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Subject: The Weekly ARRL Letter Date: Fri Apr 03 2020 09:05 am
From: Sean Dennis To: All

   The ARRL Letter                                                         
   April 2, 2020                                                           
                                                                           
     * FCC Grants Temporary Emergency Authority to WISPs Operating in 5.8   
       GHz Band                                                             
     * HamSCI 2020 Workshop Successfully Reworked as a Virtual Event        
     * ARRL Field Day 2020 -- A Time to apt                               
     * ARRL Podcasts Schedule                                               
     * Canceled Ohio ARES State Conference Morphs into Statewide           
       Communication Exercise                                              
     * Contest Entry Features Multiple Operator Locations and Remote       
       Transmitter-Receiver Site                                           
     * To All ARRL Members and ARRL VEC Accredited Volunteer Examiners     
     * The K7RA Solar Update                                               
     * Just Ahead in Radiosport                                            
     * Western Pennsylvania ARES Group Conducts District-Wide Simplex      
       Drill                                                               
     * COVID-19 Affects Space Station Crew Transition                      
     * 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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   FCC Grants Temporary Emergency Authority to WISPs Operating in 5.8 GHz  
   Band                                                                    
                                                                           
   The FCC has granted temporary permission to wireless internet service   
   providers (WISPs) in rural portions of 29 states and the US Virgin      
   Islands to operate in the 5.8 GHz band (5.850 - 5.895 GHz). The         
   authorization, to help meet the temporary surge in demand for           
   residential fixed broadband services during the COVID-19 pandemic, was  
   one of multiple waivers issued in the past week that grant temporary    
   access to a variety of bands in response to the uptick in residential   
   broadband demand.                                                       
                                                                           
   The 5.8 GHz grants were effective on March 26. Each grant is for 60     
   days, provided individual WISPs file STA applications within 10 days of 
   March 26. Amateur radio shares this spectrum on a secondary basis with  
   Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) systems and industrial,     
   scientific, and medical (ISM) applications, and that status remains     
   unchanged.                                                              
                                                                           
   "[E]ach applicant is independently responsible for complying with the   
   conditions of its grant," the FCC's Keith D. Harper, Associate Chief of 
   the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau's Mobility Division, wrote in    
   granting the request. "Applicants are advised that this includes        
   ensuring proper protection of incumbents in the 5.8 GHz band." The      
   Commission noted that WISPs are responsible for ensuring that they do   
   not cause interference to existing licensees.                           
                                                                           
   According to the request, each of the WISPs provides fixed wireless     
   broadband service in rural areas, primarily relying on unlicensed       
   spectrum for last-mile connections to end users. "Many of the WISPs'    
   customers have no other alternative to terrestrial broadband services," 
   the request said.                                                       
                                                                           
   The Commission's emergency grant explicitly requires that the WISP      
   operations be conducted on a non-interference basis. Read more.         
   HamSCI 2020 Workshop Successfully Reworked as a Virtual Event           
                                                                           
   Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the March 20 - 21 HamSCI Workshop     
   went on as scheduled, moving to a free, all-digital webinar workshop.   
   The theme of the 2020 workshop was "The Auroral Connection -- How does  
   the aurora affect amateur radio, and what can we learn about the aurora 
   from radio techniques?" Organizer and                                   
                                                                           
                                            Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF,     
                                            moderated the online           
                                            conference.                    
                                                                           
   University of Scranton professor Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, told ARRL   
   that he was quite happy with the outcome, after the in-person workshop  
   had to be called off as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.           
                                                                           
   "In some ways, it was good for us," Frissell said. "We actually got     
   many more participants than had we just held it in person."             
   Expectations for the live event were for about 100 participants.        
   Online, Zoom -- the webinar platform used for the workshop -- reported  
   290 unique logins from 24 countries. After cancellation of the          
   in-person workshop, Frissell had to scramble to make the virtual event  
   a reality.                                                              
                                                                           
   "I had the webinar running in practice mode for about 2 or 3 days       
   before the workshop, and I let presenters log in whenever they wanted   
   to test things out," Frissell said.                                     
                                                                           
   Another hurdle to overcome was figuring out how to convert poster       
   presentations to electronic format. "The Aurorasaurus group really      
   helped out with that," Frissell said, noting that Aurorasaurus Project  
   manager Laura Brandt came up with a method for presenting the posters   
   electronically and made sure the poster session ran smoothly.           
                                                                           
   In a blog post, Brandt called the workshop "the first of its kind in    
   heliophysics." The Aurorasaurus Project theme is "Reporting Auroras     
   from the Ground Up."                                                    
                                                                           
   "The annual HamSCI Workshop provided the perfect opportunity to         
   introduce citizen scientists and scientists from the aurora and ham     
   radio communities and build connections for future collaboration,"      
                                                                           
   Phil Erickson, W1PJE,                                                   
   of MIT's Haystack                                                       
   Observatory was among                                                   
   the presenters and                                                      
   participants.                                                           
                                                                           
   Brandt said. "Both aurora and ham radio citizen scientists work closely 
   with the Earth's atmosphere and ionosphere, but while aurora folks tend 
   to think about how what we see reveals aspects of the ionosphere, ham   
   radio operators tend to think about what radio waves can tell us about  
   the ionosphere."                                                        
                                                                           
   Oral presentations were delivered as originally scheduled and in the    
   same format as if they were being delivered at the in-person workshop.  
                                                                           
   The workshop served as a team meeting for the HamSCI Personal Space     
   Weather Station project that's funded by a  National Science Foundation 
   (NSF) grant to Frissell as its principal investigator. The project      
   seeks to harness the power of a network of radio amateurs to better     
   understand and measure the effects of weather in the upper levels of    
   Earth's atmosphere.                                                     
                                                                           
   Workshop presentations are being archived. Read more.                   
                                                                         
   ARRL Field Day 2020 -- A Time to apt                                  
                                                                           
   Many individuals and groups organizing events for ARRL Field Day 2020   
   have been contacting ARRL for guidance on how to adapt their planned    
   activities in this unprecedented time of social distancing and          
   uncertainty.                                                            
                                                                           
   "Due to the unique situation presented this year, this can be an        
   opportunity for you, your club, or your group to try something new,"    
   ARRL Contest Manager Paul Bourque, N1SFE, said. "Field Day isn't about  
   doing things the same way year after year. Use this year to develop and 
   employ a new approach that is in line with the current circumstances."  
                                                                           
   Social distancing and state and local requirements very likely will     
   impact just how -- and even whether -- you are able to participate in   
   Field Day this year. ARRL continues monitoring the coronavirus          
   situation, paying close attention to information and guidance offered   
   by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If social      
   distancing means that Class A with a 30-member team set up in a city    
   park won't work this year, then it's time for a Plan B. Part of the     
   Field Day concept has always been adapting your operation to the        
   situation at hand. At its heart, Field Day is an emergency              
   communication demonstration. Field Day rules are flexible enough to     
   allow individuals and groups to adjust their participation and          
   strategies in a way that still addresses their needs while being fun.   
   Some possibilities include:                                             
     * Encouraging club members to operate from their home stations on     
       emergency power (Class E).                                          
     * Using the club's repeater as a means for individual participants to 
       keep in touch during the event.                                     
     * Setting up a portable station in the backyard with a temporary      
       antenna for family members interested in operating Field Day, who   
       are now unable to participate as part of a larger group.            
                                                                           
   One big impact this year will be a decline in public visibility and any 
   interaction with the visitors. Prudence may dictate dispensing with the 
   ham radio PR table to attract passersby, should you set up in a more    
   public location. It's okay not to score all the bonus points you may    
   have attempted in the past. Local and served agency officials may be    
   unwilling to visit, which is understandable under the circumstances. Do 
   be sure to reach out to them as part of your preparations and remind    
   them that you look forward to continuing your working relationship with 
   them in the future.                                                     
                                                                           
   The impact will differ from place to place, so ARRL recommends that all 
   amateur radio clubs participating in Field Day stay in regular contact  
   with local or state public health officials for their advice and        
   guidance on hosting Field Day activities.                               
                                                                           
   "With any emergency preparedness exercise, it's not about adapting the  
   situation to your operation; it's about adapting your operation to the  
   situation that presents itself," Bourque said. "Try something           
   different." Read more. -- Thanks to Paul Bourque, N1SFE, and Dan        
   Henderson, N1ND                                                         
   ARRL Podcasts Schedule                                                  
                                                                           
   The latest (March 12) episode of the On the Air podcast focuses on how  
   to calculate feed line loss, real-world examples of how digital and     
   analog FM transceivers handle weak signals, and an interview with Rob   
   Macedo, KD1CY, Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator 
   and SKYWARN Coordinator for the National Weather Service Boston/Norton  
   office. Rob offers information about how hams can get involved with     
   SKYWARN.                                                                
                                                                           
   The latest episode of the Eclectic Tech podcast (Episode 4) includes an 
   interview with Eric Knight, KB1EHE, updating the RF-based Alzheimer's   
   therapy featured in QST, and an interview with Robert Dixon, W8ERD,     
   about the "Wow!" signal and SETI. Dixon was the Big Ear project         
   director when the Wow! signal was received.                             
                                                                           
   Both podcasts are available on iTunes (iOS) and Stitcher (Android), as  
   well as on Blubrry -- On the Air | Eclectic Tech.                       
                                                                         
   Canceled Ohio ARES State Conference Morphs into Statewide Communication 
   Exercise                                                                
                                                                           
   Ohio Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) canceled the Ohio ARES      
   State Conference set for April 4 due to the coronavirus pandemic and    
   repurposed the date for a statewide communication exercise, with an     
   emphasis on communicating from home.                                    
                                                                           
   "Ohio has a high-profile station at the state Emergency Operations      
   Center (EOC), with regular weekly EOC nets," ARES Section Emergency     
   Coordinator Stan Broadway, N8BHL, said. "But with the national emphasis 
   on staying home, we turned the vacated day into a 2-hour series of nets 
   designed to have amateur operators check in using their home stations." 
                                                                           
   The exercise was the brainchild of Assistant SEC Tim Price, K8WFL, who  
   suggested it would be a great way to showcase amateur radio's           
   capabilities for state and community leaders. The Ohio HF Emergency Net 
   will take check-ins on 40 and 80 meters (SSB), with the Ohio Digital    
   Emergency Net (OHDEN) operating on 80 meters. Then, around 1 PM ET, a   
   linked digital radio system will be brought into play, using DMR's Ohio 
   talk group linked to the Fusion "Ohio Link" group. Broadway said        
   stations will simply check in; no traffic will be handled. "It's just   
   designed to prove we can communicate from home, while locked down, and  
   still get the job done," he told ARRL.                                  
                                                                           
   "This is the same network topology used for the Ohio Watch Desk         
   Project, providing statewide reporting during such events as the        
   Memorial Day tornado outbreak last spring," Broadway said. The reports  
   are fed directly to the watch desk at Ohio's state EOC, to enhance      
   situational awareness for state emergency managers. "We plan to video   
   an operator on the State House steps, talking statewide using a small   
   handheld," Broadway said. "This demonstration can be used to enhance    
   our discussion of amateur radio with local and state officials."        
                                                                           
   Broadway said HF can be problematic most of the time if storms are      
   moving across, producing static, and digital modes fill in the gap.     
   Read more. -- Thanks to Stan Broadway, N8BHL                            
                                                                           
   Contest Entry Features Multiple Operator Locations and Remote           
   Transmitter-Receiver Site                                               
                                                                           
   Restrictions on gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic recently        
   prompted a novel approach to multioperator/multi-transmitter operation. 
   The WW2DX entry in the CQ World Wide WPX SSB Contest over the March 28  
   - 29 weekend featured 10 operators, each at separate locations around   
   the US and in Europe, all operating via a                               
                                                                           
   Connor Black, W4IPC.                                                    
                                                                           
   single remote site on the coast of eastern Maine. WW2DX entered in the  
   Multioperator, High Power category, racking up a claimed score of       
   32,026,176 points. NR6O operated from the west coast with a smaller     
   complement of remote operators in the Multioperator, High Power         
   category.                                                               
                                                                           
   "It was so much fun to work this contest," one of the WW2DX operators,  
   17-year-old Connor Black, W4IPC, said. "This was the most fun I've had  
   in a contest ever. We had no equipment failures and pulled off,         
   hopefully, a new US record."                                            
                                                                           
   In soapbox comments on the 3830scores.com website, Lee Imber, WW2DX,    
   expressed his belief that this year's contest would be viewed as a      
   turning point in multioperator contesting. Participants had nothing but 
   a web browser and a USB headset to operate, with the closest team       
   partner some 625 miles away. "No radio, no hardware, no traveling, and  
   no external logger," he noted.                                          
                                                                           
                                           What the WW2DX operators saw.   
                                                                           
   Team members brainstormed various configurations. Rock Schrock, WW1X,   
   custom-engineered the requisite software. In addition to Black, the     
   team included a few other young -- but experienced -- contesters:       
   13-year-old Charles Hoppe, AA4LS; 17-year-old Mason Matrazzo, KM4SII,   
   and 21-year-old Tucker McGuire, W4FS. The more senior team members were 
   K1LZ, K3JO, W1ADI, W2RE, WW1X, and WW2DX.                               
                                                                           
   "We also used Slack and created a channel for the team to stay          
   connected over the weekend, and this ended up being half the fun,"      
   Imber said. Another feature included the "multi bell," which would      
   chime whenever a new multiplier was logged. He said it was "awesome     
   having seasoned pro operators sharing and mentoring these young         
   contesters."                                                            
                                                                           
   "The world is experiencing something on a whole new level," he          
   observed.  Read more.                                                   
                                                                         
   To All ARRL Members and ARRL VEC Accredited Volunteer Examiners         
                                                                           
   We know many examiners have canceled amateur radio license exam         
   sessions to meet the requirements and recommendations of national and   
   local government and of health officials. The health and safety of      
   examinees and our Volunteer Examiners (VEs) is first and foremost in    
   any decision-making process. The ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator    
   (VEC) does not offer video-supervised online amateur radio licensing    
   exams at the present time. We are aware, however, that some VE teams    
   are exploring alternative formats on a local basis. Please use ARRL's   
   License Exam Search to find scheduled exam sessions in your area and    
   verify with the local exam team that the session is still being held.   
                                                                           
   The ARRL VEC is continuing to process license examination materials     
   from VEs who have completed exam sessions, although some delays may     
   occur under the circumstances. The ARRL VEC electronically forwards all 
   required data to the FCC for qualified examinees.                       
                                                                           
   We understand that some examination candidates are continuing their     
   studies toward new amateur radio licenses and license upgrades. We also 
   know some will be frustrated that, at this time, the ARRL VEC does not  
   offer online licensing exams. Amateur radio is not alone in this        
   challenge, though.                                                      
                                                                           
   While each of us continues to respond to the immediate evolving crisis, 
   we also know that we must keep an eye on the future. Throughout its     
   decades of service, the VEC system has served the FCC as a shining      
   example of the successes of a privatized system. The ARRL VEC and our   
   VEs are recognized throughout the Amateur Radio Service for our         
   integrity and efficiency. apting our all-volunteer license            
   examination administration will be a challenge, but it's a challenge we 
   are committed to undertake in order to advance the program and improve  
   service.                                                                
                                                                           
   While we face unprecedented challenges, opportunities also await. We    
   are grateful to support radio amateurs in our common pursuit of skill,  
   service, and discovery. ARRL and the ARRL VEC remain steadfast in       
   serving the amateur radio community. We will provide updates as they    
   become available.                                                       
   The K7RA Solar Update                                                   
                                                                           
   Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: A new sunspot appeared on the last    
   day in March and the first day in April, with daily sunspot numbers of  
   12 and 13, respectively. Prior to this, no sunspots had been seen since 
   earlier in March, when daily sunspot numbers were 13 and 12, on March 8 
   - 9.                                                                    
                                                                           
   Average daily solar flux this week (March 26 - April 1) declined from   
   71.1 to 69.4. Average daily geomagnetic indicators were identical to    
   the previous week, with planetary A index at 7.7 and middle latitude A  
   index at 5.9.                                                           
                                                                           
   Predicted solar flux for the next 45 days is 70 on April 2 - 7; 69, 68, 
   and 68 on April 8 - 10; 70 on April 11 - 22; 68 on April 23 - May 7,    
   and 70 on May 8 - 16.                                                   
                                                                           
   Predicted planetary A index is 8 on April 2 - 3; 5 on April 4 - 14; 10  
   on April 15; 8 on April 16 - 19; 5 on April 20 - 25; 12 on April 26 -   
   27; 8 on April 28 - 29; 5 on April 30 - May 11; 10 on May 12, and 8 on  
   May 13 - 16.                                                            
                                                                           
   Sunspot numbers for March 26 - April 1 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 12, and 13,  
   with a mean of 0. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 70.2, 69.4, 69.2, 68.8,  
   69.3, 69.9, and 69.2, with a mean of 71.1. Estimated planetary A        
   indices were 5, 5, 5, 7, 11, 15, and 6, with a mean of 7.7. Middle      
   latitude A index was 5, 4, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 4, with a mean of 5.9.      
                                                                           
   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                                                
     * April 4 -- LZ Open 40-Meter Sprint Contest (CW)                     
     * April 4 - 5 -- PODXS 070 Club PSK 31 Flavors Contest                
     * April 4 - 5 -- Nebraska QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)              
     * April 4 - 5 -- Louisiana QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)             
     * April 4 - 5 -- Mississippi QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)           
     * April 4 - 5 -- Missouri QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)              
     * April 4 - 5 -- Florida State Parks on the Air (CW, phone, digital)  
     * April 4 - 5 -- SP DX Contest (CW, phone)                            
     * April 4 - 5 -- EA RTTY Contest                                      
     * April 5 -- North American SSB Sprint                                
     * April 5 -- RSGB RoLo SSB                                            
     * April 6 - 12 -- All IQRP Quarterly Marathon (CW, phone, digital)    
     * April 6 -- RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship, CW                      
     * April 6 -- 144 MHz Spring Sprint (CW, phone)                        
     * April 7 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (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.                  
   Western Pennsylvania ARES Group Conducts District-Wide Simplex Drill    
                                                                           
   Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) Western Pennsylvania Southwest   
   District, which includes Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, 
   Greene, Indiana, Washington, and Westmoreland counties, conducted a     
   district-wide simplex practice drill on March 21. The exercise lasted   
   about
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