters is set for
Wednesday, March 4, starting at 2300 UTC. The interruption will last no
longer than 4 hours. During the work period, these services will be
unavailable: Logbook of The World (LoTW), Online DXCC, International Grid
Chase Archive, National Parks on the Air Archive, Centennial QSO Party
Archive, W1AW Echolink Conference Server, and VPN access to Headquarters.
Email to Headquarters will remain online, and the ARRL website
(www.arrl.org) will remain operational throughout the maintenance period,
along with the contest and advertising pages. We apologize for any
inconvenience.
FCC Turns Down Amateur Licensee's Appeal
----------------------------------------
In a Memorandum Opinion and Order (MO&O) released on February 20, the FCC
turned down an appeal by William F. Crowell, W6WBJ, of Diamond Springs,
California, of an Administrative Law Judge's (ALJ) dismissal of Crowell's
amateur radio license renewal application. Chief ALJ Richard L. Sippel ruled
in 2018 that Crowell "failed to prosecute his application by refusing to
attend a hearing scheduled by the judge," and that this warranted dismissal
of Crowell's 2007 renewal application. The FCC Wireless Telecommunications
Bureau had designated Crowell's renewal application for hearing based on
allegations that he had violated the Communications Act and FCC rules by
causing intentional interference and by transmitting one-way communications,
indecent language, and music on amateur frequencies. The hearing was set to
be held in Washington, DC, and Crowell filed a notice of appearance
certifying that he would appear and present his case.
The case was interrupted by what the FCC in the MO&O called, "a hiatus of
several years, during which Crowell's petition to disqualify the Judge was
pending."
In August 2016, the FCC imposed a $25,000 fine on Crowell for intentional
interference and transmitting prohibited communications. The FCC said in a
Forfeiture Order (FO) that the penalty "is based on the full base forfeiture
amount as well as an upward adjustment reflecting Mr. Crowell's decision to
continue his misconduct after being warned that his actions violated the
Communications Act and the Commission's rules." The FCC noted that Crowell
did not deny making the alleged transmissions but argued in large part that
they were protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution," the
Forfeiture Order said. The February 20 MO&O does not reference the
Forfeiture Order or its disposition.
When the renewal application litigation resumed in 2017, Crowell asked that
the hearing be moved to the Sacramento, California, area, arguing that he
could not afford to travel to Washington. Sippel denied the motion.
"In the Dismissal Order, the Judge responded to Crowell's refusal to attend
a hearing in Washington, D.C., by granting the Enforcement Bureau's motion
to dismiss Crowell's application," the FCC said in its MO&O. The ALJ held
that Crowell's refusal to attend a hearing in Washington, DC, "constituted a
failure to prosecute and thereby effectively violated Section 1.221(c) of
the rules, which requires dismissal if an applicant fails to commit to
appear on the date fixed for hearing." The Judge agreed with the Enforcement
Bureau that many of the arguments Crowell raised on appeal "are not properly
before us in reviewing the Dismissal Order and should be disregarded."
Crowell's amateur license expired in 2007, but he has been permitted, under
FCC rules, to operate while his renewal application remains pending.
The K7RA Solar Update
---------------------
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Except for the first day of the month,
we've seen no sunspots through the rest February. I keep watching for
possible sunspot activity over the solar horizon. Recently I noticed a
promising white area, and, in the past few days, Spaceweather.com pointed
out two promising areas just over the horizon.
Average daily solar flux changed slightly from 70.9 to 70.5 over the recent
week, and geomagnetic indicators remained quiet.
Predicted solar flux over the next 45 days is 70 on February 27 - March 3,
and 71 on March 4 - April 11. Predicted planetary A index is 5 on February
27 - March 3; 12, 12, and 8 on March 4 - 6; 5 on March 7 - 14; 10, 8, 10, 8,
5, 10, and 8 on March 15 - 21; 5, 8, 12, and 10 on March 22 - 25; 5 on March
26 - 30; 20, 15, and 8 on March 31 - April 2, and 5 on April 3 - 11.
Sunspot numbers for February 20 - 26 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, and 0, with a
mean of 0. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 70.8, 71.2, 70.2, 70.1, 70.2, 70.6,
and 70.1, with a mean of 70.5. Estimated planetary A indices were 8, 14, 9,
5, 4, 3, and 4, with a mean of 6.7. Middle latitude A index was 5, 10, 7, 4,
3, 3, and 3, with a mean of 5.
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
------------------------
February 29 - March 1 -- Russian WW Multimode Contest (CW, phone, digital)
February 29 - March 1 -- UBA DX Contest (CW)
February 29 - March 1 -- South Carolina QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
February 29 - March 1 -- North American QSO Party (RTTY)
February 29 - March 1 -- NA Collegiate Championship (RTTY)
March 1 -- SARL Hamnet 40-Meter Simulated Emergency Contest (Phone)
March 1 -- NSARA Contest (CW, phone, digital)
March 1 - 2 -- North Carolina QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
March 2 -- RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship (Digital)
March 2 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW)
March 3 -- AGCW YL-CW Party (CW)
March 4 -- 3.5 UKEICC 80-Meter Contest (Phone)
March 5 -- NRAU 10-Meter Activity Contest (CW, phone, digital)
March 5 -- 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.
Auxiliary Communications Training to Be Held in Conjunction with Dayton
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Hamvention©
-----------
Representatives of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
(CISA) will be on hand in conjunction with Dayton Hamvention© to conduct
CISA's nationally recognized National Incident Management System
(NIMS)/ICS-compliant AUXCOMM training course. The course will be held May 12
- 14 at the Beavercreek Fire Department Training Room in Beavercreek, Ohio.
Only 30 slots are available, and the registration cut-off is April 1.
More than 3,000 radio amateurs from around the country have completed the
course, which is aimed at training ham radio volunteers to support local,
regional, and state governments with emergency communication services, if
requested. This course explains the structure of the Communications Unit
(COMU) and how to provide emergency communication in a public safety
context. It also goes deeper into the National Qualifications System/NIMS
framework.
Those who want to sign up for the CISA/Department of Homeland Security
AUXCOMM course must meet certain prerequisites and provide
electronic/scanned images of certain documents prior to the registration
deadline. The prerequisites include:
A signed copy of a valid FCC-issued amateur radio license
FEMA-issued IS-100, IS-200, IS-700, and IS-800 certificates
The public safety entity that you would support upon completing this
course, and its contact information
Applicants may attach scanned copies to an email with "Hamvention AUXCOMM"
in the subject line. Information will be reviewed, and applicants will be
informed whether they have been selected for a seat in the course.
This will be an intensive 3-day version of the course, with facilitated
lectures and student exercises conducted by professional AUXCOMM
instructors. The course provides time for interactive discussions and
exercises. Direct questions via email to CISA.
This year's Dayton Hamvention will include an AUXCOMM forum, which will
provide a look at the new AUXCOMM 509, which will become the official
position description of AUXCOMM personnel within the proposed Communications
Branch, the new AUXCOMM Subcommittee of the Communications Section Task
Force, and what's in store for AUXCOMM's future.
It's Never Too Late to Upgrade
------------------------------
George "Buck" Miner, K6RFE, of Sun City, Arizona, has been an active ham
since earning his first license in 1956, upgrading to a General-class
license 10 months later. It wasn't until January 26, however, that he
upgraded to Amateur Extra -- at the age of 94.
Miner began losing his sight at a young age and became totally blind when he
was 27. That never slowed him down, however. Over the intervening years, he
repaired TVs and sold, repaired, and installed two-way radios. He even
managed a 200-acre ranch on the northern California coast, where he fished
and dived for abalone.
Miner was a local celebrity, too, producing and hosting a live radio show in
Eureka, California -- "Chuck Star and his Rambling Guitar" -- on which he
told stories, sang, and played guitar. To facilitate living alone, he
learned to cook for himself and has produced several "Buck's Miracle
Kitchen" YouTube videos that humorously demonstrate how he cooks without
sight.
Miner has written several books, including an autobiography, My Darkness
under the Sun. He's also composed hundreds of songs, including "CQ Boogie,"
and he continues to play his guitar and sing for fun and profit. -- Thanks
to Bob Ringwald, K6YBV
In Brief...
-----------
Alex Gromme, 5B4ALX, has postponed his March 18 - April 2 T30ET DXpedition
to Tarawa (West Kiribati) because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
The Kiribati Ministry of Health told Gromme that he would need to be
quarantined for 14 days in Honiara, Solomon Islands, before getting medical
approval to continue on to Kiribati. "T30ET is currently postponed, not
deleted," Gromme said on his website. He's now looking at October 2020,
assuming the COVID-19 situation is resolved by then. Last week, travel
restrictions imposed on individuals entering American Samoa as a result of
the coronavirus outbreak caused Swains Island W8S DXpedition organizers to
postpone that DXpedition until later in the year. The team members were
unable to comply with a 14-day mandatory quarantine in Hawaii. The
DXpedition announced tentative dates of September 23 - October 6.
A working scale model of an HF curtain array antenna is on display at the
National Voice of America (VOA) Museum of Broadcasting in West Chester,
Ohio. The model, which operates on 70 centimeters, is a 4 ž 2 design with a
screen reflector, and is the same style of antenna the VOA Bethany Relay
Station used until its final transmission in November 1994. West Chester
Amateur Radio Association (WC8VOA) members Richard Kreuter, WC8RK, and Joe
Burke, WA8OGS, designed and constructed this curtain array. EZNEC Pro 4
models indicates the antenna has a gain of 21.35 dBi at 8ø at a
half-wavelength above ground. The club thanked Roy Lewallen, W7EL, for
modeling the array. The museum and WC8VOA will be open for extended hours
during Dayton Hamvention© for those interested in seeing the model.
The NEMO-1 WSPR buoy launched by AMSAT-Argentina (AMSAT-LU) on January 30
was retrieved 12 days later by a fishing vessel. The buoy transmitted WSPR
on 14.095.6 MHz and APRS on VHF FM using the call sign LU7AA. The captain of
the tuna vessel Juan Pablo II considered that the buoy was partially
submerged, decided to retrieve it, and informed AMSAT-LU. The NEMO-1
traveled another 8 days aboard the tuna vessel, arriving at Mar del Plata on
February 19, where members of the Mar del Plata Radio Club were holding it
until members of AMSAT-LU could recover it. The buoy will be reconditioned,
and a new launch is planned, this time taking the buoy more than 200
kilometers (124 miles) offshore, so that it will navigate freely.
The first IARU Region 3 (Asia/Pacific) Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) camp
will take place in Thailand on October 1 - 3. The Radio Amateur Society of
Thailand (RAST) will sponsor the event. YOTA is a rapidly growing group of
young radio amateurs with the goal of getting more young people interested
in amateur radio. Every year, young radio amateurs will meet in a different
IARU Region 3 country to exchange ideas and experiences. The inaugural camp
will be held at the Rock Garden Beach Resort in Rayong. More information
about the IARU Region 3 YOTA Camp is available on the IARU Region 3 website.
Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
------------------------------------------------------
March 7 - Delta Division Convention, Russellville, Arkansas
March 13 - 14 -- North Carolina Section Convention, Concord, North
Carolina
March 14 - 15 -- Great Lakes Division Convention, Perrysburg, Ohio
March 14 -- Nebraska State Convention, Lincoln, Nebraska
March 14 -- West Virginia Section Convention, Charleston, West Virginia
March 21 -- West Texas Section Convention, Midland, Texas
March 29 -- Virginia Section Convention, Vienna, Virginia
April 10 - 11 -- Oklahoma State Convention, Claremore, Oklahoma
April 11 -- Roanoke Division Convention, Raleigh, North Carolina
April 18 -- Delaware State Convention, Georgetown, Delaware
May 8 - 9 -- Utah State Convention, Orem, Utah
June 6 - 7 -- Northwestern Division Convention, Seaside, Oregon
June 6 - 7 -- West Pennsylvania Section Convention, Prospect, Pennsylvania
June 6 -- Georgia State Convention, Marietta, Georgia
June 20 -- Tennessee State Convention, Knoxville, Tennessee
Find conventions and hamfests in your area.
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