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N9PMO > LETTER 14.06.15 03:03l 482 Lines 21256 Bytes #999 (0) @ ARRL
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Letters to Members of Congress Offer Biggest Boost to Amateur Radio
Parity Act
ARRL Representatives Talk Field Day Publicity on "Ham Radio Now"
Webcast
Texas Meteorological Evaluation Towers Bill Won't Apply to Amateur
Towers
New York Ham Inaugurates "Collegiate Ham Radio Operators" Facebook
Group
Keysight Technologies Donates Spectrum Analysis Software to ARRL Lab
The ARRL Extra Class License Manual Now Available on Kindle
Kids Day is Sunday, June 21!
US Naval Academy CubeSats Get OSCAR Numbers
Hall of Fame Contester, USC Patron Gordon Marshall, W6RR, SK
In Brief...
The K7RA Solar Update
Just Ahead in Radiosport
Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events
Letters to Members of Congress Offer Biggest Boost to Amateur Radio
Parity Act
ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, has told Section Mangers that, while
promotion and positive publicity about the Amateur Radio Parity Act
(H.R. 1301) are always helpful, the most useful action radio amateurs
can take is to contact their members of Congress, urging them to sign
on as cosponsors. As of June 9, 72 members of the US House in both
parties were listed as cosponsors of the proposed legislation, which
would direct the FCC to extend its rules relating to reasonable
accommodation of Amateur Service communications to private land-use
restrictions. Craigie told the SMs that the grassroots campaign
supporting H.R. 1301 needs more letters.
"We have been told quite bluntly by some congressional offices that
they want letters from constituents -- that they will be interested in
what the ARRL has to say only if they know that voters care about this
issue," Craigie said in urging Section Managers to rally the troops.
"Why should the congressman care, they ask, if the voters don't? There
are tens of thousands of ARRL members who have not written yet. You
can do a lot to persuade them to write, because they know you."
Craigie cited the case of US Rep John Carney of Delaware, who signed
on as an H.R. 1301 cosponsor this week. Delaware Section Manager Bill
Duveneck, KB3KYH, told her that ARRL members have been appealing to
the state's lone Member of Congress to support the bill.
"Late last month, ARRL representatives visited Congressman Carney's
Washington office and delivered a stack of approximately 50
constituent letters," Craigie recounted. "That, in addition to the
in-state contacts, got the congressman's attention, and he agreed to
cosponsor."
Craigie pointed out that the 50 letters were all the more impressive
in the case of tiny Delaware, where there are fewer than 500 ARRL
members. "Do the math!" she said. "If we could get a similar
percentage of ARRL members in additional districts to write their
members of Congress, the bill's progress would accelerate. Local
in-district contacts plus concentrated letter-writing efforts add up
to co-sponsorship. Here's to Delaware and all the other districts
whose ARRL members are getting the job done for H.R. 1301."
Members are encouraged to contact their member of Congress by writing
personalized, signed letters on paper, based on the sample letter,
available on the ARRL H.R. 1301 web page. Letters should go to ARRL
Headquarters for hand delivery to the appropriate House members. Send
letters to ARRL, ATTN H.R. 1301 Grassroots Campaign, 225 Main St,
Newington CT 06111.
Sending these letters via ARRL allows Headquarters staff to keep track
of how many communications are going to which congressional districts.
But more important, Craigie pointed out, when letters are delivered to
the Hill in person, there's an opportunity to speak with congressional
staffers. "The stack of letters is proof that voters care about the
bill," she said. "We have to convince the staff people, so they'll
advise the Member of Congress to cosponsor. That's how it works on
Capitol Hill."
Craigie further urged Section Managers to mention the bill when they
speak at conventions and club meetings. Craigie also encouraged
members whose US House member already has signed on to H.R. 1301 as a
cosponsor to call, write, or e-mail a message of appreciation. "Good
manners, good strategy," she said.
The League is working on having a US Senate version of H.R. 1301
introduced.
The latest House members to sign on as H.R. 1301 cosponsors include
Bill Flores (TX), Patrick McHenry (NC), Ann Kuster (NH), John Carney
(DE), Marsha Blackburn (TN), and Matt Salmon (AZ).
ARRL Representatives Talk Field Day Publicity on "Ham Radio Now"
Webcast
ARRL Field Day, coming up the on weekend of June 27-28, often offers
an ideal occasion for hams to meet members of the media or the public
and to describe the event specifically and Amateur Radio in general.
ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X, and ARRL
Public Relations Committee Chair Katie Allen, WY7YL, this week joined
"Ham Radio Now" host Gary Pearce,
Appearing on "Ham Radio Now" (L-R), ARRL Public Relations Committee
Chair Katie Allen, WY7YL; ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Sean
Kutzko, KX9X, and "Ham Radio Now" host Gary Pearce, KN4AQ.
KN4AQ, to share some views and advice on the topic "What Field Day is
REALLY About" and how to convey this to FD visitors and reporters. All
three agreed on one big point: Stress that 95 percent of what radio
amateurs do is fun.
"Share your excitement," Allen advised.
All also agreed that club members attempting to tell what's happening
at their Field Day site need to avoid ham radio jargon. "Be less
'hammy' about it," Allen suggested.
"Nobody's going to know what 40 meters is," Kutzko rejoined, while
conceding that it can be hard for hams to avoid using terms such as
"fist," "worked," and "QSO" when talking with anyone not familiar with
Amateur Radio.
Pearce recommended fine-tuning "an elevator pitch" to explain the
hobby to non-hams.
The program edition also critiques some specific ham radio publicity
efforts and media encounters.
The June 10 "Ham Radio Now" (HRN No 208) webcast is available on
YouTube.
Texas Meteorological Evaluation Towers Bill Won't Apply to Amateur
Towers
A relatively obscure piece of Texas legislation with potential ham
radio implications may serve as a model for other states considering
similar laws. The beauty of the bill, SB 505, concerning "Painting and
Marking Requirements for Certain Towers" -- colloquially called "the
crop duster bill" -- is that it never mentions Amateur Radio. That did
not happen by accident. Initial impetus for such legislation was a
2013 National Transportation Safety Board recommendation that states
enact laws requiring that meteorological evaluation towers (METs) be
marked and registered. The recommendation came in the wake of fatal
crop dusting aircraft collisions with METs, often erected on short
notice in agricultural areas.
A properly marked meteorological evaluation tower. [Photo courtesy of
University of Nebraska-Lincoln]
"The West Gulf Division legislative team did an excellent job of
working with the sponsor of the bill to minimize its effect on Amateur
Radio," West Gulf Division Director Dr David Woolweaver, K5RAV, said.
He gave the credit to West Gulf Vice Director John Stratton, N5AUS.
Woolweaver said that over the years, the Division's legislative
experts have managed to stop or have modified several bills considered
objectionable to ham radio. They also have worked to have language
placed into statutes that prevents Amateur Radio gear from being
conflated with "mobile communication devices."
Paul Gilbert, KE5ZW, who works for the Texas Department of
Transportation, was involved in developing a fiscal impact note on the
legislation. "It was driven by national and state crop duster
associations at the behest of their members to mark the meteorology or
weather towers located mostly in wind turbine fields," Gilbert
explained in summing up the issue. "The dusters seemed not to be able
to see the towers. The duster folks had tried to work with the FAA,
but since the towers are [lower than] 200 feet and not located
normally near airports, the FCC declined to regulate further."
States then were urged to pick up the ball. Gilbert said some state
laws focused specifically on METs, others did not, and thethe Collegiate Ham Radio
Operators group.
"This group is something we decided to start at the Collegiate Dinner
at Hamvention, where students, faculty, and alumni from Virginia Tech,
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Michigan State, Texas A&M, Kansas
State, Clarkson, and a few other schools attended," Rose told ARRL.
"We intend it as an online 'watering hole' of sorts, for clubs across
the world to post the goings-on of collegiate ham radio, and, through
this, exchange ideas for projects, activities, and recruitment of
members." Read more.
Keysight Technologies Donates Spectrum Analysis Software to ARRL Lab
Keysight Technologies (formerly Agilent) has donated software that
will augment the feature set of the ARRL Laboratory's MXA-9020A
spectrum analyzer. The donation includes 89600 VSA vector signal
analysis software. According to ARRL Lab Senior Test Engineer Bob
Allison, WB1GCM, 89600 VSA gives the MXA-9020A the ability to measure
the parameters of digital signals. Keysight also contributed its
BenchVue software, which can control the instrument and capture data
and images without requiring programming.
"With the help of Keysight and ARRL Laboratory technical advisors, the
ARRL Laboratory will be able to develop test methods to better
quantify the performance of digital Amateur Radio transceivers,"
Allison said.
Keysight 89600 VSA screen shot on th$29.95) from the ARRL Store or from your
ARRL Publication Dealer, or call 860-594-0355 (toll free in the US,
888-277-5289) to order.
Ad
Kids Day is Sunday, June 21!
Kids Day is Sunday, June 21! (Don't be fooled -- the incorrect date
appears in the "ARRL Amateur Radio Calendar.") Sponsored by the ARRL
and The Boring (Oregon) Amateur Radio Club, Kids Day is a fantastic
way to introduce young people to the magic of Amateur Radio by getting
them on the air! This time, Kids Day just happens to share the same
date as Father's Day. Participating with your child or grandchild
would be a fabulous way to celebrate the special bond between
generations. But no matter if you're a mom, dad, grandparent, aunt,
uncle, family friend, or neighbor, Kids Day is a great opportunity to
open the doors of your station and let the youngsters take the "Big
Chair." Let them find stations they hear or work on a map, color in a
map of states worked, or help them to build something.
Epiphany Ellis with coach Carl, KH7BB, during the January 2014 Kids
Day at KH6LC.
Kids Day takes place in January and June of each year, offering an
opportunity for veteran hams to promote Amateur Radio to our youth.
"For youngsters, their positive ham radio experience may foster an
interest in getting licensed one day; they represent the future of
Amateur Radio," said ARRL Contest Branch Manager Matt Wilhelm, W1MSW.
"For veteran radio amateurs, this is an ideal chance to share your
station and affection for Amateur Radio with the next generation."
To attract attention, call "CQ Kids Day." The suggested exchange is
name, age, location, and favorite color. There is no limit on
operating time, and stations may work each other more than once if the
operator has changed. Repeater contacts (with permission of the
repeater's sponsor) are okay too, and satellite contacts may provide a
real thrill.
All participants are encouraged to post stories and photos to the Kids
Day Soapbox page and are eligible to receive a colorful certificate.
You can download the free certificate, customized with the youngsters'
names, after filling out the Kids Day Survey found on the same page as
the certificate generator. Alternatively, you can send a 9 × 12 SASE
to Kids Day Certificate Request, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT
06111.
Note that while the June 2015 Kids Day is on a Sunday, the event will
return to Saturday in June 2016.
Kids Day 2015 Details
Date: Sunday, June 21, 1800-2359 UTC. Operate as much or as little as
you like.
Suggested exchange: Call "CQ Kids Day." Exchange name, age, location,
and favorite color. It's okay to work the same station again, if an
operator has changed.
Suggested frequencies: 28.350 to 28.400 MHz; 24.960 to 24.980 MHz;
21.360 to 21.400 MHz; 18.140 to 18.145 MHz; 14.270 to 14.300 MHz;
7.270 to 7.290 MHz, and 3.740 to 3.940 MHz, as well 2 meter repeaters
(with the permission of the repeater's sponsor).
Control operators: Observe third-party rules when making contactI, and the entire amateur satellite
community, hope for successful missions for both NO-83 and NO-84 and
congratulate you and the rest of the Naval Academy team who designed,
built and tested these two OSCAR spacecraft."
The two satellites were among several that were launched on May 20
from Cape Canaveral.
PSAT (NO-84) is a student satellite project, named in honor of USNA
alumnus Bradford Parkinson of GPS fame. Its payloads include an APRS
transponder for relaying remote telemetry, sensor, and user data from
remote users and Amateur Radio environmental experiments or other data
sources back to Amateur Radio experimenters via a global network of
Internet-linked ground stations.
PSAT's digipeating capabilities are essentially the same as PCSat
(NO-44) and the Amateur Radio packet system on the International Space
Station. PSAT is on 145.825 MHz (1200 baud APRS), and BRICsat is on
437.975 (1200/9600 baud AX.25).
BRICsat-P (NO-83) -- the Ballistic Reinforced Communication Satellite
-- is a low-cost 1.5 U CubeSat built in the US Naval Academy Satellite
Lab in collaboration with George Washington University. It was
designed to demonstrate on-orbit operation of a micro-cathode arc
thruster (µCAT) electric propulsion system and carries an Amateur
communication payload.
PSAT and BRICsat also carry 300 mW Brno University PSK31 transponders
-- 28.120 MHz up/435.350 MHz (FM) down. The PSK31 transponder, PSAT's
primary mission, permits dozens of simultaneous users to operate full
duplex and maintain a continuous group dialogue throughout a pass.
Hall of Fame Contester, USC Patron Gordon MXCC DX Convention and Banquet Set for September: The 63rd annual
W9DXCC DX Convention and Banquet will take place September 11-12 in
Schaumburg, Illinois. That's a week earlier than usual, because of
hotel availability. Sponsored by the Northern Illinois DX Association
(NIDXA), the event is an ARRL-approved operating specialty convention.
One new addition this year is a Contest University (CTU) program that
will join the DX University (DXU) on Friday. Saturday will feature a
full program of speakers, exhibits, QSL card checking, a CW pileup
contest, and door prizes. Retired FCC Special Counsel for Enforcement
Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, will be the banquet keynote speaker. Visit
the W9DXCC website to register. Early registration ends August 1, and
banquet orders are due by September 4. For more information, contact
John McCormick, N0FCD.
Free Morse Mouse App an Educational Tool for Newcomers: Chelmsford,
England, radio amateur Charlie, M0PZT, has released Morse Mouse, an
free app he developed to demonstrate Morse code to young people in the
form of a game. He said the program, which runs in Windows, is aimed
at aiding in the teaching of Morse code to youngsters -- and the young
at heart. In the game, the player has 5 to 10 seconds to type the
letter being sent in Morse. The program offers three "lives" to guess
correctly, and the letter is sent again if the player is incorrect.
with a repeat sending of the character if guessed incorrectly. The
object is to get the mouse closer to the cheese, which happens with
each correct response. If the player is wrong, the mouse moves away
from the cheese. The quicker the player is at correctly identifying
what has been send, the higher the final score. While he makes a crib
sheet available, "that's not to say that those comfortable with 15-20
WPM speeds won't get some fun out of this," he said. Morse Mouse
debuted in March as part of British Science Week. It certainly
unleashed visitors' competitive streaks, with people trying to better
their scores," he said, adding that some visitors expressed surprise
that Morse code is still used.
Veteran National Hurricane Center Amateur Radio Volunteer Joe Schmidt,
W4NKJ: Joe Schmidt, W4NKJ, died March 24, following an injury and
complications during surgery. In the 1980s Schmidt was one of the
first Amateur Radio volunteers at W4EHW, which later became WX4NHC.
"His dedication to our mission at NHC as well as volunteerism with the
March of Dimes are examples of a true gentleman and a humanitarian,"
said NHC Assistant Amateur Radio Coordinator Julio Ripoll, WD4R. "He
was also an incredible salesman, convincing over 30 manufacturers to
donate radio equipment and antennas to WX4NHC, much of which is still
in use today." Schmidt served as volunteer coordinator at the NHC.
The K7RA Solar Update
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Solar activity strengthened during
the past week. Average daily sunspot numbers increased from 34.3 to
112.4, and average daily solar flux rose from 97.8 to 131.4. We can
only guess at the middle latitude A index for June 10-11, due to some
sort of outage that deprives us of K index data over a 27-hour period.
The outage began sometime after 1200 UTC on June 9 and ended sometime
before 1800 UTC on June 10.
June 8 was the day with the greatest geomagnetic upset, when the
planetary A index rose to 33.
Predicted planetary A index for the near term is 8, 20, and 14 on June
11-13, then 15, 10, and 8 on June 14-16, then 5 on June 17 through
July 3. We'll then see another active period for July 4-9, when the
predicted A index is 8, 20, 28, 20, 10, and 8.
At 0202 UTC on June 10 the Australian Space Forecast Centre predicted
increased geomagnetic activity on June 12, due to a coronal mass
ejection. The Centre issued a second warning at 0336 UTC, predicting a
glancing blow at Earth early in the UTC day on June 12.
Predicted solar flux for the near term is 135 on June 11-13, then 130,
125, 120, and 115 on June 14-17, 120 on June 18-26, 115 on June 27,
and 120 for June 28-29. The forecast then shows solar flux rising to
145 for July 5-7.
In Friday's bulletin look for reports from readers, and an updated
forecast. Send me your reports and observations.
Just Ahead in Radiosport
June 12 -- NCCC RTTY Sprint
June 12 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder (CW)
June 12 -- HA3NS Sprint Memorial Contest (CW)
June 13 -- Asia-Pacific Sprint (SSB)
June 13-14 -- DRCG WW RTTY Contest
June 13-14 -- Portugal Day Contest (CW, SSB)
June 13-14 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon (CW)
June 13-14 -- GACW WWSA CW DX Contest
June 13-14 -- QRP ARCI QRP Shootout (CW, SSB)
June 13-14 -- REF DDFM 6 Meter Contest
June 13-15 -- ARRL June VHF Contest
June 17-18 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test
June 18 -- RSGB 80 Meter Club Championship (SSB)
See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information.
Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events
June 12-13 -- West Gulf Division Convention (Ham-Com), Irving, Texas
June 13 -- Tennessee State Convention, Knoxville, Tennessee
July 4 -- Eastern Pennsylvania Section Convention, Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania
July 10-11 -- Northern Florida Section Convention, Milton, Florida
July 13-16 -- Mobile Amateur Radio Awards Club Convention, The
Villages, Florida
July 17-19 -- Montana State Convention, East Glacier, Montana
July 23-26 -- Central States VHF Society Conference, Westminster,
Colorado
July 24-25 -- Oklahoma Section Convention, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
July 31-August 2 -- Rocky Mountain Division Convention, Bryce Canyon,
Utah
August 1 -- Great Lakes Division Convention, Columbus, Ohio
August 7-8 -- South Texas Section Convention, Austin, Texas
August 7-9 -- New Mexico State Convention, Albuquerque, New Mexico
August 7-9 -- Pacific Northwest DX Convention, Everett, Washington
August 15-16 -- Alabama State Convention, Huntsville, Alabama
August 16 -- Kansas State Convention, Salina, Kansas
August 21-23 -- New England Division Convention, Boxborough,
Massachusetts
August 22 -- West Virginia State Convention, Weston, West Virginia
August 30 -- Western Pennsylvania Section Convention, New Kensington,
Pennsylvania
Find conventions and hamfests in your area.
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