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Ärende: The Weekly ARRL Letter
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The ARRL Letter
April 16, 2020
* Remotely ministered Amateur Exam Systems Showing Promise
* New Volunteer Monitor Program is Up and Running
* Greater LoTW Database Accuracy is the Goal of TQSL Update(s)
* ARRL Announces New Benefits for Members
* ARRL Podcasts Schedule
* The K7RA Solar Update
* Just Ahead in Radiosport
* ARRL Rookie Roundup SSB Edition Considers Social Distancing
* HAM RADIO in Friedrichshafen, Germany, Announces Cancellation of
2020 Show
* ARISS Altering its Approach in Light of COVID-19 Pandemic
* In Brief...
* Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
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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.
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Remotely ministered Amateur Exam Systems Showing Promise
Facing a growing demand for amateur radio exam sessions in a time of
social distancing and stay-at-home orders, sponsors of some Volunteer
Examiner (VE) teams have risen to the challenge and are developing
systems to remotely proctor test sessions.
"Many of our VEs and VE Teams have been working on remotely proctored
exam session ideas, employing both video and in-person components --
following social distancing protocols," ARRL Volunteer Examiner
Coordinator (VEC) Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM, said. "We have been
receiving interesting and innovative suggestions, and we appreciate the
dedication and ingenuity our examiners have shown."
The Spalding County Amateur Radio Club in Georgia is among those that
have come up with plans to remotely administer amateur exams while
complying with ARRL VEC testing standards during COVID-19 stay-home
mandates and social distancing guidelines. Current systems leverage
Zoom video-teleconferencing technology, the "Fill & Sign" feature of
obe PDFs, reliable email, appropriate computer equipment and internet
connection, and no volunteer examiners (VEs) present at individual
remote test sites. The Georgia club collaborated and shared ideas with
the Emergency Amateur Radio Club (EARC) in Hawaii, which has
successfully conducted sessions since 2011 with its own remote testing
system, initially with paper exams with a proctor on site and now with
fillable PDFs, with no on-site proctor.
The Georgia club obtained ARRL VEC approval to administer
video-supervised exams. "We have started with testing just one
candidate at a time, but are planning to ramp up to multiple candidates
-- probably two or three -- simultaneously," club member David
Robinson, K4WVZ, told ARRL. "Before we do that, we want a few more
single sessions under our belt and a few more Video VEs trained."
The club's procedures entail a pre-exam video interview with candidates
to ensure they understand all the requirements and procedures.
Following the exam, the VEs score the test and sign off on the
paperwork, with the VE Team Leader submitting the application online
and by mail, per ARRL VEC instructions.
New England Amateur Radio Inc (NE1AR), an affiliate of New England
Sci-Tech, (NESciTech), has taken it one step further, Somma said. It
got the approval of ARRL VEC to begin trials of what it describes as
"completely online testing with strict rules and protocols for
maintaining the integrity of the testing environment." NE1AR is
limiting candidates to one exam per session, due to the current
candidate backlog and the "difficulty of administering exams online."
Candidates must agree to a list of protocols, which include a
cell-phone camera scan of the entire room and exam area "to show that
there are no materials or people [in the room] that could aid in taking
the exam."
"We began a series of trials on April 1 under ARRL VEC review and have
now been asked to help train more VE teams on the process," NE1AR
President Bob Phinney, K5TEC, told ARRL. "We have now tested 12
applicants and are still working on streamlining the process. We are
working with the software developer of the exam delivery system to help
them adapt the system for video-supervised testing."
With pressure continuing to build to provide testing compatible with
COVID-19 guidelines and stay-home orders, ARRL VEC Manager Maria Somma
has asked the amateur radio community to be patient. "Please remember
that with the introduction of significant new processes such as these,
that there should be proof of concept, establishment of protocols and
procedures, and beta testing, before expanding to a larger audience,"
she said this week. Somma said video-supervised exam sessions require a
different skillset than in-person exam administration, and not all
teams will be equipped to deliver video exams right away.
"ARRL is pleased to be one of the leaders in providing an opportunity,
although limited initially, for video-supervised exams in this time of
social distancing and isolation required by the current health
situation," Somma said. Read more.
New Volunteer Monitor Program is Up and Running
After kicking off on January 1, the new Volunteer Monitor Program has
ramped up to operational status. A "soft rollout" of the program began
on February 1, designed to familiarize Volunteer Monitors (VMs) with
issues on the bands and to put into practice what to report -- and what
to ignore, based on their training. The VMs will not only be looking
for operating discrepancies, but for examples of good operating. The VM
program has, at least for the moment, put Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH,
back in the center of amateur radio enforcement as the Volunteer
Monitor Coordinator (VMC). He was brought aboard to get the program up
and running, and ARRL will eventually take over the VMC function.
Hollingsworth is using a system called VMTRAC -- developed by a VM --
to measure the work of VMs and determine instances that qualify for
good operator or discrepancy notices, referral to the FCC, or follow-up
with FCC requests to the VM program. Hollingsworth reported that during
March, the 165 active VMs logged upward of 2,300 hours of monitoring on
HF, and nearly 2,000 hours on VHF-UHF and other frequencies.
"I am extremely pleased with the number of hours devoted to monitoring
this early in the program," Hollingsworth said. No stone is being left
unturned. Two VMs constantly monitor FT8 watering holes and have
developed programs that alert them if a licensee is operating outside
of privileges accorded to that license class or if a license has
expired. "We have 30 open cases, five of which are good operator
cases," Hollingsworth said. "Regarding open cases relating to rule
violations, none have yet had to be referred to the FCC." He said he's
experimented with letters, telephone calls, or emails to the subjects
of
Riley Hollingsworth,
K4ZDH.
discrepancy reports where they could be identified. While he's still
waiting for replies to his written correspondence, he has received
responses to his calls and emails, and the violations have either
stopped or were explained. "They were violations such as expired
licenses, Technicians operating on General frequencies, unauthorized
use of a call sign, and deliberate interference," he said.
One case "being groomed for FCC referral," he said, involves
long-standing interference to a repeater in the Philadelphia area by
someone using an unauthorized call sign. Hollingsworth said he worked
with net control operators of nets on 75 and 40 meters that had been
suffering serious interference, and so far the solutions are working.
"It is becoming apparent that if informal contact can be made by the
VMC with a known offender, the problem can sometimes be stopped,"
Hollingsworth said. "We do not want to call upon the FCC unless
absolutely necessary." Read more.
Greater LoTW Database Accuracy is the Goal of TQSL Update(s)
The recently released TQSL version 2.5.2 application for uploading logs
to Logbook of The World (LoTW) tightens requirements for data
consistency, with the goal of improving the integrity of the LoTW
database. Starting with TQSL version 2.5.2, discrepancies in submitted
logs are now flagged, especially when it comes to the Amateur Data
Interchange Format (ADIF) files frequently uploaded to LoTW. This has
prompted questions and concerns, however, when the system fails to
accept a user's uploaded contact or log.
ADIF exists precisely to help ensure the accuracy of "data interchange"
among amateur radio applications -- different logging programs, for
example. TQSL uses ADIF file data for cross-checks that help to keep
inaccurate or incomplete information from contaminating the LoTW
database, and that's where some user issues have arisen. For example,
the OPERATOR field, which should be a call sign, sometimes shows up as
a name. Occasionally, operators have reversed their ITU and CQ zones.
Another issue is in the MY_STATE field, which should show a US Postal
Service two-letter state abbreviation. Anything else is a problem.
"The value of the checks added to TQSL is that it lets operators know
when the data they're handling in their computer-based logs is
correct," said TQSL Developer Rick Murphy, K1MU. "It's important to
make sure that when a ham submits a log to LoTW that the content of
that log accurately captures the details."
Some help is on the way. Murphy will soon release TQSL version 2.5.3,
which, among other things, skips over the OPERATOR field check. "We
have found that some of the checking performed for TQSL 2.5.2 was
incomplete in some cases -- for example, allowing incorrect zone
information to pass, and overly strict in other cases -- for example,
the STATION_OWNER tag," Murphy said. "We've made great strides in
improving the way logs are checked to ensure that checking is more
complete while not raising false alarms."
The problem is not always with the user. The initial implementation of
cross-checks in TQSL 2.5.2 revealed that not all logging applications
conform to the ADIF standard. TQSL 2.5.2 has offered support for
operations from several locations, as well as the ability to detect
uploads that contain incorrect location data.
"Operators have a right to insist that the logging applications they
use conform to the standards agreed upon by the ADIF collective," said
Greg Widin, K0GW, the chair of the ARRL LoTW Committee. "Those who find
that their logger is out of conformance should demand an update." Read
more.
ARRL Announces New Benefits for Members
ARRL members will now receive digital access to four ARRL magazines
beginning with their May/June issues. Joining QST and On the Air
magazines on a digital platform will be the bimonthly editions of QEX
-- The Forum for Communications Experimenters and NCJ -- National
Contest Journal. QEX includes articles, columns, and other features
ranging from construction projects to more advanced technical
information in radio theory and practice. NCJ, published since 1973,
targets radio amateurs active in radiosport. NCJ includes scores,
technical articles, contributions from top contesters, and advice for
beginners and seasoned radiosport enthusiasts alike.
"Feedback from ARRL members and our readership surveys has shown that
our magazines are one of the most valued member benefits," said ARRL
Publications Manager Steve Ford, WB8IMY. "Our investment in digital
access provides another channel through which we can deliver content to
our members across the expanse of interests and activities in amateur
radio. All members can enjoy specialized content and a high-quality
reading experience whether at their desk or on the go. Offering this
suite of digital magazines is an opportunity for us to give members
more of what they want while adding value to ARRL membership."
ARRL's digital magazine editions provide replicas of the printed
editions with added functionality, allowing users to fully search
issues, enlarge pages, share articles, and more. The free ARRL
Magazines app also supports downloading complete issues onto your
mobile device or tablet for offline reading.
Members who have elected to receive a printed QST or On the Air as part
of their membership benefits will continue to have this service.
Members may not substitute a print subscription of QEX or NCJ as their
delivered magazine member benefit. Print subscriptions of QEX and NCJ
will continue to be available at additional cost for those who want to
receive them.
All four magazines are easily accessed through any web browser from
members-only links. The free ARRL Magazines app is available for iOS
and Android in the Apple App Store and Google Play. If you're already
an ARRL member and previously created an arrl.org website account, your
username and password will provide you access to the digital editions,
whether online or in the app. Members who have not previously
registered will need to create a new account. If you've forgotten your
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