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The ARRL Letter April 2, 2020
- FCC Grants Temporary Emergency Authority to WISPs Operating in 5.8 GHz Band
- HamSCI 2020 Workshop Successfully Reworked as a Virtual Event
- ARRL Field Day 2020 -- A Time to Adapt
- ARRL Podcasts Schedule
- Canceled Ohio ARES State Conference Morphs into Statewide Communication
Exercise
- Contest Entry Features Multiple Operator Locations and Remote
Transmitter-Receiver Site
- To All ARRL Members and ARRL VEC Accredited Volunteer Examiners
- The K7RA Solar Update
- Just Ahead in Radiosport
- Western Pennsylvania ARES Group Conducts District-Wide Simplex Drill
- COVID-19 Affects Space Station Crew Transition
- In Brief...
- Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
COVID-19 Impact & News
Find the latest news and information on the impact of the coronavirus
pandemic to ARRL members and our global amateur radio community.
FCC Grants Temporary Emergency Authority to WISPs Operating in 5.8 GHz Band
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The FCC has granted temporary permission to wireless internet service
providers (WISPs) in rural portions of 29 states and the US Virgin Islands
to operate in the 5.8 GHz band (5.850 - 5.895 GHz). The authorization, to
help meet the temporary surge in demand for residential fixed broadband
services during the COVID-19 pandemic, was one of multiple waivers issued in
the past week that grant temporary access to a variety of bands in response
to the uptick in residential broadband demand.
The 5.8 GHz grants were effective on March 26. Each grant is for 60 days,
provided individual WISPs file STA applications within 10 days of March 26.
Amateur radio shares this spectrum on a secondary basis with Dedicated
Short-Range Communications (DSRC) systems and industrial, scientific, and
medical (ISM) applications, and that status remains unchanged.
"[E]ach applicant is independently responsible for complying with the
conditions of its grant," the FCC's Keith D. Harper, Associate Chief of the
Wireless Telecommunications Bureau's Mobility Division, wrote in granting
the request. "Applicants are advised that this includes ensuring proper
protection of incumbents in the 5.8 GHz band." The Commission noted that
WISPs are responsible for ensuring that they do not cause interference to
existing licensees.
According to the request, each of the WISPs provides fixed wireless
broadband service in rural areas, primarily relying on unlicensed spectrum
for last-mile connections to end users. "Many of the WISPs' customers have
no other alternative to terrestrial broadband services," the request said.
The Commission's emergency grant explicitly requires that the WISP
operations be conducted on a non-interference basis. Read more.
HamSCI 2020 Workshop Successfully Reworked as a Virtual Event
-------------------------------------------------------------
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the March 20 - 21 HamSCI Workshop went on
as scheduled, moving to a free, all-digital webinar workshop. The theme of
the 2020 workshop was "The Auroral Connection -- How does the aurora affect
amateur radio, and what can we learn about the aurora from radio
techniques?" Organizer and University of Scranton professor Nathaniel
Frissell, W2NAF, told ARRL that he was quite happy with the outcome, after
the in-person workshop had to be called off as a result of the coronavirus
pandemic.
"In some ways, it was good for us," Frissell said. "We actually got many
more participants than had we just held it in person." Expectations for the
live event were for about 100 participants. Online, Zoom -- the webinar
platform used for the workshop -- reported 290 unique logins from 24
countries. After cancellation of the in-person workshop, Frissell had to
scramble to make the virtual event a reality.
"I had the webinar running in practice mode for about 2 or 3 days before the
workshop, and I let presenters log in whenever they wanted to test things
out," Frissell said.
Another hurdle to overcome was figuring out how to convert poster
presentations to electronic format. "The Aurorasaurus group really helped
out with that," Frissell said, noting that Aurorasaurus Project manager
Laura Brandt came up with a method for presenting the posters electronically
and made sure the poster session ran smoothly.
In a blog post, Brandt called the workshop "the first of its kind in
heliophysics." The Aurorasaurus Project theme is "Reporting Auroras from the
Ground Up."
"The annual HamSCI Workshop provided the perfect opportunity to introduce
citizen scientists and scientists from the aurora and ham radio communities
and build connections for future collaboration,"
Brandt said. "Both aurora and ham radio citizen scientists work closely with
the Earth's atmosphere and ionosphere, but while aurora folks tend to think
about how what we see reveals aspects of the ionosphere, ham radio operators
tend to think about what radio waves can tell us about the ionosphere."
Oral presentations were delivered as originally scheduled and in the same
format as if they were being delivered at the in-person workshop.
The workshop served as a team meeting for the HamSCI Personal Space Weather
Station project that's funded by a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant
to Frissell as its principal investigator. The project seeks to harness the
power of a network of radio amateurs to better understand and measure the
effects of weather in the upper levels of Earth's atmosphere.
Workshop presentations are being archived. Read more.
ARRL Field Day 2020 -- A Time to Adapt
--------------------------------------
Many individuals and groups organizing events for ARRL Field Day 2020 have
been contacting ARRL for guidance on how to adapt their planned activities
in this unprecedented time of social distancing and uncertainty.
"Due to the unique situation presented this year, this can be an opportunity
for you, your club, or your group to try something new," ARRL Contest
Manager Paul Bourque, N1SFE, said. "Field Day isn't about doing things the
same way year after year. Use this year to develop and employ a new approach
that is in line with the current circumstances."
Social distancing and state and local requirements very likely will impact
just how -- and even whether -- you are able to participate in Field Day
this year. ARRL continues monitoring the coronavirus situation, paying close
attention to information and guidance offered by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC). If social distancing means that Class A with a
30-member team set up in a city park won't work this year, then it's time
for a Plan B. Part of the Field Day concept has always been adapting your
operation to the situation at hand. At its heart, Field Day is an emergency
communication demonstration. Field Day rules are flexible enough to allow
individuals and groups to adjust their participation and strategies in a way
that still addresses their needs while being fun. Some possibilities include:
-Encouraging club members to operate from their home stations on emergency
power (Class E).
-Using the club's repeater as a means for individual participants to keep in
touch during the event.
-Setting up a portable station in the backyard with a temporary antenna for
family members interested in operating Field Day, who are now unable to
participate as part of a larger group.
One big impact this year will be a decline in public visibility and any
interaction with the visitors. Prudence may dictate dispensing with the ham
radio PR table to attract passersby, should you set up in a more public
location. It's okay not to score all the bonus points you may have attempted
in the past. Local and served agency officials may be unwilling to visit,
which is understandable under the circumstances. Do be sure to reach out to
them as part of your preparations and remind them that you look forward to
continuing your working relationship with them in the future.
The impact will differ from place to place, so ARRL recommends that all
amateur radio clubs participating in Field Day stay in regular contact with
local or state public health officials for their advice and guidance on
hosting Field Day activities.
"With any emergency preparedness exercise, it's not about adapting the
situation to your operation; it's about adapting your operation to the
situation that presents itself," Bourque said. "Try something different."
Read more. -- Thanks to Paul Bourque, N1SFE, and Dan Henderson, N1ND
ARRL Podcasts Schedule
----------------------
The latest (March 12) episode of the On the Air podcast focuses on how to
calculate feed line loss, real-world examples of how digital and analog FM
transceivers handle weak signals, and an interview with Rob Macedo, KD1CY,
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator and SKYWARN
Coordinator for the National Weather Service Boston/Norton office. Rob
offers information about how hams can get involved with SKYWARN.
The latest episode of the Eclectic Tech podcast (Episode 4) includes an
interview with Eric Knight, KB1EHE, updating the RF-based Alzheimer's
therapy featured in QST, and an interview with Robert Dixon, W8ERD, about
the "Wow!" signal and SETI. Dixon was the Big Ear project director when the
Wow! signal was received.
Both podcasts are available on iTunes (iOS) and Stitcher (Android), as well
as on Blubrry -- On the Air | Eclectic Tech.
Canceled Ohio ARES State Conference Morphs into Statewide Communication
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Exercise
--------
Ohio Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) canceled the Ohio ARES State
Conference set for April 4 due to the coronavirus pandemic and repurposed
the date for a statewide communication exercise, with an emphasis on
communicating from home.
"Ohio has a high-profile station at the state Emergency Operations Center
(EOC), with regular weekly EOC nets," ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Stan Broadway, N8BHL, said. "But with the national emphasis on staying home,
we turned the vacated day into a 2-hour series of nets designed to have
amateur operators check in using their home stations."
The exercise was the brainchild of Assistant SEC Tim Price, K8WFL, who
suggested it would be a great way to showcase amateur radio's capabilities
for state and community leaders. The Ohio HF Emergency Net will take
check-ins on 40 and 80 meters (SSB), with the Ohio Digital Emergency Net
(OHDEN) operating on 80 meters. Then, around 1 PM ET, a linked digital radio
system will be brought into play, using DMR's Ohio talk group linked to the
Fusion "Ohio Link" group. Broadway said stations will simply check in; no
traffic will be handled. "It's just designed to prove we can communicate
from home, while locked down, and still get the job done," he told ARRL.
"This is the same network topology used for the Ohio Watch Desk Project,
providing statewide reporting during such events as the Memorial Day tornado
outbreak last spring," Broadway said. The reports are fed directly to the
watch desk at Ohio's state EOC, to enhance situational awareness for state
emergency managers. "We plan to video an operator on the State House steps,
talking statewide using a small handheld," Broadway said. "This
demonstration can be used to enhance our discussion of amateur radio with
local and state officials."
Broadway said HF can be problematic most of the time if storms are moving
across, producing static, and digital modes fill in the gap. Read more. --
Thanks to Stan Broadway, N8BHL
Contest Entry Features Multiple Operator Locations and Remote
-------------------------------------------------------------
Transmitter-Receiver Site
-------------------------
Restrictions on gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic recently prompted a
novel approach to multioperator/multi-transmitter operation. The WW2DX entry
in the CQ World Wide WPX SSB Contest over the March 28 - 29 weekend featured
10 operators, each at separate locations around the US and in Europe, all
operating via a
Connor Black, W4IPC.
single remote site on the coast of eastern Maine. WW2DX entered in the
Multioperator, High Power category, racking up a claimed score of 32,026,176
points. NR6O operated from the west coast with a smaller complement of
remote operators in the Multioperator, High Power category.
"It was so much fun to work this contest," one of the WW2DX operators,
17-year-old Connor Black, W4IPC, said. "This was the most fun I've had in a
contest ever. We had no equipment failures and pulled off, hopefully, a new
US record."
In soapbox comments on the 3830scores.com website, Lee Imber, WW2DX,
expressed his belief that this year's contest would be viewed as a turning
point in multioperator contesting. Participants had nothing but a web
browser and a USB headset to operate, with the closest team partner some 625
miles away. "No radio, no hardware, no traveling, and no external logger,"
he noted.
What the WW2DX operators saw.
Team members brainstormed various configurations. Rock Schrock, WW1X,
custom-engineered the requisite software. In addition to Black, the team
included a few other young -- but experienced -- contesters: 13-year-old
Charles Hoppe, AA4LS; 17-year-old Mason Matrazzo, KM4SII, and 21-year-old
Tucker McGuire, W4FS. The more senior team members were K1LZ, K3JO, W1ADI,
W2RE, WW1X, and WW2DX.
"We also used Slack and created a channel for the team to stay connected
over the weekend, and this ended up being half the fun," Imber said. Another
feature included the "multi bell," which would chime whenever a new
multiplier was logged. He said it was "awesome having seasoned pro operators
sharing and mentoring these young contesters."
"The world is experiencing something on a whole new level," he observed.
Read more.
To All ARRL Members and ARRL VEC Accredited Volunteer Examiners
---------------------------------------------------------------
We know many examiners have canceled amateur radio license exam sessions to
meet the requirements and recommendations of national and local government
and of health officials. The health and safety of examinees and our
Volunteer Examiners (VEs) is first and foremost in any decision-making
process. The ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) does not offer
video-supervised online amateur radio licensing exams at the present time.
We are aware, however, that some VE teams are exploring alternative formats
on a local basis. Please use ARRL's License Exam Search to find scheduled
exam sessions in your area and verify with the local exam team that the
session is still being held.
The ARRL VEC is continuing to process license examination materials from VEs
who have completed exam sessions, although some delays may occur under the
circumstances. The ARRL VEC electronically forwards all required data to the
FCC for qualified examinees.
We understand that some examination candidates are continuing their studies
toward new amateur radio licenses and license upgrades. We also know some
will be frustrated that, at this time, the ARRL VEC does not offer online
licensing exams. Amateur radio is not alone in this challenge, though.
While each of us continues to respond to the immediate evolving crisis, we
also know that we must keep an eye on the future. Throughout its decades of
service, the VEC system has served the FCC as a shining example of the
successes of a privatized system. The ARRL VEC and our VEs are recognized
throughout the Amateur Radio Service for our integrity and efficiency.
Adapting our all-volunteer license examination administration will be a
challenge, but it's a challenge we are committed to undertake in order to
advance the program and improve service.
While we face unprecedented challenges, opportunities also await. We are
grateful to support radio amateurs in our common pursuit of skill, service,
and discovery. ARRL and the ARRL VEC remain steadfast in serving the amateur
radio community. We will provide updates as they become available.
The K7RA Solar Update
---------------------
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: A new sunspot appeared on the last day in
March and the first day in April, with daily sunspot numbers of 12 and 13,
respectively. Prior to this, no sunspots had been seen since earlier in
March, when daily sunspot numbers were 13 and 12, on March 8 - 9.
Average daily solar flux this week (March 26 - April 1) declined from 71.1
to 69.4. Average daily geomagnetic indicators were identical to the previous
week, with planetary A index at 7.7 and middle latitude A index at 5.9.
Predicted solar flux for the next 45 days is 70 on April 2 - 7; 69, 68, and
68 on April 8 - 10; 70 on April 11 - 22; 68 on April 23 - May 7, and 70 on
May 8 - 16.
Predicted planetary A index is 8 on April 2 - 3; 5 on April 4 - 14; 10 on
April 15; 8 on April 16 - 19; 5 on April 20 - 25; 12 on April 26 - 27; 8 on
April 28 - 29; 5 on April 30 - May 11; 10 on May 12, and 8 on May 13 - 16.
Sunspot numbers for March 26 - April 1 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 12, and 13, with
a mean of 0. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 70.2, 69.4, 69.2, 68.8, 69.3,
69.9, and 69.2, with a mean of 71.1. Estimated planetary A indices were 5,
5, 5, 7, 11, 15, and 6, with a mean of 7.7. Middle latitude A index was 5,
4, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 4, with a mean of 5.9.
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
------------------------
-April 4 -- LZ Open 40-Meter Sprint Contest (CW)
-April 4 - 5 -- PODXS 070 Club PSK 31 Flavors Contest
-April 4 - 5 -- Nebraska QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
-April 4 - 5 -- Louisiana QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
-April 4 - 5 -- Mississippi QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
-April 4 - 5 -- Missouri QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
-April 4 - 5 -- Florida State Parks on the Air (CW, phone, digital)
-April 4 - 5 -- SP DX Contest (CW, phone)
-April 4 - 5 -- EA RTTY Contest
-April 5 -- North American SSB Sprint
-April 5 -- RSGB RoLo SSB
-April 6 - 12 -- All IQRP Quarterly Marathon (CW, phone, digital)
-April 6 -- RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship, CW
-April 6 -- 144 MHz Spring Sprint (CW, phone)
-April 7 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (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.
Western Pennsylvania ARES Group Conducts District-Wide Simplex Drill
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) Western Pennsylvania Southwest
District, which includes Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette,
Greene, Indiana, Washington, and Westmoreland counties, conducted a
district-wide simplex practice drill on March 21. The exercise lasted about
4 hours, with all participants meeting on their local ARES county repeaters.
Each county Emergency Coordinator served as net control stations, and all
stations kept logs, which were to be sent to their local Emergency
Coordinator for forwarding to the District Emergency Coordinator.
All stations were asked to stay on their county simplex frequency for at
least 15 minutes before going to other county simplex frequencies. After
checking in on the repeater, all stations switched to their county-assigned
simplex frequencies, to test the capabilities of operators and stations and
their simplex operating range. In all, 162 operators participated in the
drill.
"We have received so many great comments about the drill that I plan on
running it again sometime after the Simulated Emergency Test (SET) drill on
April 4," Western Pennsylvania Southwest District Emergency Coordinator
Terry Nemitz, KA3UTD, said. "I also heard a lot of comments about operators
wanting to improve their stations. A good thing."
COVID-19 Affects Space Station Crew Transition
----------------------------------------------
International Space Station (ISS) Expedition 62 crew is readying its Soyuz
MS-15 vehicle for an April 17 departure back to Earth. Expedition 62 members
are NASA Flight Engineer Jessica Meir; Flight Engineer Andrew Morgan,
KI5AAA, and Commander Oleg Skripochka, RA0LDJ. The Expedition 63 crew
members who are to replace them are nearing an April 9 launch aboard the
Soyuz MS-16 vehicle.
NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy, KF5KDR, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Anatoly
Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner arrived this week at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in
Kazakhstan for final training. The
Expedition 63 trio is scheduled to live aboard the station for a little
longer than 6 months, with Cassidy as commander. Because of travel
limitations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cassidy's family will watch from
home when he blasts off on April 9. Launch day at Baikonur is usually a
festive affair.
"But it'll be completely quiet," Cassidy said in a Spaceflight Now satellite
interview from Star City, Russia. "There won't be anybody there. A NASA
protocol has long been in place to prevent astronauts from carrying disease
microbes into space." NASA said it "will continue to evaluate and augment
this plan, in coordination with its international and commercial partners,"
if needed.
Russia's state space corporation Roscosmos has shut down all media activity
surrounding the Soyuz launch, barring journalists from covering the mission
in person. Russia will still livestream the launch; NASA typically carries
all of its crewed launches online via its NASA TV channel.
SpaceX will launch its Crew Dragon capsule with NASA astronauts Bob Behnken,
KE5GGX, and Doug Hurley aboard the spacecraft, "no earlier than mid-to-late
May," NASA said, marking the first crew launch from the US since 2011. This
is the final flight test of the system before SpaceX is certified to carry
out operational crew flights to and from the ISS for NASA.
Pending the outcome of the demonstration test, SpaceX hopes to send its
first operational crew of astronauts to the ISS aboard its Crew Dragon
capsule later this year. Read more. -- Thanks to NASA, AMSAT News Service
In Brief...
-----------
Former ARRL DXCC Manager Don Search, W3AZD, of Davie, Florida, died on March
26. Search was widely known throughout the DXing community and was a fixture
at many hamfests and conventions, including the Dayton Hamvention©, where he
checked cards for years. An ARRL Life Member, he was 80. A skillful DXer,
Search was on the DXCC Honor Roll with 378 entities confirmed on phone. He
and his partner Hope Smith, WB3ANE, were early members of the National
Capitol DX Association (NCDXA) -- traveling from Florida to attend monthly
meetings as recently as 2018. He also belonged to the Potomac Valley Radio
Club (PVRC). According to reports, Search had struggled with health issues
related to a fall last December in which he struck his head. Search worked
as an electronics technician in Maryland before serving for about 15 years
as ARRL DXCC Manager from the late 1970s until the early 1990s.
USA Amateur Radio Direction Finding Championships Canceled The ARRL ARDF
Committee has made the difficult decision to cancel the 20th USA ARDF
Championships, which were set to be held this summer. Contact the ARRL ARDF
Committee for more information on ARDF and on attending, participating in,
or hosting ARDF competitions. ARDF participants do not need an amateur radio
license. For more information on Amateur Radio Direction Finding, visit the
Homing In website of Joe Moell, K0OV. -- Thanks to USA ARDF Co-Coordinator
Charles Scharlau, NZ0I
International Marconi Day (IMD) ham radio operating event has been canceled
because of the coronavirus pandemic. The annual 24-hour amateur radio event
celebrates the birth of Marconi on April 25, 1874. Sponsored by the Cornish
Radio Amateur Club, which operates as GB4IMD, International Marconi Day
features participating stations operating at sites that have a personal
connection to Marconi.
Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
------------------------------------------------------
Note: Many conventions and hamfests have been canceled or postponed due to
the coronavirus pandemic. Check the calendar of canceled events on the ARRL
website.
-May 9 - MicroHAMS Digital Conference 2020, Woodinville, Washington
-June 6 -- Georgia State Convention, Marietta, Georgia
-June 6 - 7 -- Northwestern Division Convention, Seaside, Oregon
-June 6 - 7 -- Western Pennsylvania Section Convention, Prospect, Pennsylvania
-June 12 - 13 -- Ham-Com, Plano, Texas
-June 20 -- Tennessee State Convention, Knoxville, Tennessee
Find conventions and hamfests in your area.
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