| |
N9PMO > LETTER 31.05.15 21:54l 585 Lines 27250 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : ARRL3323
Read: GUEST
Subj: ARRL3323 ARRL Letter
Path: IW8PGT<IZ3LSV<IW2OHX<IQ2LB<IK1NHL<CX2SA<N9PMO
Sent: 150531/1943Z 15566@N9PMO.#SEWI.WI.USA.NOAM BPQK1.4.63
FCC Eliminating Vanity Call Sign Fee
Amateur Radio Volunteers Muster for "Unprecedented" Weather Event
Nepal Now Has a Second Repeater in Operation
China Set to Launch Several Amateur Radio Satellites This Summer
ARRL Recognizing "Amateur Radio Service to Scouting Award" Winners
with Certificate
Got Grids? June VHF Contest is Just Ahead
QST Centennial Photo Contest Entry Window Open Until August 1
Fourteen US Schools/Groups on List to Host Ham Contacts with Space
Station
USNA APRS/PSK31 CubeSats Up and Running
Nick Lance, KC5KBO, SK -- Prepared Astronauts to Become Radio Amateurs
In Brief...
Getting It Right!
The K7RA Solar Update
Just Ahead in Radiosport
Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions and Events
FCC Eliminating Vanity Call Sign Fee
The FCC is dropping the regulatory fee to apply for an Amateur Radio
vanity call sign. The change will not go into effect, however, until
required congressional notice has been given. This will take at least
90 days. As the Commission explained in a Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking, Report and Order, and Order (MD Docket 14-92 and others),
released May 21, it's a matter of simple economics.
"The Commission spends more resources on processing the regulatory
fees and issuing refunds than the amount of the regulatory fee
payment," the FCC said. "As our costs now exceed the regulatory fee,
we are eliminating this regulatory fee category." The current vanity
call sign regulatory fee is $21.40, the highest in several years. The
FCC reported there were 11,500 "payment units" in FY 2014 and
estimated that it would collect nearly $246,100.
In its 2014 Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) regarding the
assessment and collection of regulatory fees for FY 2014, the FCC had
sought comment on eliminating several smaller regulatory fee
categories, such as those for vanity call signs and GMRS. It concluded
in the subsequent Report and Order (R&O) last summer, however, that it
did not have "adequate support to determine whether the cost of
recovery and burden on small entities outweighed the collected revenue
or whether eliminating the fee would adversely affect the licensing
process."
The FCC said it has since had an opportunity to obtain and analyze
support concerning the collection of the regulatory fees for Amateur
Vanity and GMRS, which the FCC said comprise, on average, more than
20,000 licenses that are newly obtained or renewed, every 10 and 5
years, respectively.
"The Commission often receives multiple applications for the same
vanity call sign, but only one applicant can be issued that call
sign," the FCC explained. "In such cases, the Commission issues
refunds for all the remaining applicants. In addition to staff and
computer time to process payments and issue refunds, there is an
additional expense to issue checks for the applicants who cannot be
refunded electronically."
The Commission said that after it provides the required congressional
notification, Amateur Radio vanity program applicants "will no longer
be financially burdened with such payments, and the Commission will no
longer incur these administrative costs that exceed the fee payments.
The revenue that the Commission would otherwise collect from these
regulatory fee categories will be proportionally assessed on other
wireless fee categories."
The FCC said it would not issue refunds to licensees who paid the
regulatory fee prior to its elimination.
Amateur Radio Volunteers Muster for "Unprecedented" Weather Event
When extremely heavy rainfall hit Texas and Oklahoma over the Memorial
Day holiday weekend, Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and
SKYWARN volunteers scrambled to assist local emergency operations
centers and National Weather Service (NWS) offices. Severe weather has
continued into this week.
"This has probably been the most significant weather event to hit
Texas," ARRL South Texas Section Manager Lee Cooper, W5LHC, said. "We
have had major tropical storms and hurricane events, but the
widespread combination of heavy rains, tornadoes, and flooding all at
same time and covering two-thirds of the state is pretty much
unprecedented for us."
A May 27 GOES satellite image showing the concentration of water vapor
over the flood-affected region. [NOAA image]
Oklahoma Section Emergency Coordinator Mark Conklin, N7XYO, said
communication systems in his state have, for the most part, remained
unaffected by the flooding. "[There have been] no deployments or
activations by any ARES-OK groups," Conklin told ARRL. "All of the
American Red Cross shelters are able to communicate via cell phone or
normal land lines."
Conklin said that ARES members in Leflore, Cherokee, Okmulgee, Tulsa,
and several other Oklahoma counties have been busy on SKYWARN nets.
"Members that also support local emergency management agencies have
been busy passing information about storm damage and area flooding,"
he added.
The fierce, torrential rainstorms were in stark contrast to the severe
drought the region had experienced in recent years. The floods they
generated over the weekend struck with what Texas Gov Greg Abbott
called "tsunami-type power." The extreme flooding stranded hundreds
and has resulted in several deaths. Abbott has declared a state of
emergency in Texas and designated some three dozen counties as
disaster areas.
The NWS-Houston Office posted a rare "flash flood emergency" warning,
as the rainfall inundated highways, washing away or stranding
countless vehicles. On May 24, the NWS confirmed than an EF1 tornado
had touched down briefly in southwest Houston. At the peak of the
rainfall on May 25, Houston was reported to have received nearly 1
foot of rain in less than 24 hours, comparable to the rainfall that
might accompany a tropical storm or hurricane.
Earlier in the holiday weekend, nearly the entire state of Texas was
under a flash flood watch on May 23. In Wimberly, Texas, a woman
called her sister to report that her family's house was "floating down
the river." The home's occupants are listed as missing. According to
media accounts, water levels in Wimberly rose nearly 40 feet in a
matter of hours. Read more.
Nepal Now Has a Second Repeater in Operation
A VHF repeater that had been held up in customs in Nepal during the
response to the April 25 magnitude 7.8 earthquake has been installed
at Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu. The new system will be put to
use during the current earthquake recovery effort and will be
available for any future emergencies. Initially disrupted by a
magnitude 7.3 aftershock earlier this month, the installation was
completed on May 20. It is Nepal's first VHF repeater (145.81
in/145.21 out with 100 Hz tone). The country's only other repeater is
a dual-band (VHF/UHF) machine. Ojha said the repeater, installed by
Sanjeeb Panday, 9N1SP, and his students at Tribhuvan University, has
been tested successfully from multiple locations in Nepal's capital
city.
Sanjeeb Panday, 9N1SP, helps to install Nepal's new repeater at
Tribhuvan University.
"Even though they had to struggle through a challenging customs
process, even though they were interrupted in their efforts by the
second massive quake, they persevered and got the repeater functional
during a time of a great humanitarian crisis," Suresh Ojha, W6KTM, the
Computer Association of Nepal-USA (CAN-USA)/Radio Mala Disaster
Preparedness Committee chairman told ARRL. "The Nepali people now have
two repeaters to service Kathmandu, both of them donated by CAN-USA."
The first repeater was installed a couple of years ago at the National
Society for Earthquake Technology (NSET) headquarters in Kathmandu.
That repeater has been in regular use since the April 25 earthquake,
Ojha said, "so the addition of this new repeater will provide much
needed additional capacity as recovery efforts continue." Read more.
Ad
China Set to Launch Several Amateur Radio Satellites This Summer
CAMSAT has announced that the CAS-3 amateur satellite system is
nearing completion, and six Chinese amateur satellites will be
launched in mid-July.
"All six satellites are equipped with substantially the same Amateur
Radio payloads, a U/V mode linear transponder, a CW telemetry beacon,
and an AX.25 19.2k/9.6k baud GMSK telemetry downlink," the CAMSAT
announcement said. CAMSAT said that each Amateur Radio complement has
the same technical characteristics, but will operate on different 70
centimeter uplink and 2 meter downlink frequencies.
CAMSAT said it has worked closely with DFH Satellite Co Ltd, a Chinese
government aerospace contractor, to complete the project. "All the
satellites are currently conducting final testing and inspection,"
CAMSAT added. Four of the satellites are described as
"microsatellites," while three are listed as CubeSats.
CAMSAT said a Long March-6 rocket will carry the satellites into
orbit. The launch will take place at Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center.
CAS-3A will have sun-synchronous orbits of about 450 km, while the
other satellites have sun-synchronous orbits of about 530 km.
A depiction of the CAS-3A satellite. [Courtesy of CAMSAT]
"The launch will carry total of 20 satellites," CAMSAT said. "Three
other satellites named as CAS-3G, CAS-3H, and CAS-3I, involved in
Amateur Radio from other agencies of China, will share the same
launch."
CAMSAT said it was assisting the Chinese government with frequency
allocation and coordination and would announce additional details.
Meanwhile, AMSAT News Service has reported via Mineo Wakita, JE9PEL,
that Beijing will be launching other satellites carrying Amateur Radio
payloads in July. According to AMSAT-UK, the CAS-2A1 and CAS-2A2
satellites will be combined into a binary star system for Amateur
Radio communication and education. "There will be a radio link between
the two satellites when the satellites are in suitable positions in
their orbits, so that Amateur Radio communication coverage can be
extended," AMSAT-UK reported on its website. Read more. -- Thanks to
CAMSAT, AMSAT News Service, Mineo Wakita, JE9PEL, and AMSAT-UK
ARRL Recognizing "Amateur Radio Service to Scouting Award" Winners
with Certificate
The League now awards its "Amateur Radio Service to Scouting Award"
certificate to recognize active Scouting leaders who make significant
contributions to providing Scouts with a memorable and valuable
Amateur Radio experience. Several of the awards already have been
presented. Last year, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) included the
ARRL award within its family of 19 Community Organization Award
partners. Uniformed Scouters who have been recognized for their
service to Scouting youth in the community may wear the BSA square
knot insignia.
The Amateur Radio Service to Scouting Award was officially established
through a resolution that the ARRL Board adopted at its 2013 Annual
Meeting. It builds on the long relationship between the BSA and ARRL
that began with the development of the Wireless Merit Badge in 1918 --
now the Radio Merit Badge. This relationship was formally recognized
through a 2011 Memorandum of Understanding (view a video of the
signing). The League's award recognizes radio amateurs who, as
registered Scouting leaders, make a significant contribution to give
Scouts a memorable experience with Amateur Radio.
Nominations for the Amateur Radio Service to Scouting Award are made
through the appropriate ARRL Section Manager, and should be sent to
Steve Ewald, WV1X, at ARRL headquarters. Read more.
Got Grids? June VHF Contest is Just Ahead
Summer is nearly here, and that means it's time for the ARRL June VHF
contest, June 13-15! Participants in the US and Canada (and their
possessions) work stations in as many different 2 × 1° Maidenhead grid
squares as possible, using the bands above 50 MHz. Stations outside
the US and Canada may only work stations in the US and Canada (and
their possessions). Stations in KH0-9, KL7, KP1-KP5, CY9, and CY0
count as W/VE stations and may be worked by DX stations for contest
credit.
The June VHF Contest occurs at the start of the summer sporadic E
season, and intense openings on 6 meters and even 2 meters are
possible. It's a whole new world of propagation possibilities that
also include tropospheric ducting, aurora, and even meteor scatter and
moonbounce. With many HF transceivers on the market equipped for 6
meters and sometimes for other VHF/UHF bands, getting on the air for
this event is easier than ever.
For the 2014 ARRL June VHF Contest, Bruce Kripton, KG6IYN, set up this
Single Operator, three-band station on Los Pinos Mountain in grid
DM12. He won 1st place in the ARRL Southwest Division in his category.
[Bruce Kripton, KG6IYN photo]
Several entry categories are available, including portable -- for
those who enjoy operating low power from a portable power source and
using portable antennas, and rover -- for mobile operators who enjoy
traveling from one grid square to another to hand out contacts.
There's even an FM-only category (50, 144, 222, and 446 MHz at power
of 100 W or less).
In January 2015, the ARRL Board approved some rule modifications for
General Rules For ARRL Contests Above 50 MHz, and these changes become
effective with the 2015 June VHF contest. Assistance is now allowed
for all entry categories. This includes the use of assistance to
announce your availability for contacts (ie, self-spotting.) The new
rules allowing assistance eliminate the need for the Single Operator
Unlimited categories, and these have been removed. A FAQ on the June
VHF web page may help answer your questions about the recent rule
changes.
The ARRL June VHF Contest begins at 1800 UTC on Saturday, June 13, and
continues through 0259 UTC on Monday, June 15. Read more.
Ad
QST Centennial Photo Contest Entry Window Open Until August 1
The window to submit photos for the QST Centennial Photo Contest
closes on August 1. The competition is part of the 100th anniversary
of QST, the ARRL's membership journal. The first issue of QST was
published in December 1915.
Until August 1, 2015, ARRL members can submit photos for consideration
as possible 2015 QST covers. In addition to having their photos grace
QST covers, each winner will receive $250.
Contest Rules
Images must be submitted by e-mail to upfront@arrl.org. Only one image
can be submitted per e-mail message. You can submit multiple images
during the contest period, but you can win only once.
Images must be in JPG or TIF format at high resolution (but not to
exceed 5 MB).
ZIP files and links to file-download sites will be rejected by the
Headquarters e-mail system.
Each e-mail should describe the scenes shown, including names and call
signs of any individuals shown.
Images must not include any text overlays, such as date or time
stamps.
Each submission e-mail must include the name and call sign of the
photographer. Photographers must be ARRL members.
If a photo includes anyone under the age of 18, you must submit proof
(in writing, such as an e-mail) that the minor's parents have granted
permission for the image to be published.
Photographers retain all copyrights. However, by submitting the image
to the ARRL, the photographer grants the ARRL non-exclusive rights to
the use of the image for any lawful purpose in any media now existing
or yet to be invented. This applies to both winning and non-winning
images.
The QST Editorial Staff will select the winning images.
Fourteen US Schools/Groups on List to Host Ham Contacts with Space
Station
Fourteen of the schools and organizations that submitted proposals to
host Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contacts
are moving into the final stage of the selection process. Schools or
organizations ultimately selected would host scheduled Amateur Radio
contacts with an ISS crew member during the first half of 2016.
"This is a significant step in ARISS's continuing effort to engage
young people in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)
activities and raise their awareness of space exploration, space
communications, and related areas of study and career possibilities,"
said ARRL Education Services Manager Debra Johnson, K1DMJ.
AMSAT and ARRL -- the ARISS US managing partners -- announced the
semifinalists on May 28. They now must complete acceptable equipment
plans that demonstrate their ability to execute the ham radio
contacts. Once the ARISS technical team approves an equipment plan,
ARISS and NASA will work with the school or organization to schedule a
contact, based on the host's availability and flexibility to take
advantage of the available opportunities.
The schools and organizations are:
All Saints STEAM Academy, Middletown, Rhode Island
Atlanta Science Festival, Atlanta, Georgia
Booker T. Washington Senior High, Miami, Florida
Christ the King School, Rutland, Vermont
Cradle of Aviation Museum and Education Center, Garden City, New York
Frederick W. Hartnett Middle School, Blackstone, Massachusetts
National Soaring Museum, Elmira, New York
National Urban Alliance for Effective Education, Syosset, New York
North Dakota Space Grant Consortium, Grand Forks, North Dakota
Science Museum of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia
STEM Trajectory Initiative with Albuquerque Public Schools,
Albuquerque New Mexico
Stephen F. Austin Elementary School, Jones Creek, Texas
University of Alabama in Huntsville Space Hardware Club, Huntsville,
Alabama
Walter Jackson Elementary, Decatur, Alabama
No school or organization in North Dakota, Rhode Island, or Vermont
has ever hosted an ARISS contact. Read more.
USNA APRS/PSK31 CubeSats Up and Running
The APRS/PSK31-equipped US Naval Academy satellites appear to be
operating, with one exception, following their May 20 launch. Included
in the launch was a pair of 1.5U CubeSats -- the PSAT APRS/PSK31
satellite and BRICsat, a propulsion/PSK31 satellite -- as well as a 3U
CubeSat, USS Langley (Unix Space Server Langley), and The Planetary
Society's LightSail-1.
PSAT, a USNA student project named in honor of USNA alum Bradford
Parkinson, of GPS fame, contains 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.
Brno University transponders on PSAT and BRICsat support multi-user
PSK31 text messaging (28.120 MHz uplink/435.350 MHz FM downlink). The
BRICsat and PSAT PSK31 transponders operate on the same frequency,
although one has PSK telemetry on 315 Hz, the other on 375 Hz.
Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, said the PSAT telemetry on 145.825 MHz (1200
baud AX.25) is working okay, and the APRS downlink page has been
capturing PSAT telemetry.
Bruninga said BRICsat's telemetry has been heard, but has been cycling
off, due to low power. He said the BRICsat PSK31 downlink has been
copied too, but only barely. "BRICsat seems to have some kind of
problem," he told ARRL. The USS Langley spacecraft has not been heard
yet, he said.
The LightSail-1 packet 9600 baud (FSK) AX.25 downlink is on 437.435
MHz. The Planetary Society's Jason Davis is asking radio amateurs to
e-mail him any data they collect from LightSail, including any
screenshots.
Bruninga has invited APRS radio amateurs to tune into the packet
downlinks and to upload IGate packets into the global APRS-IS system
and also to try out the "exciting, new full-duplex PSK31 way of
multi-user communication." He notes that the UHF downlink signal is
only 300 mW, and a beam antenna would be required to hear the signal.
Bruninga advised that those transmitting to the satellites use nothing
more than a dipole or quarter-wave vertical, and no more than 25 W
output power. Read more.
Ad
Nick Lance, KC5KBO, SK -- Prepared Astronauts to Become Radio Amateurs
Nick Lance Jr, KC5KBO, of Houston, Texas, died May 24. He was 65. A
retired NASA engineer and an ARRL member, Lance was a veteran member
of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) team,
and one of his roles was to prepare the astronauts to pass their
Amateur Radio license exams. Lance was named ARRL Professional
Educator of the Year in 2003. ARISS International Chairman Frank
Bauer, KA3HDO, called Lance "a smart, caring, considerate, and helpful
person" who loved Amateur Radio. Bauer said he would miss Lance's
quick wit and sense of humor.
Nick Lance, KC5KBO.
"As the primary Amateur Radio license trainer for the ISS astronauts,
Nick played an integral role in encouraging and training countless
astronauts -- US, Canada, Japan, and Europe -- to pursue their Amateur
Radio licenses and become active on ARISS," said Bauer. "He inspired
and trained dozens of NASA aerospace education specialists -- who talk
to schoolteachers nationwide -- to get their ham tickets. He also
taught a 'Hamster' course to middle schoolers, inspiring them to
pursue careers in technology through Amateur Radio and ARISS
activities."
Lance grew up in New Jersey and held mechanical engineering degrees
from the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of
Houston. He began his career as a co-op student at NASA's Johnson
Space Center in 1968. He went on to become part of the Apollo Program,
which landed the first humans on the moon, and was involved in all of
the manned spaceflight programs since Apollo. He retired in August
2009.
Although he became interested in Amateur Radio as a youngster, it
wasn't until his 8-year-old daughter Erica said she'd like to study
for a ham radio license that he got his ticket. Father and daughter
passed their license exams together in 1994, becoming KC5KBO and
KC5KBP, respectively. A couple of years later, his son Nick, now
KC5SWM, earned his license at age 7; his wife Renee, now KC5VMA,
followed that same year.
Lance was a member of the JSC Amateur Radio Club and past president of
the Clear Lake Amateur Radio Club (CLARC). He also taught licensing
classes to the public and to intermediate school students, licensing
about 30 or 40 students per year. Read more.
In Brief...
ARRL Insurance Plan Administrator Changes: The ARRL-sponsored
equipment and club liability insurance plans have a new administrator
as of May 26. All program administration, including policy
application, issuance and claims administration, is now being handled
by Risk Strategies, a privately held, national insurance brokerage.
The ARRL programs will be administered from the Risk Strategies office
in Chicago, Illinois. This move was based on the results of numerous
comments from ARRL members relative to the former administrator, Hays
Affinity Group. Plan participants will retain their current insurance
policies, and the details of the coverage and the cost of coverage
will remain unchanged, as will the insurance company, Hanover
Insurance Company. All current participants in the programs will
receive an e-mail describing the changes and what, if anything, they
need to do to access their online information. The web address for the
programs will be the same, www.arrlinsurance.com, but the site will
take on a new look with improved functionality. The toll-free numbers
to contact the new administrator also remain unchanged. There will be
a short delay in bringing up the new site once the programs have been
transferred, and we appreciate your patience while Risk Strategies
makes the programs operational.
Hurricane Watch Net Sets On-Air Anniversary Celebration: The Hurricane
Watch Net (HWN) will hold a 2-day, on-air special event on June 13-14
to celebrate its 50th anniversary. HWN members will be using the call
sign WX5HWN, operating on 14.325 MHz but with stations active on or
near 7.268 MHz as well. "Our net control stations located around the
continental US, eastern Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Honduras
will all use WX5HWN as we pass the virtual baton from member to
member," explained HWN Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV. This will mark
HWN's first on-air activity using WX5HWN. Electronic certificates are
available by request (by June 30) for valid contacts. Visit the HWN
website for more information. -- Thanks to HWN Manager Bobby Graves,
KB5HAV
Updated Amateur Radio Emergency Service Manual Now Online The latest
edition (March 2015) of the Amateur Radio Emergency ServiceŽ (ARES)
Manual now is online. This edition includes various Incident Command
System (ICS) forms for ARES use, clarifies the role of the Radio
Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES), contains an improved chapter
on ARES training, and includes all current ARRL memoranda of
understanding/agreement. ARES consists of Amateur Radio licensees who
have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment for
communication duty in the public service, when disaster strikes. Every
licensed amateur, regardless of ARRL membership, is eligible to apply
for ARES membership.
Hams Invited to Test APRS on Duchifat-1 CubeSat: The Herzliya Science
Center is inviting stations with the ability to send compressed APRS
packets to take part in testing the Duchifat-1 CubeSat, launched
almost 1 year ago by high school students in Israel. The satellite
will collect packets worldwide and downlink them from time to time
over the Herzliya Science Center's ground station. Participants must
register in advance to have their packets identified on the map.
Received packets will be displayed on a map on the Science Center's
website, and QSL cards will be sent via the bureau. The uplink is
435.220 MHz, the downlink is 145.980 MHz. The satellite's call sign is
4X4HSL.
Getting It Right!
FlexRadio's Gerald Youngblood, K5SDR, with the Maestro.
Our apologies to FlexRadio for including the incorrect manufacturer in
the caption of a photo of FlexRadio's new Maestro console, which
appeared in the May 21 edition of The ARRL Letter.
The K7RA Solar Update
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: This week the average daily sunspot
number dropped 36 points to 56.1, and average daily solar flux was
down 25.7 points to 97.6. Geomagnetic numbers indicated more stability
than during the previous week (May 14-20), with the average daily
planetary A index declining from 10 to 4.4, and the mid-latitude A
index down from 9.7 to 5.
The latest forecast from NOAA/USAF has solar flux at 95 for May 28-29;
100, 120, and 130 for May 30-June 1; 140 for June 2-3; 125 for June
4-5; 120 on June 6; 115 for June 7-10; 110 and 105 for June 11-12; 100
for June 13-14; 95 on June 15; 90 for June 16-17; 95 for June 18-20;
100 for June 21-23, and 95, 90, 105, and 110 for June 24-27. Flux
values then peak at only 125 for July 1-2.
The planetarys, available every Friday.
Subscribe to...
NCJ -- National Contest Journal. Published bi-monthly, features
articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA
Sprint and QSO Parties.
QEX -- A Forum for Communications Experimenters. Published bi-monthly,
features technical articles, construction projects, columns, and other
items of interest to radio amateurs and communications professionals.
Free of charge to ARRL members...
Subscribe to the ARES E-Letter (monthly public service and emergency
communications news), the ARRL Contest Update (bi-weekly contest
newsletter), Division and Section news alerts -- and much more!
Read previous mail | Read next mail
| |
