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Text 15747, 599 rader
Skriven 2021-02-12 09:05:04 av Sean Dennis (1:18/200.0)
Ärende: The Weekly ARRL Letter
==============================
   The ARRL Letter                                                         
   February 11, 2021                                                       
                                                                           
     * ARRL to Extend Field Day Rule Waivers from 2020, d Class D and E   
       Power Limit                                                          
     * Orlando HamCation Special Edition Online Event and QSO Party Set     
       for February 13 - 14                                                 
     * ARRL to FCC: ditional Volunteer Examiner Coordinators Not Needed   
     * ARRL Podcasts Schedule                                              
     * RadFxSat-2/Fox-1E Designated AMSAT-OSCAR 109 as Troubleshooting     
       Continues                                                           
     * ARRL Learning Network Webinars                                      
     * IARU Agrees On Preliminary WRC-23 Positions                         
     * Amateur Radio in the News                                           
     * Article: Ham Radio Forms a Planet-Sized Space Weather Sensor        
       Network                                                             
     * Announcements                                                       
     * A "Perfect Coronal Mass Ejection" Could Be a Nightmare              
     * Club Gets Double Duty from Minnesota QSO Party 2021 Operation       
     * The K7RA Solar Update                                               
     * In Brief...                                                         
     * Just Ahead in Radiosport                                            
     * Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions              
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
   ARRL Headquarters will be closed on Monday, February 15, for Presidents 
   Day and will re-open on Tuesday, February 16, at 8 AM EST.              
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
   ARRL to Extend Field Day Rule Waivers from 2020, d Class D and E      
   Power Limit                                                             
                                                                           
   The COVID-19 pandemic-modified ARRL Field Day rules from 2020 will      
   continue this June with the addition of a power limit imposed on Class  
   D (Home Stations) and Class E (Home Stations-Emergency Power)           
   participants. The news from the ARRL Board's Programs and Services      
   Committee comes as many clubs and groups are starting preparations for  
   Field Day in earnest. Field Day 2021 will take place June 26 - 27.      
                                                                           
   "This early decision should alleviate any hesitancy that radio clubs    
   and individual Field Day participants may have with their planning for  
   the event," said ARRL Contest Program Manager Paul Bourque, N1SFE.      
                                                                           
   For Field Day 2021, Class D stations may work all other Field Day       
   stations, including other Class D stations, for points. This year,      
   however, Class D and Class E stations will be limited to 150 W PEP      
   output.                                                                 
                                                                           
   For Field Day 2021, an aggregate club score will be published -- just   
   as it was done last year. The aggregate score will be a sum of all      
   individual entries that attributed their score to that of a specific    
   club.                                                                   
                                                                           
   ARRL Field Day is one of the biggest events on the amateur radio        
   calendar. Last summer, a record 10,213 entries were received.           
                                                                           
   "With the greater flexibility afforded by the rules waivers,            
   individuals and groups will still be able to participate in Field Day,  
   while still staying within any public health recommendations and/or     
   requirements," Bourque said.                                            
                                                                           
   The ARRL Field Day web page contains complete rules and entry forms, as 
   well as any updated information as it becomes available. Join the ARRL  
   Field Day Facebook group. Read an expanded version.                     
   Orlando HamCation Special Edition Online Event and QSO Party Set for    
   February 13 - 14                                                        
                                                                           
   The Orlando HamCation Special Edition online event and QSO Party will   
   take place this weekend, February 13 - 14. The online event will        
   include youth, technology, contesting, and vendor webinar tracks via    
   Zoom. ARRL will also present two webinars on Saturday, February 13.     
                                                                           
   The ARRL Member Forum at 1 PM EST, will be moderated by ARRL            
   Southeastern Division Director Mickey Baker, N4MB. Presenters include   
   ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA, and ARRL Director of Emergency           
   Management Paul Gilbert, KE5ZW.                                         
                                                                           
   Gilbert also will be the moderator for an Amateur Radio Emergency       
   Service (ARES^(R)) presentation at 3 PM EST. The ARES presentation will 
   include ARRL Northern Florida Section Emergency Coordinator Karl        
   Martin, K4HBN, and Southern Florida SEC John Wells, W4CMH.              
                                                                           
   The HamCation QSO Party -- a 12-hour on-air event, will also take place 
   this weekend. Nine HamCation special event stations with 1 * 1 call     
   signs will be on the air with combined suffixes spelling out HamCation  
   (e.g., K4H, W4A, K4M, etc). Scores will be posted on www.3830Scores.com 
   -- no logs are required.                                                
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
   ARRL to Offer Weekend of Specials for Hams Missing Orlando              
   HamCation^(R) 2021.  This weekend, February 13-14, was supposed to be   
   the ARRL National Convention at Orlando HamCation. While members will   
   have to wait until next year for our National Convention, ARRL will be  
   hosting a special "At Home Expo" this weekend. Enjoy a special video    
   from ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR; ARRL staff, and the HamCation  
   committee. Look for limited offers including membership premiums,       
   latest publications and products, 2021 Field Day gear, and our          
   exclusive sheet full of ARRL logo stickers. All who make a weekend      
   purchase or renew their membership will receive a free sticker sheet    
   with their order, while supplies last. Visit our ARRL at Home page to   
   check out all the offerings.                                            
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
   ARRL to FCC: ditional Volunteer Examiner Coordinators Not Needed      
                                                                           
   ARRL has told the FCC that no additional Volunteer Examiner             
   Coordinators (VEC) are needed to oversee the administration of amateur  
   radio exams by Volunteer Examiners (VEs). Examination opportunities     
   have continued to be widely available throughout the US -- except for a 
   couple of months during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic -- and       
   adding VECs to the 14 now in place would "have no effect" on the number 
   of available exams, ARRL said. ARRL's comments on February 4 were in    
   response to a January 5 FCC Public Notice in WT Docket 21-2 seeking     
   input on possible expansion of the VEC pool.                            
                                                                           
   "We found that even though 10 of the 12 months for calendar year 2020   
   were times of severe disruption throughout the nation, including for    
   FCC and ARRL Headquarters staff, amateur examination opportunities and  
   numbers were strong," ARRL told the FCC.                                
                                                                           
   "Instead of increasing the number of VECs, we would encourage           
   volunteers to become accredited as VEs and to volunteer to help the     
   current VECs wherever possible," ARRL said. "Many of the VECs would     
   welcome help." ARRL said VEs, not VECs, are responsible for             
   administering amateur radio exams.                                      
                                                                           
   The number of new and upgraded licenses has been in line with earlier   
   years, "with noticeable increases in the 4 months following the         
   lockdown that occurred in many areas in the early spring," ARRL pointed 
   out.                                                                    
                                                                           
   ARRL said, "Increasing the number of VECs would expand the complexity   
   of VEC coordination and management, increase demand on FCC resources to 
   interface with additional organizations, and raise the potential for    
   abuse and fraud." Read an expanded version.                             
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
                                                                         
   ARRL Podcasts Schedule                                                  
                                                                           
   The latest episode of the On the Air podcast (Episode 14) takes a       
   deeper dive into the subject of HF antenna tuners, including some       
   shopping tips.                                                          
                                                                           
   The latest edition of Eclectic Tech (Episode 27) features a discussion  
   of virtual audio cables, plus a chat with Clint Turner, KA7OEI, about   
   extremely slow CW, otherwise known as QRSS.                             
                                                                           
   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.                            
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
   RadFxSat-2/Fox-1E Designated AMSAT-OSCAR 109 as Troubleshooting         
   Continues                                                               
                                                                           
   Launched on January 17, the RadFxSat-2/Fox-1E CubeSat has been          
   designated as AMSAT-OSCAR 109 (AO-109). The satellite, which carries a  
   telemetry beacon and a linear transponder, along with radiation effects 
   experiments, is a joint mission of AMSAT and the Institute for Space    
   and Defense Electronics at Vanderbilt University. While the telemetry   
   beacon has not yet been heard, the transponder is partially operational 
   at reduced signal strength.                                             
                                                                           
   "Work continues to recover the telemetry beacon and characterize the    
   transponder with the goal of opening it for general use," AMSAT said    
   this week. "Testing and characterization of RadFxSat-2/AO-109           
   continues." On January 27, a ham in Nevada reported weakly hearing his  
   CW signal via the spacecraft's transponder.                             
                                                                           
   AMSAT engineering and operations teams made the official AO-109         
   designation after confirmation that the linear transponder was          
   functional, although with a low-level downlink signal. Read an expanded 
   version. -- Thanks to AMSAT News Service via Mark Hammond, N8MH         
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
   ARRL Learning Network Webinars                                          
                                                                           
   Visit the ARRL Learning Network (a members-only benefit) to register,   
   check on upcoming webinars, and to view previously recorded sessions.   
                                                                           
   Interesting Stories about Ham Radio & Weather Spotting -- Rob Macedo,   
   KD1CY                                                                   
                                                                           
   One of the most critical ways amateur radio supports agencies such as   
   the National Weather Service (NWS), National Hurricane Center, and      
   emergency management is through weather spotting via the NWS SKYWARN    
   program. This presentation reviews some interesting stories about how   
   amateurs involved in SKYWARN have saved lives and property and why this 
   is an important amateur radio activity.                                 
                                                                           
   Thursday, February 11, 2021 @ 8 PM EST (0100 UTC on Friday, February    
   12)                                                                     
                                                                           
   Maxim Memorial Station W1AW Tour -- Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, W1AW Station      
   Manager                                                                 
                                                                           
   Maxim Memorial Station W1AW, located in Newington, Connecticut, was     
   established to honor the memory of ARRL's co-founder and first          
   president, Hiram Percy Maxim. Although the first radio station of ARRL  
   was actually located in Hartford, Connecticut and active as W1MK, W1AW  
   in Newington is known worldwide and considered the radio station most   
   associated with Hiram Percy Maxim. Formally established in 1938 --      
   nearly 2 years after the death of Hiram Percy Maxim -- W1AW has         
   consistently been on the air, save for the time when the station was    
   ordered off the air by the FCC because of World War II.                 
                                                                           
   Thursday, February 18, 2021 @ 3:30 PM EST (2030 UTC)                    
                                                                           
   Talking to Astronauts: An Elementary School's Exciting ARISS Experience 
   -- Diane Warner, KE8HLD                                                 
                                                                           
   This is a story about Tallmadge Elementary School's participation in a  
   once-in-a-lifetime ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space      
   Station) school contact. Learn about their amazing journey leading up   
   to the amateur radio contact with an astronaut on the International     
   Space Station. The excitement of the entire experience was shared not   
   just by the students, but included faculty, parents, the community, and 
   local amateur radio operators. You will also learn how to begin the     
   process of submitting your own ARISS contact proposal.                  
                                                                           
   Tuesday, March 2, 2021 @ 1 PM EST (1800 UTC)                            
                                                                           
   Visit the ARRL Learning Network (a members-only benefit) to register,   
   check on upcoming webinars, and to view previously recorded sessions.   
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
                                                                         
   IARU Agrees On Preliminary WRC-23 Positions                             
                                                                           
   The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) has agreed on its          
   preliminary positions for World Radiocommunication Conference 2023      
   (WRC-23), according to Barry Lewis, G4SJH, Chair of IARU Region 1       
   Spectrum Affairs.                                                       
                                                                           
   "The preparatory work for WRC-23 has started across all [three] regions 
   in both the ITUƒ**R [Radiocommunication Sector] and the Regional        
   Telecommunications Organizations (RTOs)," Lewis said. "The IARU has     
   representatives in these RTOs, and the ITUƒ**R contributing to the      
   studies and helping to develop the regional positions on all the WRC    
   agenda items. It is vital that the amateur community presents its views 
   in a consolidated and consistent manner on each WRC agenda item across  
   all the regions."                                                       
                                                                           
   Lewis said the IARU ministrative Council has agreed on initial        
   preliminary positions covering the six most important agenda items for  
   the Amateur and Amateur-Satellite Services.                             
                                                                           
   The preliminary IARU positions:                                         
     * Agenda Item 1.2 -- oppose the identification of 10.0 - 10.5 GHz for 
       International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) in Region 2 (the      
       Americas), as well as the introduction of a mobile service          
       allocation in the region.                                           
     * Agenda Item 1.12 -- support studies that include the need to        
       protect the incumbent amateur service in the adjacent 50 - 54 MHz   
       band. The agenda item calls for studies to establish a possible new 
       secondary allocation for spaceborne radar sounders within a range   
       of frequencies around 45 MHz.                                       
     * Agenda Item 1.14 -- support retaining the 248 - 250 GHz primary and 
       the 241 - 248 GHz secondary Amateur and Amateur-Satellite Services  
       allocations.                                                        
     * Agenda Item 1.18 -- support retention of the amateur secondary      
       allocation of 3300 - 3400 MHz in Regions 2 and 3.                   
     * Agenda Item 9.1, Topic A -- The IARU said, "In considering          
       potential new regulatory provisions for the recognition of space    
       weather systems, additional constraints on incumbent services       
       including the Amateur and Amateur-Satellite Services must be        
       avoided."                                                           
     * Agenda Item 9.1 Topic B -- The IARU said, "Radio amateurs have      
       successfully co-existed and innovated in the frequency range of     
       1240 - 1300 MHz for many years, and IARU believes that the          
       regulatory status of the Amateur and Amateur-Satellite Services in  
       this range is already clear."                                       
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
   Amateur Radio in the News                                               
                                                                           
   ARRL Public Information Officers, Coordinators, and many other          
   member-volunteers help keep amateur radio and ARRL in the news.         
                                                                           
   Ham Radio Forms a Planet-Sized Space Weather Sensor Network             
                                                                           
   Eos, February 9, 2021                                                   
                                                                           
   Mississippi Valley Amateur Radio Holds Training in WXOW's Parking Lot   
                                                                           
   ABC News 19 (Minnesota/Wisconsin), February 6, 2021                     
                                                                           
   When Scoutmasters Got Trained to be Amateur Radio Operators             
                                                                           
   Net News Ledger (Canada), February 5, 2021                              
                                                                           
   Concord Student Wins Congressional App Challenge                        
                                                                           
   Patch News (California), February 4, 2021                               
                                                                           
   Share any amateur radio media hits you spot with us.                    
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
   Article: Ham Radio Forms a Planet-Sized Space Weather Sensor Network    
                                                                           
   The article "Ham Radio Forms a Planet-Sized Space Weather Sensor        
   Network," which appeared on February 9 in Eos, Earth & Space Science    
   News, sprang from a project by the Ham Radio Science Citizen            
   Investigation (HamSCI), founded by Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, of the    
   University of Scranton, one of the paper's authors. The other authors   
   are Kristina Collins, KD8OXT, who led the project, and David Kazdan,    
   AD8Y, both of Case Western Reserve University (W8EDU). The article      
   posits that, with their experience dealing with ionosphere-influenced   
   propagation, radio amateurs have an empirical knowledge of space        
   weather and offer a ready-made volunteer science community.             
                                                                           
   The article covers the methods and research being used to monitor the   
   effects of solar activity on Earth's atmosphere, telecommunications,    
   and electrical utilities -- and the valuable data being crowdsourced    
   from amateur radio signals.                                             
                                                                           
   "To fully understand variability on small spatial scales and short      
   timescales, the scientific community will require vastly larger and     
   denser sensing networks that collect data on continental and global     
   scales," the article asserts. "With open-source instrumentation cheaper 
   and more plentiful than ever before, the time is ripe for amateur       
   scientists to take distributed measurements of the ionosphere -- and    
   the amateur radio community is up for the challenge."                   
                                                                           
   "The reach of these crowdsourced systems, and the support of the        
   amateur community, offers tremendous opportunities for scientific       
   measurements," the article notes.                                       
                                                                           
   The research acknowledges a handful of HamSCI collaborators -- from     
   organizations and universities -- and is supported by National Science  
   Foundation grants. HamSCI's Personal Space Weather Station initiative   
   aims to develop a network of specially equipped amateur stations that   
   will allow amateurs to collect useful data for space science            
   researchers. Ham radio operators and researchers, through HamSCI, are   
   designing hardware for a distributed network of personal space weather  
   stations, the article explains.                                         
                                                                           
   The 2021 HamSCI virtual workshop will take place March 19 - 20. Read an 
   expanded version.                                                       
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
                                                                         
   Announcements                                                           
     * CQ has announced that Trent Fleming, N4DTF, of Germantown,          
       Tennessee, has been named CQ magazine's VHF-Plus Editor. He         
       succeeds Tony Emanuele, K8ZR. Fleming's first column will appear in 
       the April 2021 issue of CQ.                                         
     * Michel Godart, F8GGZ, plans to celebrate United Nations World Radio 
       Day, February 13, with special call sign TM23JMR (Journee Mondiale  
       de la Radio). Activity will be on 1.8 through 14 MHz, SSB and CW.   
     * Tom Callas, KC0W, has announced that he's activated Saipan (KH0)    
       for the first time on 60 and 160 meters FT8. "The 160-meter pileups 
       have been massive," he reports. Do not call on his transmit         
       frequency.                                                          
     * Members of the West Bengal Radio Club (VU2WB) in India are          
       celebrating United Nations World Radio Day, February 13, with the   
       special call sign AT2WRD. Operation will continue until February    
       20.                                                                 
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
   A "Perfect Coronal Mass Ejection" Could Be a Nightmare                  
                                                                           
   A new study in the research journal Space Weather considers what might  
   happen if a worst-case coronal mass ejection (CME) hit Earth -- a       
   "perfect solar storm," if you will.                                     
                                                                           
   In 2014, Bruce Tsurutani of Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Gurbax  
   Lakhina of the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism introduced the "perfect 
   CME." It could create a magnetic storm with intensity up to the         
   saturation limit, a value greater than the Carrington Event of 1859,    
   the researchers said. The interplanetary shock would arrive at Earth    
   within about 12 hours, the shock impingement onto the magnetosphere     
   would create a sudden impulse of around 234 nanoteslas (nT), and the    
   magnetic pulse duration in the magnetosphere would be about 22 seconds. 
   Orbiting satellites would be exposed to "extreme levels of flare and    
   interplanetary CME (ICME) shock-accelerated particle radiation," they   
   said. The event would follow an initial CME that would "clear the path  
   in front of it, allowing the storm cloud to hit Earth with maximum      
   force."                                                                 
                                                                           
   The CME's 12-hour travel time would allow little margin for             
   preparation. The CME would hit Earth's magnetosphere at 45 times the    
   local speed of sound, and the resulting geomagnetic storm could be as   
   much as twice as strong as the Carrington Event. Power grids, GPS, and  
   other services could experience significant outages.                    
                                                                           
   More recent research led by physicist Dan Welling of the University of  
   Texas at Arlington took a fresh look at Tsurutani and Lakhina's         
   "perfect CME," and given improvements in spaceweather modeling, he was  
   able to reach new conclusions.                                          
                                                                           
   Welling's team found that geomagnetic disturbances in response to a     
   perfect CME could be 10 times stronger than Tsurutani and Lakhina had   
   calculated, especially at latitudes above 45 to 50ø. Read an expanded   
   version.                                                                
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
   Club Gets Double Duty from Minnesota QSO Party 2021 Operation           
                                                                           
   The Mississippi Valley Amateur Radio Association (MVARA) fielded a team 
   to the parking lot of a local TV station to take part in the Minnesota  
   QSO Party over the February 7 - 8 weekend. Not only did the group get   
   some emergency exercise training but garnered positive publicity for    
   amateur radio from the station's news team. Using special event call    
   sign W0M, 10 radio amateurs -- including one newly minted               
                                                                           
                                      Scott Neader, KA9FOX (left), and     
                                      Bill Kleinschmidt, N9FDE, on the     
                                      air.                                 
                                                                           
   General-class ham who's still awaiting his call sign -- pitched in. The 
   operation took place in an emergency communications bus, with           
   everything set up like a Field Day operation, although in the Minnesota 
   winter.                                                                 
                                                                           
   "MVARA recently acquired a full-sized emergency communications bus that 
   needed some TLC," said Scott Neader, KA9FOX -- one of the operators.    
   "The club has been refurbishing it over the last year and was looking   
   for an opportunity to operate from the bus to test out some of the      
   recent improvements, as well as to test our ability to set up a viable  
   HF communications center in less-than-ideal conditions."                
                                                                           
   "As a bonus to operating at the TV station, the news department         
   couldn't resist checking out what we were doing, and we wound up being  
   a part of the 10 PM news broadcast," Neader said.                       
                                                                           
   Judging from the statistics the club posted on 3830.com, the operation  
   was a great success. "We had a blast and are looking forward to more    
   operations like this, as well as being able to use the communications   
   bus as a mobile tool to educate students and the general public about   
   amateur radio...and to support our communities with any emergency       
   communication needs, as they may arise," Neader said.                   
                                                                           
   The W0M team claimed 203,392 points, with 908 (392 CW + 516 SSB)        
   contacts in 57 US states and Canadian provinces and 54 out of 87        
   Minnesota counties in 10 hours of operating. Read an expanded version.  
                                                                         
   The K7RA Solar Update                                                   
                                                                           
   Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Sunspots are gone, with none seen     
   since February 2 and 3. Spaceweather.com reports that a small           
   proto-sunspot "is struggling to form" at the edge of the sun's          
   southeast quadrant near the eastern horizon. They also report that 56%  
   of the days so far in 2021 have been spotless. For all of 2020, 57% of  
   the days were spotless.                                                 
                                                                           
   Average daily solar flux was 72.8 over this reporting week, down from   
   74.2 last week. Average planetary A index increased from 6.7 to 7.7,    
   and average daily middle latitude A index rose from 4.6 to 6. These are 
   still low, quiet numbers, quite favorable for conditions on 80 and 160  
   meters, particularly during winter.                                     
                                                                           
   Predicted solar flux for the next 30 days is 72 on February 11 - 18; 78 
   on February 19 - 22; 76 on February 23 - 25; 74 on February 26; 73 on   
   February 27 - March 1; 72 on March 2 - 7; 74 on March 8 - 10, and 76 on 
   March 11 - 12. Flux values may rise to 78 again after the middle of     
   March.                                                                  
                                                                           
   Predicted planetary A index is 5 on February 11 - 15; 10 on February 16 
   - 18; 5 on February 19 - 20; 20, 16, and 12 on February 21 - 23; 5 on   
   February 24 - 28; 18 and 14 on March 1 - 2; 5 on March 3 - 4; 8, 20,    
   and 10 on March 5 - 7, and 5 on March 8 - 12.                           
                                                                           
   Sunspot numbers for February 4 - 10, 2021 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, and 0, 
   with a mean of 0. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 73.9, 72.8, 72.5, 73.2,  
   73.6, 70, and 73.7, with a mean of 72.8. Estimated planetary A indices  
   were 7, 6, 7, 21, 6, 4, and 3, with a mean of 7.7. Middle latitude A    
   index was 7, 3, 4, 18, 6, 3, and 1, with a mean of 6.                   
                                                                           
   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. For customizable           
   propagation charts, visit the VOACAP Online for Ham Radio website.      
                                                                           
   Share your reports and observations.                                    
   In Brief...                                                             
                                                                           
   ARRL Member Sean Donelan, KM6NGN, of Concord, California, is the winner 
   of the 2020 Congressional App Challenge (CAC) for California's 11th     
   District, according to an announcement from US Representative Mark      
   DeSaulnier (CA-11). Donelan, a 9th grader at Northgate High School,     
   designed and created NetHam: The Public Service Event Coordinator's     
   Third Hand. "My app is a radio that partially automates the more        
   arduous and monotonous tasks of being the main operator of an amateur   
   radio voice net. These tasks include automated sign-in of operators,    
   easy tracking of participants without lengthy radio conversations, and  
   an operator attention-keeper/attention-caller," Donelan told ARRL. "The 
   point of these features is to allow a radio net control station to      
   focus on the more important task of relaying pertinent information      
   around a radio network, rather than focusing on constantly reciting and 
   editing operator and event participant rosters."                        
                                                                           
   A scientific paper has linked Jupiter with solar cycles. The paper,     
   published in Solar Physics, predicts that the Solar Cycle 25 maximum    
   will take place in 2026 and reach an amplitude similar to that of Solar 
   Cycle 24. "This article deals with the prediction of the upcoming solar 
   activity cycle, Solar Cycle 25. We propose that astronomical ephemeris, 
   specifically taken from the catalogs of aphelia of the four Jovian      
   planets, could be drivers of variations in solar activity, represented  
   by the series of sunspot numbers (SSN) from 1749 to 2020," the abstract 
   reads. "We conclude with a prediction of Solar Cycle 25 that can be     
   compared to a dozen predictions by other authors: The maximum would     
   occur in 2026.2 (ñ 1 year) and reach an amplitude of 97.6 (ñ 7.8),      
   similar to that of Solar Cycle 24."                                     
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
   Just Ahead in Radiosport                                                
     * February 13 -- Asia-Pacific Spring Sprint, CW                       
     * February 13 -- Feld Hell Sprint                                     
     * February 13 -- RSGB 1.8 MHz Contest (CW)                            
     * February 13 - 14 -- The HamCation QSO Party                         
     * February 13 - 14 -- CQ WW RTTY WPX Contest                          
     * February 13 - 14 -- SARL Field Day Contest (CW, phone, digital)     
     * February 13 - 14 -- Dutch PACC Contest (CW, phone)                  
     * February 13 - 14 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon (CW)                   
     * February 13 - 15 -- YLRL YL-OM Contest (CW, phone, digital)         
     * February 13 - 14 -- OMISS QSO Party (Phone)                         
     * February 13 - 14 -- AWA AM QSO Party                                
     * February 14 -- PODXS 070 Club Valentine Sprint                      
     * February 14 -- Balkan HF Contest (CW, phone)                        
     * February 15 -- CQC Winter QSO Party (CW)                            
     * February 15 -- 4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint (CW, phone)  
     * February 15 -- RSGB FT4 Contest Series                              
     * February 17 -- AGCW Semi-Automatic Key Evening                      
     * February 20 - 21 -- ARRL International DX Contest (CW)              
                                                                           
   Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions                  
                                                                           
   Many conventions and hamfests have been canceled or postponed due to    
   the coronavirus pandemic. Check the calendar of canceled events on the  
   ARRL website.                                                           
     * February 13 - 14 -- Orlando HamCation Special Edition (online)      
     * March 13 - 14 -- QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo                         
                                                                           
   Find conventions and hamfests in your area.                             
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
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