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N9PMO > LETTER 10.09.15 20:43l 570 Lines 25888 Bytes #999 (0) @ ARRL
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ULS, Other FCC Systems, Come Back Online
Opponents' Representations of Parity Act's Purpose "Just Not True,"
ARRL President Says
Vintage Transmitter Sale Funds Opportunity for ARRL Teachers Institute
Participant
ARISS-International Delegates Meet in Tokyo
Jamboree On The Air 2015 Station Registration is Open
QCWA Recognizes 105-Year-Old Radio Amateur's 90 Years of Hamming
Arkansas Ham Tops His Own Satellite Contact Distance Record
Nominations Open for the George Hart Distinguished Service Award
In Brief...
The K7RA Solar Update
Just Ahead in Radiosport
Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events
ULS, Other FCC Systems, Come Back Online
Scheduled FCC computer system upgrades took a couple of days longer
than anticipated, but the Universal Licensing System (ULS) -- the
repository for Amateur Radio licensing data and portal for all
applications -- came back online early on September 10, along with FCC
e-mail and other systems that had been down for several days. The
Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) and the Electronic Document
Management System (EDOCS) returned to service on September 8. During
the outage, which began on September 2, it was not possible to file
any Amateur Radio applications, including examination session
documents, or conduct any license or application searches. Earlier
this week, ARRL VEC Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM, said a lot of
candidates and volunteer examiners had begun asking why new call signs
or license upgrades had not yet been issued.
"We have a huge backlog in our filing system that continues to grow!"
she said on September 8, the day the ULS was supposed to be back
online. "We already have approximately 75 examination sessions and
over 500 applications waiting to be released to FCC." Somma said she
first wanted to make sure the ULS electronic batch filing system was
working properly before attempting to file the backlog, which, she
added, could take a day or so to release.
The FCC's Chief Information Officer David A. Bray, said the computer
system work included physically moving more than 200 different legacy
servers from FCC headquarters to a commercial service provider. This
move -- a cost-saving measure, he explained -- ran into trouble when
it was determined that additional cabling was needed to complete the
transition. "Unfortunately, this delayed completion of all of the
system upgrades -- even with the FCC team working around the clock
throughout the holiday weekend," Bray explained earlier this week.
Bray said it took seven moving vans to contain the servers being
relocated. "With a massive server move of this scale -- even with
detailed planning, independent verification, and backup plans -- the
opportunity always exists for surprises, especially with legacy IT
systems, nearly 400 program applications, and hundreds of servers," he
pointed out.
The requirement to pay a regulatory fee for Amateur Radio vanity call
sign applications officially ended on September 3, but prospective
vanity applicants have had to wait until the ULS was up and running
again to file for an available call sign. The approximately 18-day
vanity call sign waiting period will remain in place "for now," the
FCC has told ARRL.
Opponents' Representations of Parity Act's Purpose "Just Not True,"
ARRL President Says
ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, has taken strong exception to
certain claims being made by community association organizations about
the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 -- H.R. 1301 and S. 1685. In an
interview with Ham Radio Now host Gary Pearce, KN4AQ, during the ARRL
Roanoke Division Convention in Shelby, North Carolina over Labor Day
weekend, President Craigie stressed that passage of the legislation is
critical to ensuring the future of Amateur Radio. And she described as
"false" recent assertions that the bills' passage would prevent
community associations from requiring prior approval for 70-foot ham
radio towers and from creating reasonable processes and aesthetic
guidelines.
ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, was interviewed by HamRadioNow
during Labor Day weekend.
"As bills go, it's pretty short, and it's in plain English," President
Craigie said. "The legislation does not say that, it does not mean
that. It's just not true!" She pointed to the League's recent "Clarity
on Amateur Radio Parity" posting, which attempts to separate fact from
fiction regarding the legislation. The "Clarity" document explains the
bill and "addresses some of these statements that have no resemblance
to anything that is factual in this or any other solar system," she
said.
"The only authority that [homeowners associations] would lose is the
ability to say, 'No, go away,'" said President Craigie. HOAs, she
explained, would at least have to negotiate "reasonable
accommodation," which would depend on the circumstances existing in a
given neighborhood.
She also said that the Parity Act does not represent any sort of
federal government or FCC takeover or preemption of HOAs. "It does not
take their authority to regulate away," she said. "It only takes away
their authority to say 'no.' There's a big difference."
ARRL Roanoke Division Director Dr Jim Boehner, N2ZZ.
"The legislation does not even come close to what they are saying,"
agreed ARRL Roanoke Division Director Dr Jim Boehner, N2ZZ, who was
interviewed with President Craigie at the Shelby Hamfest.
President Craigie said the proliferation of antenna-restricted
communities could dramatically affect the ability of young newcomers
to engage in and enjoy Amateur Radio. "A lot of people who are hams
today got started as young folks, and it led them into careers; it led
them into all kinds of interesting opportunities in their lives," she
told Pearce. If a young person's parents buy into a deed-restricted
neighborhood, however, any ham radio aspirations could be shut down,
she said.
"We need to make sure that whatever community their parents decide to
buy a house in, that [prospective newcomers] will be able to have some
kind of a functioning antenna," President Craigie said. "Otherwise,
our future has got a major crimp in it."
"The world will not come to an end if the HOAs actually have to sit
down and communicate with the radio amateurs who live there,"
President Craigie concluded.
Vintage Transmitter Sale Funds Opportunity for ARRL Teachers Institute
Participant
The sale of a vintage Collins transmitter has made it possible for a
Connecticut Amateur Radio club to fund a seat for a future ARRL
Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology participant. The
ARRL-affiliated Chippens Repeater Association/Bristol Radio Club
(CRA/BRC) donated the money it realized from the sale of the old
transmitter to cover the League's cost of providing the opportunity
for an educator at a Teachers Institute session. As part of its
educational outreach to schools through the Education & Technology
Program, each summer the League offers multiple expenses-paid Teachers
Institute sessions at locations throughout the US.
"We have decided to fund a seat in the Teachers Institute program,
since we believe that teachers bringing Amateur Radio and wireless
technology into their classrooms and exposing their students to STEM
lessons would be an excellent use of the money," CRA/BRC Treasurer
Bill Flaherty, W1GY, told ARRL Development Manager Lauren Clarke,
KB1YDD, in a letter accompanying the club's check for $2000. Clarke
said the League greatly appreciates the club members' thoughtful and
generous support.
"The Teachers Institute program, started by ARRL staff members and key
volunteers in 2000, has grown into one of ARRL's cornerstone
programs," said Clarke. "Applicants far exceed the number of available
spots every year. By sponsoring a 'seat' at a future Teachers
Institute, the CRA/BRC is giving a teacher a very special opportunity
to teach Amateur Radio and wireless technology and to engage students
in STEM-related lessons."
Flaherty said the club hoped the donation would "help inspire future
students to become radio amateurs." Read more.
ARISS-International Delegates Meet in Tokyo
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) International
delegates and representatives tackled a wide-ranging agenda when they
met in late August in Tokyo. The August 20-23 gathering was held in
conjunction with the Japan Amateur Radio League's 90th anniversary
celebration and the JARL Ham Fair. Those attending represented Canada,
Europe, Japan, Russia, and the US.
Keigo Komuro, JA1KAB, of ARISS-Japan and JARL delivered opening
remarks. ARRL First Vice President Rick Roderick, K5UR, who was in
Tokyo for the JARL Ham Fair, also spoke briefly to the gathering.
Kicking off the meeting was a presentation by Hideshi Kagawa of the
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on its initiatives to launch
and deploy small satellites and technology payloads using JAXA's
Epsilon launcher.
During the meeting, delegates voted to study the feasibility of
creating an interoperable radio system based on the Kenwood TM-D710
transceiver, which would be interchangeable between the Columbus and
Russian ISS modules. "Currently items are certified for one or the
other, but not both," explained NASA ARISS Technical Liaison Mark
Steiner, K3MS. "They also use two different voltages, 28 V dc in the
Russian segment and 120 V dc in the US segment. Future equipment will
be able to be used in either. This will significantly improve our
flexibility on orbit." Steiner added that the next set of equipment
being proposed for launch will follow this new requirement for
interoperability.
Delegates agreed to continue studying a proposal to use a so-called
"Astro Pi" unit -- a modified Raspberry Pi computer device -- to
generate a slide show of images for the Ham TV DATV system at times
when no camera is attached. An Astro Pi unit will accompany the UK's
first ESA astronaut, Tim Peake, KG5BVI, to the ISS in November.
(L-R) ARISS Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, ARRL First Vice President
Rick Roderick, K5UR, IARU President Tim Ellam, VE6SH/G4HUA, JARL
President Toshihiko Yamanouchi, JA7AIW, and JARL dignitaries cut the
ribbon to open the JARL Ham Fair, celebrating the JARL's 90th
anniversary.
A lot of discussion focused on fundraising and the formation of the
ARISS-International Sustainability and Funding Committee. Delegates
discussed funding projects and recommended yearly budgets. ARISS
Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, encouraged all ARISS regions to support
development of an international plan and strategy for funding and
resources.
Delegates also considered a revision of the organization's current
terms of reference, to better formalize and document team roles,
responsibilities, and processes, and address other recent changes
within the ARISS program.
ARISS-International delegates will meet next in Houston, Texas, in
November 2016, the 20th anniversary of the inaugural ARISS working
group meeting. Read more.
Jamboree On The Air 2015 Station Registration is Open
Worldwide station registration is open for the 2015 Boy Scouts
Jamboree On The Air/Jamboree On The Internet (JOTA/JOTI), which will
take place over the October 16-18 weekend. Registration requires a
scout.org username, which gives full access to the registration system
as well as to many of the JOTA/JOTI activities that will be under way
during the weekend. JOTA is aimed at fostering Scout-to-Scout
communication across borders and is the largest Scouting event in the
world, with upward of 750,000 Scouts participating from some 6000
stations in 150 countries. In the US 13,326 Scouts and visitors took
part in JOTA 2014.
Registration will also provide everything needed to take part in
JamPuz (short for "Jamboree Puzzle"), an identity code that JOTA-JOTI
participants exchange with one another. Required JID codes will be
issued later in September, and participation in JamPuz is optional.
The Boy Scouts encourage participating stations to submit JOTA reports
and photos following this fall's event. "We need your report to
demonstrate the success of JOTA to those in Scouting and Amateur
Radio," said Jim Wilson, K5ND, the national JOTA organizer. He has
asked stations to note down the number of Scouts participating,
Amateur Radio licensees, and radios on the air, as well as the total
number of contacts and states and countries contacted.
"We would also like to see your best photos and hear some stories
about your event," Wilson said. He advised local JOTA team organizers
to add these tasks to their JOTA "to-do" lists.
This is the 58th JOTA, held each year on the third weekend in October.
Read more.
QCWA Recognizes 105-Year-Old Radio Amateur's 90 Years of Hamming
The Quarter Century Wireless Association (QCWA) has honored
105-year-old Charlie Hellman, W2RP, of Hastings-on-Hudson, New York,
for his 90 years in Amateur Radio. The QCWA's announcement also served
to flush out another active ham who, while 1 year older than Hellman,
has not been licensed quite as long. On August 31, the QCWA presented
a "90 Year Continuous Licensed Certificate Award" (No 1) to Hellman,
whom the organization at the time called "the oldest living Amateur
Radio operator in the United States and possibly the world." Hellman
got his ham ticket in 1925, when he was 15 years old. He joined QCWA
in 1975 and is a member of QCWA Chapter 181 in New York's Hudson
Valley. He gets on the air regularly.
(Seated) Charlie Hellman, W2RP. (L-R, standing) Hellman's friend Don
Finkel, WA2OQM; QCWA Treasurer Charles Tropp, N2SO; and QCWA Directors
Pete Varounis, NL7XM, and Carole Perry, WB2MGP. [Mike Sturm, KA2E,
photo]
After QCWA posted its announcement on the QRZ.com news forum, however,
Marcel Stieber, AI6MS, chimed in to point out that Hellman is not the
oldest known ham. He said that Harry Wolf, W6NKT, of Morro Bay,
California, is 106, although licensed but since 1936.
QCWA Webmaster Bob Roske, N0UF, stepped forward to renew Wolf's lapsed
QCWA membership and noted that since Wolf had been licensed for more
than 75 years, QCWA would issue him a life membership. And now the
organization may recognize his longevity as well.
First licensed as W2AMK, Hellman was an educator. After working his
way through the City College of New York, he taught physics on the
secondary level. During World War II, the Department of War tapped
Hellman to write a textbook, Elements of Radio, for training radio
operators.
Two of Hellman's siblings also held ham tickets. His brother Robert,
now deceased, was W2JAN. His brother Benjamin, 96, is W2VB.
Harry Wolf, W6NKT, aged 106, has been a ham since 1936.
Also an educator, Wolf indicated on his QRZ.com profile that he once
taught electronics at the college level and, after retiring in 1973,
went to live in Hong Kong where he operated as VS6GF for 4 years
before returning to California. He said he's on the air every day,
mostly on 40 meter CW.
Hellman's certificate reads, "The Quarter Century Wireless Association
presents this 90th Anniversary Award to its Distinguished Member
Charles 'Charlie' Hellman, W2RP, to commemorate Ninety Years of
Service as a licensed Radio Amateur."
Hellman also received a congratulatory letter from QCWA President Ken
Oelke, VE6AFO. Read more. -- Thanks to QCWA, Pete Varounis, NL7XM, and
Charles Tropp, N2SO
Arkansas Ham Tops His Own Satellite Contact Distance Record
On September 5, Arkansas Amateur Radio satellite enthusiast Dave
Swanson, KG5CCI, topped the satellite contact distance record he had
set just a few days earlier. Operating from an old US Forest Service
fire tower atop Rich Mountain in extreme western Arkansas
(EM24uq01mu), Swanson worked Manuel "Dom" Ruiz, EA5TT, in Valencia,
Spain (IM99sl48cx), via the venerable Oscar 7 (AO-7) satellite,
operating in Mode B (U/V).
Arkansas satellite enthusiast Dave Swanson, KG5CCI, on Shinall
Mountain in Arkansas.
"[T]his equates to 7947.381 km (4927.3 miles), which we believe to be
a new record for AO-7 Mode B," Swanson said in a posting to the
AMSAT-BB. Unlike his FO-29 record-setting contact on August 27, the
contact between KG5CCI and EA5TT was scheduled in advance. Swanson
recorded the contact and posted it on YouTube.
On August 27, Swanson worked Christophe Lucas, F4CQA, in Trouy,
France, by responding to his CQ. Swanson was operating on Shinall
Mountain in Arkansas at the time. The two operators calculated that
their contact spanned 7599.959 km (4712 miles). That appeared to break
the previous distance records of 7537.799 km between W5CBF and G4DOL,
and 7538.685 km between K4FEG and DK1TB, set on FO-29.
AO-7, the oldest still-active satellite, was launched from Vandenberg
Air Force Base on November 15, 1974. It went silent in 1981 due to
battery failure, but it reactivated on June 21, 2002. AO-7 now will
only operate when it is in sunlight.
Nominations Open for the George Hart Distinguished Service Award
The ARRL is accepting nominations for the George Hart Distinguished
Service Award. The deadline to receive nominations and supporting
materials is November 1. The award honors longtime ARRL Communications
Manager George Hart, W1NJM (SK), the chief developer of the National
Traffic System (NTS). Hart died in 2013 at the age of 99.
George Hart, W1NJM, SK.
Established by the ARRL Board of Directors in 2009, the George Hart
Distinguished Service Award is given annually to an ARRL member for
exemplary service to the League's Field Organization. Selection
criteria include NTS operating record, Amateur Radio Emergency Service
(ARES) participation, or service to the ARRL Field Organization in
terms of appointments and/or leadership positions held.
Nominations should thoroughly document the nominee's lifetime
activities and achievements within the ARRL Field Organization.
Nominees are expected to have at least 15 years of distinguished
service.
The Programs and Services Committee will serve as the Review
Committee, and the ARRL Board of Directors will make the final
determination at its Annual Meeting in January.
Submit nominations and related supporting material and letters of
recommendation via e-mail or postal mail to ARRL Field Organization
Team Supervisor Steve Ewald, WV1X, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111.
In Brief...
ARRL Server Maintenance Will Put All Website Systems Offline: Some
ARRL servers will undergo routine maintenance from 0000 UTC until 0700
UTC on Sunday, September 13 (Saturday evening on September 12 into
Sunday morning on September 13 in US time zones). While the website
will remain accessible, all systems will be unavailable during this
outage. This includes Logbook of The World (LoTW), the ARRL Store, and
all ARRL e-mail, including the ARRL E-Mail Forwarding Service (<call
sign>@arrl.net addresses), and ARRL Headquarters e-mail. E-mail will
be queued for delivery after the system is back online. We regret any
inconvenience to our members and website visitors.
Mason P. Southworth, ex-W1VLH, SK; Headed ARRL IGY Propagation
Project: Former ARRL staffer Mason Southworth, ex-W1VLH, of Montara,
California, died August 28 from complications related to a traumatic
brain injury sustained 2 years ago. He was 81. A graduate of Trinity
College in Hartford and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, he began
work in 1956 at ARRL Headquarters, where he met his wife, Freddie.
While at ARRL, he was chosen to head the ARRL International
Geophysical Year (IGY) Propagation Research Project (PRP). Conducted
under a US Air Force contract, the PRP enlisted 600 Amateur Radio
operators from around the world to help improve the understanding of
VHF propagation. Data from the experiment, sorted and recorded on
300,000 computer punch cards, provided a global footprint of VHF
propagation phenomena. Southworth subsequently directed a PRP
follow-on project under O.G. Villard, W6QYT, at Stanford University,
researching transequatorial scatter propagation. He later returned to
the East Coast to join IBM, where he spent 25 years and became known
for his ability to make complex technological concepts accessible to
non-scientists. During his League tenure, Southworth authored numerous
articles on the PRP as well as on VHF-related topics, including
construction projects.
A Reminder -- The ARRL September VHF Contest Beckons! The ARRL
September VHF Contest gets under way on September 12 at 1800 UTC and
wraps up on September 14 at 0259 UTC. This operating event provides a
chance for radio amateurs at all levels to experience contesting on
the most popular VHF and UHF bands, as well as on those
less-frequented frequencies above 450 MHz.
The K7RA Solar Update
Tad Cook, K7RA, in Seattle, reports: The Australian Space Forecast
Centre issued a Geomagnetic Disturbance Warning at 0132 UTC on
September 8: "The effect of a high-speed solar wind stream from a
coronal hole is keeping geomagnetic activity enhanced."
The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) Daily Geomagnetic Data
show the resulting high numbers indicating geomagnetic instability. On
HF we might see higher absorption rates, but on VHF, we might see some
interesting propagation modes.
Note that there are no mid-latitude or high-latitude A index numbers
for September 8, 9, and 10. This is probably because geomagnetic
activity was strong enough to knock the respective magnetometers out
of service.
Frank Donovan, W3LPL, shared a link to the American Astronomical
Society Nova article, "Witnessing Solar Rejuvenation," which proposes
that Cycle 25 may be similar to Cycle 24.
Weak solar activity continues. The average daily sunspot number for
September 3-9 was only 37.3, down 11 points from the previous 7 days.
Average daily solar flux was 85.3, compared to 97 for the previous
week.
Geomagnetic activity was strong, with the average planetary A index up
from 19.4 to 27.1. The most active day was September 9, when the
planetary A index was 59.
The latest solar flux prediction from USAF/NOAA has readings of 85,
90, and 100 on September 10-12; 105 on September 13-14; 110 on
September 15-17; 115 on September 18-22; 110, 105, 100, and 95 on
September 23-26; 90 on September 27-October 1, and 85 on October 2-7.
Flux values then rise to 115 for October 15-19.
Predicted planetary A index is 28, 16, and 27 on September 10-12; 16,
10, and 8 on September 13-15; 5 on September 16-17; then 8, 20, and 10
on September 18-20; 5 on September 21-23; 15 and 10 on September
24-25; 5 on September 26-29; 8 and 18 on September 30-October 1; 12 on
October 2-4; 8 on October 5; 5 on October 6-7; 8, 12, and 8 on October
8-10, and 10 on October 11-13.
Sunspot numbers for September 3 through 9 were 27, 36, 24, 38, 47, 40,
and 49, with a mean of 37.3. The 10.7 cm flux was 86.5, 89.9, 85.4,
85.6, 83.7, 83.5, and 82.3, with a mean of 85.3. Estimated planetary A
indices were 9, 20, 13, 14, 46, 29, and 59, with a mean of 27.1.
Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 9, 18, 10, 12, 27, 24, and 31,
with a mean of 18.7 (the September 8 and 9 numbers are my own
estimates).
In Friday's bulletin we will look at a revised forecast. Send me your
reports and observations.
Just Ahead in Radiosport
September 11 -- NCCC RTTY Sprint Ladder
September 12 -- FOC QSO Party (CW)
September 12 -- WAE DX Contest (SSB)
September 12 -- Ohio State Parks on the Air (SSB)
September 12 -- Kulikovo Polye Contest (CW)
September 12-13 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon (CW)
September 12-13 -- Arkansas QSO Party (CW, SSB)
September 12-14 -- ARRL September VHF Contest
September 13 -- North American Sprint (CW)
September 16-17 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test
September 17 -- NAQCC CW Sprint
See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information.
Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events
September 11-12 -- W9DXCC Convention, Schaumburg, Illinois
September 11-13 -- Southwestern Division Convention, Torrance,
California
September 12 -- Virginia Section Convention, Virginia Beach, Virginia
September 19 -- San Joaquin Valley Section Convention, Fresno,
California
September 25-26 -- W4DXCC/SEDCO Convention, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
September 26 -- Iowa State Convention, Sergeant Bluff, Iowa
September 26 -- North Dakota State Convention, West Fargo, North
Dakota
September 26 -- Washington State Convention, Spokane Valley,
Washington
October 2-4 -- Mid-Atlantic States VHF Conference, Bensalem,
Pennsylvania
October 3 -- Delaware State Convention, Georgetown, Delaware
October 9-10 -- Florida State Convention, Melbourne, Florida
October 10-11 -- Pacific Northwest VHF Conference, Issaquah,
Washington
October 16-18 -- Microwave Update Convention, San Diego, California
October 16-18 -- Pacific Division Convention (Pacificon), San Ramon,
California
October 17 -- Wisconsin ARES/RACES Conference, Wisconsin Rapids,
Wisconsin
October 18 -- Connecticut State Convention, Meriden, Connecticut
October 23-24 -- Arizona State Convention, Kingman, Arizona
October 23-24 -- Oklahoma State Convention, Ardmore, Oklahoma
Find conventions and hamfests in your area.
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