The ARRL Letter
September 26, 2019
* ARRL Thanks Official Observers as Volunteer Monitor Program is Set
to Debut
* ARRL Sets Facebook Live Event for Collegiate Amateur Radio Clubs
* Nine Schools and Organizations Make the Cut for Ham Contacts with
ISS Crew
* 1921 Solar Event May Have Been Bigger than Carrington Event
* The Doctor Will See You Now!
* The K7RA Solar Update
* Just Ahead in Radiosport
* WWV Centennial Celebration and Special Event Kick Off this Weekend
* Amateur Radio CubeSats among 15 Set to Launch on October 21
* "Storm Area 51" Event Attracts Modest Crowd, Following ARES/RACES
Deployment
* In Brief...
* Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
ARRL Thanks Official Observers as Volunteer Monitor Program is Set to
Debut
As the September 30 date for the closing of the Official Observer (OO)
program nears, ARRL has expressed deep appreciation to the hundreds of
volunteers who gave their time as Official Observers to help preserve
the integrity of the Amateur Radio bands.
The Official Observer program has served the Amateur Radio community
and assisted the FCC Enforcement Bureau for more than 85 years. The OO
program is giving way to the new Volunteer Monitor (VM) program,
established as part of a formal partnership between ARRL and the FCC.
ARRL and the FCC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) earlier
this year that establishes the Volunteer Monitor program as a successor
to the Official Observers. The first Volunteer Monitors should be in
place and ready to begin their duties this fall.
"Thank you for your dedication and service," ARRL Regulatory
Information Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, said. "It was the good work of
the OOs over many years that laid the foundation for the FCC to
recommend this new agreement for enforcement." The FCC proposed the
program following the closures of several FCC regional offices and a
reduction in field staff.
Last February, Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, who once handled Amateur
Radio enforcement for the FCC, was named to oversee the development and
implementation phases of the Volunteer Monitor program.
Under the new VM program, volunteers trained and vetted by ARRL will
monitor the airwaves and gather evidence that could be used to correct
misconduct as well as to recognize exemplary on-air operation. ARRL
will refer instances of flagrant violation to the FCC for action, in
accordance with FCC guidelines, and the FCC will give priority to
enforcement cases developed by the VM program.
Official Observers were invited to apply to become Volunteer Monitors,
and many did. The requirements for being a Volunteer Monitor include:
* Ability to utilize state-of-the-art receiving equipment and to
access no-cost remote receive sites; strong writing and
communication skills
* An understanding of the importance of thorough documentation
* Basic word processing and data entry skills
* The ability to send such information, including recordings, to ARRL
electronically. Applicants must also be ARRL members, have no
history of FCC enforcement action, hold a Technician-class or
higher license, and been licensed for at least 3 years.
Applicants underwent a training and certification program administered
by ARRL and were vetted by ARRL through at least one oral interview and
a preliminary evaluation by ARRL staff. Volunteer Monitors will serve
3-year terms at the pleasure of ARRL.
The objectives of the Volunteer Monitoring Program include improving
and promoting knowledge and compliance of FCC Amateur Radio Service
rules, extending and preserving the tradition of self-regulation and
self-administration of the Amateur Radio Service by volunteers, and
enabling the FCC Enforcement Bureau "to more efficiently and
effectively utilize its resources in enforcing the Communications Act
and Commission rules," according to the MOU.
ARRL Sets Facebook Live Event for Collegiate Amateur Radio Clubs
ARRL is inviting campus radio clubs to join a Facebook Live Event on
Wednesday, October 16, at 6:30 PM PDT and MST; 7:30 PM MDT; 8:30 PM
CDT, or 9:30 PM EDT. The University of Arizona Amateur Radio Club
(K7UAZ) is hosting the event.
ARRL staff member Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, and students from the radio
club will discuss topics involving Amateur Radio clubs at colleges and
universities, including how to recruit student members, popular
activities for campus radio clubs, and Amateur Radio as a springboard
for career connections, networking, and practical experience. Your
ideas and questions are welcome, and student radio club members and
advisors may participate.
This event will stream live on the ARRL Collegiate Amateur Radio
Initiative (CARI) Facebook group, where collegiate radio clubs may
share information, techniques, and resources. The ARRL Collegiate
Amateur Radio Initiative is sponsored in part by the W1YSM Snyder
Family Collegiate Amateur Radio Endowment Fund.
Nine Schools and Organizations Make the Cut for Ham Contacts with ISS
Crew
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has announced
that nine schools and organizations have been selected to host Amateur
Radio contacts with International Space Station crew members during the
first half of 2020. The selected host organizations must now complete
an equipment plan that demonstrates their ability to execute the ham
radio contact. Once a plan is approved, the final selected
schools/organizations will have contacts scheduled as their
availability matches up with the opportunities offered by NASA.
The schools and host organizations are: Celia Hays Elementary School,
Rockwall, Texas; Golden Gate Middle School, Naples, Florida; J.P.
McConnell Middle School, Loganville, Georgia; Kittredge Magnet School,
Atlanta, Georgia; Maple Dale Elementary School, Cincinnati, Ohio;
Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, Nashville,
Tennessee; Oakwood School, Morgan Hill, California; Ramona Lutheran
School, Ramona, California, and River Ridge High School, New Port
Richey Florida.
The primary goal of the ARISS program is to engage young people in
science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) activities and
raise their awareness of space communication, radio communication,
space exploration, and related areas of study and career possibilities.
1921 Solar Event May Have Been Bigger than Carrington Event
Scientific American reports that, according to new data, the "New York
Railroad Storm" of 1921 may have surpassed the intensity of the famous
Carrington Event of 1859. In his paper published in the journal Space
Weather, Jeffrey Love of the US Geological Survey and his colleagues
reexamined the intensity of the 1921 event in greater detail than
previously.
Although different measures of intensity exist, geomagnetic storms are
often rated on an index called disturbance storm time (D_st) -- a way
of gauging global magnetic activity by averaging out values for the
strength of Earth's magnetic field measured at multiple locations.
Earth's baseline D_st level is about -20 nanoteslas (nT), with a
"superstorm" condition occurring when levels fall below -250 nT.
Studies of the very limited magnetic data from the Carrington Event peg
its intensity at anywhere from -850 to -1,050 nT. According to Love's
study, the 1921 storm came in at about -907 nT.
Peter Ward in his 2017 New York History Blog article "Strange
Phenomena: The New York Railroad Storm" recounted that theatre-goers in
New York City "marveled at the spectacle" of an iridescent cloud that
was brighter than the moon. "On the roof of the Times Building,
reporters, having discovered the telegraph lines to be curiously
blocked, gathered to watch the aerial kaleidoscope," he wrote.
As with the earlier Carrington Event, telegraph operators experienced
wild fluctuations in the current on their circuits, while wireless
propagation was enhanced. "The next day, papers reported that the
Central New England railroad station (also home to the telegraph
switchboard) had burned to the ground." Railroad officials later blamed
the fire on the aurora.
According to Ward's article, the lights were visible in New York,
California, and Nevada. Especially in rural areas, "the lights were
said to be brighter, appear closer to the ground, and even move with a
swishing sound."
Railroad and telegraph service were restored the following week,
although one Western Union transatlantic cable showed signs of damage.
"Delays and damage lead to some referring to it as the New York
Railroad Storm," Ward wrote.
A dramatic description of the event on the SolarStorms.org website
said, "At 7:04 AM on May 15, the entire signal and switching system of
the New York Central Railroad below 125th Street was put out of
operation, followed by a fire in the control tower at 57th Street and
Park Avenue."
The short article said a telegraph operator reported being driven away
from his station by flames that enveloped his switchboard and set the
building on fire. "In Sweden a telephone station was reported to have
been 'burned out,' and the storm interfered with telephone, telegraph,
and cable traffic over most of Europe," the article said.
The Doctor Will See You Now!
"Keeping Water out of Coaxial Cables" is the topic of the new
(September 26) episode of the ARRL The Doctor is In podcast.
Listen...and learn!
Sponsored by DX Engineering, ARRL The Doctor is In is an informative
discussion of all things technical. Listen on your computer, tablet, or
smartphone -- whenever and wherever you like!
Every 2 weeks, your host, QST Editor-in-Chief Steve Ford, WB8IMY, and
the Doctor himself, Joel Hallas, W1ZR, will discuss a broad range of
technical topics. You can also email your questions to doctor@arrl.org,
and the Doctor may answer them in a future podcast.
Enjoy ARRL The Doctor is In on Apple iTunes, or by using your iPhone or
iPad podcast app (just search for ARRL The Doctor is In). You can also
listen online at Blubrry, or at Stitcher (free registration required,
or browse the site as a guest) and through the free Stitcher app for
iOS, Kindle, or Android devices. If you've never listened to a podcast
before, download our beginner's guide.
The K7RA Solar Update
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Sorry, still no sunspots.
Spaceweather.com reported on September 25 that the sun has been
spotless for more than 3 weeks -- 23 consecutive days -- and with 89%
spotless days this summer. So far in 2019, 72% of the days have been
spotless, equal to what it was in the last solar minimum in 2008 and
2009.
We transitioned through the fall equinox this week. This is a good time
for HF propagation, even with low solar activity, whether you are in
Northern Hemisphere's fall or Southern Hemisphere's spring.
Over the September 19 - 25 reporting week, the average daily solar flux
shifted marginally from 68.1 to 67.3, while average daily planetary A
index reflected quiet geomagnetic conditions, dipping from 8.3 to 5.4.
The mid-latitude index went from 8 to 4.6.
Predicted solar flux is 67 on September 26 - October 3, and 68 on
October 4 - November 9.
Predicted planetary A index is 8, 28, 45, 24, and 12 on September 26 -
30; 12 and 8 on October 1 - 2; 5 on October 3 - 5; 12 on October 6; 5
on October 7 - 9; 8, 5, 8, 10, 8, and 8 on October 10 - 15; 5 on
October 16 - 19; 12 and 8 on October 20 - 21; 5 on October 22 - 24; 25,
18, 10, 5, and 8 on October 25 - 29; 5 on October 30 - November 1; 10
on November 2; 5 on November 3 - 5, and 8, 5, 8, and 10 on November 6 -
9.
The planetary A index forecast of 28, 45, and 24 for September 27 - 29
is due to solar wind spewing from a large coronal hole, the same one
that gave us planetary A indices of 38 and 45 on August 31 and
September 1 -- now after making a trip around the sun. Look for it
again on October 25 - 26.
Sunspot numbers for September 19 - 25 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, and 0,
with a mean of 0. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 67.1, 67.2, 67.7, 68.3,
66.1, 67.1, and 67.5, with a mean of 67.3. Estimated planetary A
indices were 4, 3, 7, 4, 3, 13, and 4, with a mean of 5.4. Middle
latitude A index was 4, 3, 7, 2, 2, 11, and 3, with a mean of 4.6.
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. Monthly charts offer
propagation projections between the US and a dozen DX locations.
Share your reports and observations.
Just Ahead in Radiosport
* September 28 - 29 -- CQ Worldwide DX Contest, RTTY
* September 28 - 29 -- Maine QSO Party (CW, phone)
* September 30 - October 1 -- QCX Challenge (CW)
* October 1 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW)
* October 1 -- 220 MHz Fall Sprint (CW, phone, digital)
* October 1 - 7 -- IQRP Quarterly Marathon (CW, phone, digital)
* October 2 -- UKEICC 80-Meter Contest (phone)
* October 3 -- German Telegraphy Contest (CW)
* October 3 -- SARL 80-Meter QSO Party (phone)
* October 3 -- NRAU 10-Meter Activity Contest (CW, phone, digital)
* October 3 -- 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.
WWV Centennial Celebration and Special Event Kick Off this Weekend
The culmination of months of planning will come to a head this weekend
as the WWV Centennial Celebration and the related WW0WWV Amateur Radio
special event get under way. WW0WWV will begin operation on Saturday at
0000 UTC and continue through October 2 at 0000 UTC. The National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Northern Colorado
Amateur Radio Club (NCARC), and the WWV Amateur Radio Club have teamed
up to organize 100th anniversary events. WW0WWV will be active around
the clock on 160 - 6 meters on CW, SSB, and digital modes (FT8
operation will be Fox and Hound, except on 160 meters). WW0WWV will
operate from the challenging RF environment at the WWV site near Fort
Collins, Colorado. Logs will be streamed live to Club Log, and all logs
will be uploaded to Logbook of The World (LoTW) after the event ends.
WW0WWV committee member Dave Swartz, W0DAS, said he's been addressing
last-minute details and putting out "many little fires." Swartz is
camping out at the WWV site ahead of the special event.
A c1920 WWV transmitter, built by
National Bureau of Standards staff
and coupled with a hand-crank
record player. [Photo courtesy of
WWV/NIST]
WWV is reputed to be among the oldest -- if not the oldest --
continuously operating radio stations in the world. It started out as
an experimental station that eventually became a time and frequency
standard, and WWV often broadcast music in its early years. WWV served
as a beacon for Amateur Radio pioneers, who may only have had a rough
idea of where they were transmitting. When they began, early time
announcements were in CW. Voice announcements did not start until 1950.
Time announcements used to be every 5 minutes, but WWV switched to
announcing the time every 60 seconds in 1971.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
W3V East Coast Special Event Will Also Mark WWV Centennial
An unrelated east coast special event, W3V in Maryland, will also
celebrate the 100th anniversary of WWV. Originally an
experimental/demonstration radio station, WWV was licensed to what then
was called the National Bureau of Standards -- today NIST -- on October
1, 1919. The transmitter site, initially in the Washington, DC,
suburbs, moved to the grounds of the Agricultural Research Center
(BARC) in Beltsville, Maryland, in the 1930s, before relocating to
Colorado in 1966.
The WWV Beltsville, Maryland, home
of WWV from 1943 until 1966. [Photo
courtesy of WWV/NIST]
The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) also was located on the
BARC campus, and the Goddard Amateur Radio Club (GARC) will host the
W3V special event September 28 - October 2 at the GARC club station,
just north of the old WWV site. It will use the former WA3NAN space
shuttle HF retransmission frequencies -- 3.860, 7.185, 14.295, 21.395,
and 28.650 MHz -- as well as amateur satellites. For many years, the
GARC retransmissions used 100-foot wooden antenna poles that it
inherited from WWV.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
As part of the WWV centennial, HamSCI and the Case Amateur Radio Club
of Case Western Reserve University (W8EDU) invites all radio amateurs
and others capable of making highly accurate HF measurements to
participate in the WWV Centennial Festival of Frequency Measurement.
The event will take place on WWV's centennial, October 1, from 0000 to
2359 UTC (starting on Monday evening, September 30, in the Americas).
Participants are requested to share their data with the HamSCI
community on the Zenodo data-sharing site.
Amateur Radio CubeSats among 15 Set to Launch on October 21
AMSAT reports that an Antares II launch vehicle will carry 15 CubeSats
into orbit on October 21 from Wallops Island as part of NASA
Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) Mission 25. Some will
carry Amateur Radio payloads.
* TJ REVERB, developed by students at Thomas Jefferson High School in
Alexandria, Virginia, will carry a 145.825 MHz APRS digipeater.
* HuskySat, a University of Washington - Seattle project, will be
boosted into a 500-kilometer (approximately 310-mile) orbit via the
Cygnus external deployment device. HuskySat will carry a V/U linear
transponder provided in cooperation with AMSAT.
[IMG]Other satellites announced for the ELaNa 25 launch include Argus
(St. Louis University), 437 MHz telemetry; AzTechSat-1 (NASA Ames
Research Center) 437 MHz telemetry; CySat (Iowa State University) 436
MHz telemetry; Phoenix (Arizona State University) 437 and 2400 MHz
telemetry; RadSat-U (Montana State University) 437 MHz telemetry; SPOC
(University of Georgia) 437 and 2400 MHz telemetry, and SwampSat II
(University of Florida) 437 and 2400 MHz telemetry. -- Thanks to AMSAT
News Service
"Storm Area 51" Event Attracts Modest Crowd, Following ARES/RACES
Deployment
The much-heralded "Storm Area 51" event that started out as a joke on
social media, prompted states of emergency in two Nevada counties
A "Storm Area 51" publicity poster.
[Photo courtesy of Alien Research
Center]
and spurred an Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES^(R))/Radio Amateur
Civil Emergency Service (RACES) deployment. As do many storms, this one
failed to live up to its hype. No one stormed anything, and no
extraterrestrials were sighted, beyond variously costumed earthlings
embracing the vibe. The Storm Area 51 weekend of September 20 - 22
instead morphed into a music festival and other events along a 50-mile
stretch of highway running through the Nevada desert known as
Extraterrestrial Highway (Nevada Highway 375).
At the core of the whole concept was a call urging people to storm the
mysterious US Air Force Facility known as Area 51 in the Nevada Test
and Training Range to see if extraterrestrial life forms said to have
been recovered by the US military following UFO sightings in the 1950s
were being held there. The military issued stern warnings to stay away,
and the FAA was reported to have closed the airspace above the area.
Some 2 million initially indicated they were game for the event, but
attendance predictions subsequently were tempered considerably.
Ultimately, an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 visitors heeded the call, and
only a hundred or so even made it to the main gate. A couple of people
were arrested.
The so-called Extraterrestrial
Highway in Nevada, during quieter
--- QScan/PCB v1.20a / 01-0462
* Origin: Christian Fellowship | cfbbs.no-ip.com 856-933-7096 (1:266/512)
|
