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Ärende: The Weekly ARRL Letter
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The ARRL Letter
May 28, 2020
* Temporary Rule Waivers Announced for 2020 ARRL Field Day
* Social Distancing Exam Sessions Demonstrate Pent-Up Demand for
Testing
* Global COVID-19 Radio Event Set for June 6 - 7
* ARRL Podcasts Schedule
* Another New Beta Version of WSJT-X is Available
* The K7RA Solar Update
* Just Ahead in Radiosport
* Announcements
* Moonbounce Contact via FT8 Could be a First
* Rocky Mountain Vice Director Resigns to Accept Appointment as
Colorado Section Manager
* 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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Temporary Rule Waivers Announced for 2020 ARRL Field Day
With one month to go before 2020 ARRL Field Day, June 27 - 28, the ARRL
Programs and Services Committee (PSC) has adopted two temporary rule
waivers for the event:
1) For Field Day 2020 only, Class D stations may work all other Field
Day stations, including other Class D stations, for points.
Field Day rule 4.6 defines Class D stations as "Home stations,"
including stations operating from permanent or licensed station
locations using commercial power. Class D stations ordinarily may only
count contacts made with Class A, B, C, E, and F Field Day stations,
but the temporary rule waiver for 2020 allows Class D stations to count
contacts with other Class D stations for QSO credit.
2) In addition, for 2020 only, an aggregate club score will be
published, which will be the sum of all individual entries indicating a
specific club (similar to the aggregate score totals used in ARRL
affiliated club competitions).
Ordinarily, club names are only published in the results for Class A
and Class F entries, but the temporary rule waiver for 2020 allows
participants from any Class to optionally include a single club name
with their submitted results following Field Day.
For example, if Podunk Hollow Radio Club members Becky, W1BXY, and
Hiram, W1AW, both participate in 2020 Field Day -- Hiram from his Class
D home station, and Becky from her Class C mobile station -- both can
include the radio club's name when reporting their individual results.
The published results listing will include individual scores for Hiram
and Becky, plus a combined score for all entries identified as Podunk
Hollow Radio Club.
The temporary rule waivers were adopted by the PSC on May 27, 2020.
ARRL Field Day is one of the biggest events on the amateur radio
calendar, with over 36,000 participants in 2019, including entries from
3,113 radio clubs and emergency operations centers. In most years,
Field Day is also the largest annual demonstration of ham radio,
because many radio clubs organize their participation in public places
such as parks and schools.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many radio clubs have made decisions to
cancel their group participation in ARRL Field Day this year due to
public health recommendations and/or requirements, or to significantly
modify their participation for safe social distancing practices. The
temporary rule waivers allow greater flexibility in recognizing the
value of individual and club participation regardless of entry class.
ARRL is contacting logging program developers about the temporary rule
waivers so developers can release updated versions of their software
prior to Field Day weekend.
Participants are reminded that the preferred method of submitting
entries after Field Day is via the web applet. The ARRL Field Day rules
include instructions for submitting entries after the event. Entries
must be submitted or postmarked by Tuesday, July 28, 2020.
The ARRL Field Day web page includes a series of articles with ideas
and advice for adapting participation this year.
Social Distancing Exam Sessions Demonstrate Pent-Up Demand for Testing
A recent in-person "social-distancing" amateur radio exam session in
Indiana and a "drive-in" session in California are representative of
those that are relieving some of the pent-up demand for testing. As the
COVID-19 pandemic continues, in-person exam sessions have begun to
resume across the US and elsewhere in the world.
"With in-person sessions starting up again around the country, we are
hearing the same story from volunteer examiner (VE) teams everywhere,"
said ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) Maria Somma, AB1FM.
"Large numbers of candidates who have been waiting to test are
contacting teams and are thankful for the opportunity to sit for an
exam. So far, we've heard mostly positive results. Candidates are very
prepared, as they've had extra time to study. VE teams and candidates
are following CDC and state guidelines for social distancing."
Anderson (IN) Repeater Club VE Team Liaison Steve Riley, WA9CWE, told
ARRL earlier this month that his club has been conducting test sessions
every month since 2011, typically serving four or five candidates each
session, but the May 19 session attracted 14 individuals.
"We were unable to test in April, but were able to get back in for the
May session," Riley said. "Several candidates were from Central
Indiana, and we had a fellow drive down from Chicago, a couple from the
Dayton, Ohio, area, and also from Fort Wayne, Indiana." The team
limited participation until it could conduct the trial run.
VEs and examinees alike wore face masks, and the test room was
configured to accommodate the necessary spacing between individuals.
"We questioned everyone entering with the usual health questions," he
added.
"Our VE paperwork became a serial flow for grading instead of our prior
'huddle' of the three VEs over the answer sheet," Riley recounted. "As
a result, things were a bit slower than in the past. The tables,
pencils, and pens were disinfected."
The result for the session was 11 new radio amateurs and three
upgrades. "All went well, although we identified a couple improvements
in paperwork flow for next month's test," Riley added.
"There is quite a pent-up demand for new amateur licenses and upgrades
as a result of the number of test sessions that have been canceled," he
continued. "I hope that as sessions resume, they have the success that
we had." Riley said he's already been contacted by six people who plan
to sit for the exam in June.
In California, VE Larry Loomer, KI6LNB, told the ARRL VEC that his team
conducted a successful drive-in license testing session on May 16 at
the Concord Bay Area Rapid Transit Station.
Loomer explained that candidates fill out their paperwork in their
cars. "I have circled in pencil all of the boxes on [Form] 605, the
answer sheet, and the CSCE (Certificate of Successful Completion of
Exam) that the candidates need to fill in, to minimize the face-to-face
time." Once paperwork is completed, candidates take a test booklet and
answer sheet on a clipboard and sit in a chair in front of their cars,
taking the test in front of the VEs.
Completed tests go into a box on the VE table, and candidates back
their cars into a holding area, to let other cars park by the testing
chairs. Once a test is scored and signed, the CSCE goes to the waiting
candidate, who may then drive away.
"I'm seeing videos of remote test-taking sessions, and they still look
labor intensive to me," Loomer said. "We are sticking with the drive-in
format for the present time."
Somma said, "Our VE teams are doing a great job! I'm impressed with
their attention to safety, their professionalism, and their innovative
tactics."
Global COVID-19 Radio Event Set for June 6 - 7
Stations bearing call signs that promote the "stay-at-home" message and
the value of social distancing and isolation have sprung up during the
COVID-19 pandemic, with some 150,000 messages of support shared around
the world. An on-air gathering over the June 6 - 7 weekend will offer a
further opportunity for stay-at-home stations and radio amateurs to
share greetings in a contest-like framework, looking toward the day
that restrictions will ease, eventually making the stay-at-home
injunction obsolete. The patron of the STAYHOME radio campaign is
Finland's Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, and the worldwide activity
has the endorsement of International Amateur Radio Union (IARU)
President Tim Ellam, VE6SH/G4HUA, and the United Nations Amateur Radio
Club.
"Amateur radio operators across the world are experiencing something we
have never seen before, with the current COVID-19 pandemic," Ellam
said. "In times like this, on-the-air activities can benefit our
communities and ourselves. Events such as this are important to improve
operating skills. It is also encouraging us to get on the air and keep
active, as well as promoting social distancing." Ellam expressed thanks
to the national regulators in more than three dozen countries that made
special stay-at-home-suffix call signs available for amateur use.
Sponsoring the event and campaign are the Finnish Amateur Radio League
(SRAL), in cooperation with Araucaria DX Group (ADXG) of Brazil, and
Radio Arcala (OH8X) in Finland.
UN Amateur Radio Club President James Sarte, K2QI, has said that 4U1UN
will be on the air to support of the global STAY HOME movement, as will
sister stations 4U1GSC (operated as 4U9STAYHOME) and 4U1A (operated as
4U2STAYHOME).
Special event station W2I/STAYHOME, helmed by Ria Jairam, N2RJ, and
Peter Dougherty, W2IRT, will also be on the air, operating CW, SSB, and
FT8 simultaneously. (Jairam is ARRL Hudson Division Director.)
The STAYHOME event gets under way at 1000 UTC on Saturday, June 6,
concluding 24 hours later. Bands will include 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10
meters, with CW, SSB, and digital (FT4/FT8 only). Exchange is a signal
report and operator age, except for FT4/FT8 reports. Awards and
certificates in the various operating categories will be available.
Email for more information.
ARRL Podcasts Schedule
The latest episode of the On the Air podcast (Episode 5) focuses on the
various types of modulation and tips on go-kits. The On the Air podcast
is a monthly companion to On the Air magazine, ARRL's magazine for
beginner-to-intermediate ham radio operators.
The latest episode of the Eclectic Tech podcast (Episode 8) includes a
discussion of 10-meter FM and an interview with Pascal Villeneuve,
VA2PV, about "hotspots" for DMR, D-STAR, and Yaesu Fusion.
The On the Air and Eclectic Tech podcasts are sponsored by Icom. Both
podcasts are available on iTunes (iOS) and Stitcher (Android) as well
as on Blubrry -- On the Air | Eclectic Tech.
Another New Beta Version of WSJT-X is Available
A new beta ("release candidate"), WSJT-X version 2.2.0-rc2, is now
available for downloading from the WSJT-X website, along with a list of
new features. The WSJT-X development team has also published additional
FT8 "overflow" frequencies, as the WSJT-X 2.2.0-rc2 Release Notes
explain.
"Increasing FT8 usage on 40, 30, and 20 meters means that the default 3
kHz subbands are often wall-to-wall with signals. Overcrowding
encourages some to turn on their amplifiers, which only makes things
worse. On a trial basis, and in response to numerous suggestions from
around the world, we have added a second set of suggested dial
frequencies for FT8 on three HF bands and also on 6 meters...7.071,
10.133, 14.071, and 50.310 MHz.
"These frequencies will appear in your dropdown band-selector list
after you go to the 'Settings | Frequencies' tab, right-click on the
frequency table, and select 'Reset.' Alternatively, you can add the new
FT8 frequencies manually. When the conventional FT8 subband on 6, 20,
30, or 40 meters seems too full, please try moving your dial frequency
down 3 kHz! [A]s currently implemented, WSJT-X will set your dial to
the lowest frequency for the selected mode and band, when you switch
bands."
The latest "general availability" (GA) release is WSJT-X 2.1.2.
The K7RA Solar Update
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: No significant solar activity over
the past week, and still no sunspots observed since the end of April.
According to Spaceweather.com, the percentage of spotless days in 2020
has inched up to 79%. The percentage of days showing no sunspots for
all of 2019 was 77%.
Average daily solar flux for last week was 69.6, up from 69 during the
previous week. Average mid-latitude A index was 5.7, it was 4 during
the previous week, and average planetary A index was 4.6, up from 3.7
during the previous 7 days.
Predicted solar flux for the next 45 days sits at 70, on every day,
just as it did in last week's forecast. Predicted planetary A index is
5 on May 28; 8 on May 29 - 31; 5 on June 1 - 14; 8 on June 15 - 16, and
5 on June 17 - July 11.
On May 27, Spaceweather.com pointed toward an active region, possibly a
sunspot, just over our sun's eastern horizon. You can see it via the
STEREO observatory. In solar images, east is toward the left, from
Earth's perspective. It is expected to come over the horizon and begin
to point toward Earth on May 29.
Sunspot numbers for May 21 - 27 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, and 0, with a
mean of 0. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 70.2, 70.8, 69.1, 68.8, 70.3,
69.7, and 68, with a mean of 69.6. Estimated planetary A indices were
5, 6, 4, 5, 5, 4, and 3, with a mean of 4.6. The middle latitude A
index was 8, 7, 4, 5, 7, 3, and 6, with a mean of 5.7.
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
* May 29 - 31 -- PODXS 070 Club 3-Day Weekend Contest (Digital)
* May 30 - 31 -- CQ World Wide WPX Contest (CW)
* June 1 -- RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship (Digital)
* June 2 -- ARS Spartan Sprint CW
* June 4 -- NRAU 10-Meter Activity Contest (CW, phone, digital)
* June 4 -- SKCC Sprint Europe (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.
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Announcements
* The 2019 ARRL DXCC Yearbook is now available for viewing and
downloading.
* Dan Romanchik, KB6NU, is maintaining a "Compendium of online
amateur radio club meetings," which effectively makes any radio
club meeting easy to "attend." It's suggested to secure an
invitation from the club rather than just showing up.
* Citing public health concerns, DX Engineering has canceled its
second annual DXE Hamfest, which was to be held on August 8 at its
headquarters near Akron, Ohio. This year's event was planned in
conjunction with ARRL's Ohio Section Convention. The logistics of
safely managing an anticipated large crowd played a role in DX
Engineering's decision.
* The MicroHAMS Digital Conference (MHDC) was held virtually this
year, offering an opportunity to reach out to speakers who might
otherwise been unable to attend. Typical attendance at the
in-person conference is around 100 people. The virtual event
attracted between 300 and 500 viewers actively watching the
livestream. The 2,000 unique views during the conference indicated
that some only attended a portion of the day or specific sessions.
The 13th annual MHDC is available on the MicroHAMS website.
* According to a reader report in The Daily DX, a signal on various
20-meter frequencies has been jamming "everything for about 10 kHz"
with a strong signal. The signal is believed to be that of a
Chinese over-the-horizon radar. The signal has been centered on
14.174, 14.193, 14.240, and 14.267, "moving around."
* David Cripe, NM0S, is the new president of the QRP-Amateur Radio
Club International (QRP-ARCI). He succeeds Preston Douglas, WJ2V,
who had served as the club's president for more than 3 years.
Moonbounce Contact via FT8 Could be a First
FT8 codeveloper Joe Taylor, K1JT, has reported what is possibly the
first FT8 contact via moonbouce (Earth-Moon-Earth or EME) on May 21
between Paul Andrews, W2HRO, in New York, and Peter Gouweleeuw, PA2V,
in the Netherlands. The contact was made possible using the currently
available beta-release candidate of WSJT-X, version 2.2-rc1.
"Why might you want to use FT8 instead of 'Old Reliable JT65' for EME
QSOs?" Taylor asked in a subsequent Moon-Net post. "FT8 is about 4 dB
less sensitive than JT65, but with 15-second T/R [transmit/receive]
sequences it's four times faster, and it doesn't use Deep Search," he
said, answering his own question.
The FT8 protocol included in the beta version of WSJT-X has an optional
user setting to work around the 2.5-second path delay. "For terrestrial
use, the FT8 decoder searches over the range -2.5 to +2.4 seconds for
clock offset DT between transmitting and receiving stations," Taylor
explained. "DT" represents the difference between the transmission time
and actual time. "When 'Decode after EME delay' is checked on the
WSJT-X 'Settings' screen, the accessible DT range becomes -0.5 to +4.4
seconds. Just right for EME."
As Taylor explained in his post, FT8 uses 8-GFSK modulation with tones
separated by 6.25 Hz. At the time of the contact, the expected Doppler
spread on the W2HRO - PA2V EME path was 8 Hz, which would cause some
additional loss in sensitivity. Despite the path losses, however, copy
between W2HRO and PA2V was "solid in both directions," Taylor said.
Taylor said that when he was active in EME contests on 144 MHz, he was
always frustrated that, even with reasonably strong signals, the
maximum JT65 contact rate is about 12 per hour. "With FT8, you can do
40 per hour, as long as workable stations are available," he said.
As for using FT8 for EME contacts on 1296 MHz, Taylor said it "might
sometimes work, but Doppler spread will probably make standard FT8 a
problem." Given sufficient interest, however, he said the WSJT-X
development team could design an FT8B or FT8C with wider tone
Joe Taylor, K1JT. [Bob
Inderbitzen, NQ1R, photo]
spacing. He encouraged the use of FT8 for moonbounce on 144, 432, and
1296 MHz and asked users to report their results to the development
team.
"A 'slow FT8' mode is indeed a sensitivity winner on suitable
propagation paths," he said in a later Moon-Net post. "We are busy
implementing such a mode, but with particular emphasis on its use on
the LF and MF bands."
Taylor said FT8 has the operational advantage of putting all users in
one (or a few) narrow spectral slices on each band. "So, it's easy to
find QSO partners without skeds or chat rooms," he said. "Everything is
done over the air, with no 'side channels' needed."
Taylor also remarked in response to posts from those who, like him,
"love CW."
"I agree it's a thrill to hear your own lunar echo, and to make CW EME
QSOs," he said. "Sometimes I pine for the bygone world of commercial
sailing ships, which happen to be very much a part of my family's
history," Taylor concluded. "But I know that technologies evolve, and
the world does not stand still."
Rocky Mountain Vice Director Resigns to Accept Appointment as Colorado
Section Manager
ARRL Rocky Mountain Division Vice Director Robert Wareham, N0ESQ, has
stepped down from that post to accept appointment as Colorado Section
Manager. Wareham would succeed veteran Colorado SM Jack Ciaccia, WM0G,
who resigned effective on June 1 after serving since 2011.
Robert Wareham, N0ESQ.
"Jack will be moving to the East Coast to be closer to family and I
wish him only the best as he transitions to this next phase of his
life," ARRL Rocky Mountain Division Director Jeff Ryan, K0RM, said in a
message to his Division. "At the same time, I am sorry to lose such an
outstanding leader, who has been instrumental in the creation and
maintenance of the vibrant amateur radio community that exists across
Colorado today. Jack has been a personal friend and advisor to me for
many years and I shall miss his thoughtful guidance and his quick
humor."
Ciaccia, who is relocating to New Hampshire, said his decision was
bittersweet. "I am really proud of our accomplishments in the Colorado
Section during the past 9 years," he said. "I will miss the hams I have
met here in Colorado and their friendship. I am looking forward to now
being able to just spend the rest of my days continuing with the
satisfaction and enjoyment that ham radio has given me over the past 63
years."
Wareham would complete Ciaccia's current term, which runs until
September 30, 2021. An ARRL Life Member, Wareham served as Colorado
Section Emergency Coordinator since 2011, prior to his appointment as
Rocky Mountain Vice Director in 2018. He previously served in the Field
Organization as Colorado's State Government Liaison and as Public
Information Officer. An attorney, Wareham assisted in drafting the bill
that created the Colorado Auxiliary Emergency Communications Unit
(AuxComm) in 2016.
Ryan said that, while he's sorry to lose Wareham's counsel as Vice
Director, "I'm certain he will provide for a virtually seamless
transition."
A new Rocky Mountain Division Vice Director will be appointed.
In Brief...
Islands On The Air (IOTA) users may now obtain contact credits via
ARRL's Logbook of The World (LoTW). "Islands On The Air (IOTA) Ltd. is
delighted to announce the implementation of the ARRL application, which
allows the use of QSO-matching via LoTW," IOTA's Roger Balister, G3KMA,
said. ARRL Director of Operations Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, points out that
LoTW has, for years, allowed award sponsors access to a utility that
lets them verify contacts in LoTW. "The IOTA folks have begun using
this utility, but still check the QSOs against known IOTA operations,"
he explained, noting that applicants cannot apply for IOTA awards
through LoTW. See Instructions for LoTW QSO Matching for details.
Direct correspondence to the IOTA Support Desk. Read more.
Several satellite operators have reported that the FM repeater on the
vintage AO-27 satellite recently has been active for brief intervals.
When commanded on by control operators, the transponder is active for
about 2 minutes before it reverts to telemetry transmission only.
Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK, points out that AO-27 was never designed to
be an FM satellite; it lacks the audio filtering typically used in an
FM receiver, since AO-7's uplink receiver was going to be used for
data. With the lack of audio filtering on the uplink receiver, AO-27
was used for tests with D-STAR radios. (The Wayback Machine has
captures of the former ao27.org website, detailing how those tests were
done. Two radios were used for those D-STAR contacts -- one for uplink
and the other for downlink.) Many hope that control stations will
eventually be able to recover the satellite sufficiently to provide
more regular FM operation. In the meantime, if you hear the satellite
active, make your contacts quickly! -- Thanks to AMSAT News Service via
Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK
A pre-hurricane season exercise was carried out on May 16 for radio
amateurs and the National Weather Service (NWS) in the southeastern US.
The scenario was a Category 3 - 4 storm making landfall at Panama City
on Florida's panhandle, and moving through Alabama and Georgia. The
Tallahassee NWS Office asked amateur radio operators for weather and
storm damage reports. Exercise nets opened on HF and on a VHF repeater
(HF turned out to be a disappointment), with stations using Winlink for
reporting. Stations' weather observations were submitted to the NWS via
the nets using the NWSChat utility. The Atlantic Hurricane Season
starts on June 1. -- Thanks to The ARRL ARES E-Letter
AMSAT has spelled out its GOLF program objectives. AMSAT says the aim
of its developing "Greater Orbit, Larger Footprint" (GOLF) satellite
program is to place amateur radio transponders in low-Earth orbit
(LEO), medium-Earth orbit (MEO), and eventually high-Earth orbit (HEO).
"The goal of the GOLF program is to work by steps through a series of
increasingly capable spacecraft to learn skills and systems for which
we do not yet have any low-risk experience. Among these are active
attitude control, deployable/steerable solar panels, radiation
tolerance for commercial off-the-shelf components in higher orbits, and
propulsion," AMSAT explained. "The first step is to be one or more LEO
satellites similar to the existing AO-91 and AO-92, but with
technologies needed for higher orbits." AMSAT says the eventual goal is
an HEO satellite similar to AO-10, AO-13, and AO-40, "but at a
currently affordable cost combined with significantly enhanced
capabilities."
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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.
* July 16 - 19 -- Montana State Convention, Essex, Montana
* July 24 - 25 -- Oklahoma State Convention, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Find conventions and hamfests in your area
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