The ARRL Letter
July 23, 2020
* ARRL Members to Lead New 30-Minute Amateur Radio Webinar Series
* More than 12,000 Register Early for QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo
* Winlink Developers Use Arduino-Based Simulator to Evaluate Digital
Modes
* ARRL Podcasts Schedule
* High School Marine Buoy Transmitter Now Active on 20-Meter WSPR
* The K7RA Solar Update
* Just Ahead in Radiosport
* Radio Amateurs Help Air Ambulance
* Announcements
* Chris Brault, KD8YVJ, is 2020 Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of
the Year
* In Brief...
* Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
ARRL Members to Lead New 30-Minute Amateur Radio Webinar Series
ARRL is launching a new webinar series to help introduce more members
to the variety of activities and opportunities that radio amateurs
enjoy. The ARRL Learning Network will offer live presentations by
member-volunteers, for members. Like hamfest forums and radio club
presentations, the webinars are intended to help participants get more
active, involved, and engaged in amateur radio.
Presentations are 30 minutes each, making them easy to fit into a lunch
break or as a short evening activity. A 15-minute question-and-answer
period follows each presentation for those who can participate longer.
The webinars will be hosted initially using GoToWebinar. Webinars will
be recorded, and some presentations will be available for future
viewing by members and ARRL-affiliated radio clubs as part of an ARRL
Learning Network library.
A running list of upcoming live presentations is available. The web
page is the place to register to attend each webinar and requires
members to log onto the ARRL website. Some presentations:
Relay Stations and the Art of Traffic Handling
Aaron Hulett, K8AMH, Section Traffic Manager for ARRL North Texas
Section
Tuesday, July 28, 2020, 10 AM PDT / 1 PM EDT (1700 UTC)
Fun with Digital Signal Modes FT4 and FT8
Anthony Luscre, K8ZT
Thursday, July 30, 2020, 12:30 PM PDT / 3:30 PM EDT (1930 UTC)
HF Wire Antennas
George Cooley, NG7A, ARRL Life Member
Thursday, August 6, 2020, 12:30 PM PDT / 3:30 PM EDT (1930 UTC)
Introduction to Digital FM Modes
Korey Chandler, Sr., WA5RR
Tuesday, August 11, 2020, 5 PM PDT / 8 PM EDT (0000 UTC on Wednesday,
August 12)
Introduction to Computer Logging
Steven Lott Smith, KG5VK
Thursday, August 13, 2020, 12:30 PM PDT / 3:30 PM EDT (1930 UTC)
Capture the Magic of 6 Meters
Jim Wilson, K5ND
Tuesday, August 18, 2020, 10 AM PDT / 1 PM EDT (1700 UTC)
The Sport of Finding Hidden Transmitters on Foot
Robert Frey, WA6EZV, ARRL Amateur Radio Direction Finding Committee
Thursday, August 20, 2020, 12:30 PM PDT / 3:30 PM EDT (1930 UTC)
The webinars continue a string of new ARRL benefits introduced in 2020
that has included On the Air magazine, expanded member access to all
ARRL digital magazines, and the new On the Air and Eclectic Tech
podcasts.
"The ARRL Learning Network puts experienced member-volunteers at the
forefront as a regular source of knowledge-sharing in amateur radio,"
ARRL Lifelong Learning Manager Kris Bickell, K1BIC, said. "We hope
members participating in the ARRL Learning Network, including
presenters, will find it particularly rewarding to share experiences
and learning that will motivate more of our community toward lifelong
journeys as radio amateurs."
Members who would like to be considered for future ARRL Learning
Network webinars should have experience in delivering presentations,
including familiarity with online webinar technology, live video, and
screen sharing. Prospective presenters may complete a Call for Speakers
form.
More than 12,000 Register Early for QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo
More than 12,000 have registered to attend the first QSO Today Virtual
Ham Expo, August 8 - 9, QSO Today host Eric Guth, 4Z1UG, said this
week.
"Since the Expo is a completely new experience for the ham radio
community, it's great that so many people are excited and already
registered," he said. "And with almost 3 weeks before the event, the
number of registrants continues to increase." Attendance is free and
there are early-bird prize incentives for registering by July 24.
More than a typical web meeting, the Expo is built on a live virtual
platform commonly used by Fortune 500 companies and major universities.
The platform simulates a convention experience with an exhibit hall and
booths staffed by live attendants, a speaker auditorium, and even a
lobby. Attendance just requires an internet connection and a computer,
tablet, or smartphone.
The Expo will offer four separate speaker tracks focusing on a range of
topics. Speakers will also be able to provide related material, such as
slides and white papers, that attendees can download. Every session
will have a Q&A where attendees can submit questions in real time via
chat.
More than 30 booths will be open for attendees to visit, and exhibitors
will have different options to engage with attendees. Exhibitor booths
can provide downloadable content, such as videos, spec sheets, and
manuals, and attendees can save content in a virtual briefcase to read
later. Visitors will also be able to interact one-on-one with booth
representatives, using a Skype-like system.
"The experience of a virtual expo is not meant to replace in-person
conventions," Guth said. "However, I strongly believe that virtual
events in our community are here to stay. Given COVID-19 and its likely
lasting impact on travel, especially given our demographic, this
virtual expo enables the ham community to continue coming together to
learn and engage."
Guth said that younger hams who have grown up with the internet will
feel comfortable with the Expo platform, "making it easier for them to
participate and find their place in this remarkable hobby."
Access to all speaker presentations and exhibitor booth content will
remain on the Expo site for 30 days following the event.
The QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo is an ARRL-sanctioned hamfest.
Winlink Developers Use Arduino-Based Simulator to Evaluate Digital
Modes
Winlink development team members Rick Muething, KN6KB, and Tom Lafleur,
KA6IQA, have evaluated various digital modes using the Teensy IONOS
Simulator, which is based on the Arduino Teensy. A summary of the study
by Thomas Whiteside, N5TW, indicates steady improvements in performance
as software algorithms have evolved.
"Simulator testing is important for creating and evaluating digital
mode performance in a consistent, repeatable way that simply cannot be
done with over-the-air testing where conditions are always changing,"
Whiteside said in the study's overview. "These simulators have been
quite expensive in the past, typically costing thousands of dollars.
With today's single-chip micros and DSP libraries, Rick and Tom were
able to create this simulator with a total parts cost of less than
$200."
The simulator was used to evaluate digital modes supported on the
Winlink system over statistically standardized channels of white
Gaussian noise and multipath, with noise cases across a range of
signal-to-noise values.
For HF, both wideband (>2 kHz) modes (PACTOR 3, PACTOR 4, VARA 2300,
ARDOP 2000, and WINMOR 1600) and 500 Hz modes (PACTOR 2, ARDOP 500,
WINMOR 500, and an all-new VARA 500 mode) were tested. For VHF,
AX.25-based packet, FX.25-based packet, and VARA FM were tested.
Muething and Lafleur said that their Teensy IONOS Simulator offers a
wide variety of HF multipath test cases. "In the real world, all
signals experience some degree of multipath distortion, whether it is a
local VHF/UHF signal arriving directly, as well as reflections off
various objects, or an HF signal experiencing different effects from
the ionosphere and/or arriving via different headings," the study
notes.
The simulator has four levels of multipath models: good conditions,
moderate conditions, poor conditions, and disturbed conditions. The
19-page report includes signal-to-noise graphs of the various modes
simulated under a variety of these scenarios.
"No simulator can create all the band conditions, [interference from
other stations], aurora, and other effects we can encounter, but these
results should be a good comparison of performance over a wide range of
conditions," the study's authors advised.
Whiteside concluded, "I believe the Teensy IONOS Simulator is a useful
tool for evaluating the various digital modes in use today and adds
depth perception to over-the-air experience. For digital mode
developers, this tool would be quite useful for evaluating new versions
and experiments to supplement on-the-air testing. Specifically, I think
the data presented here is a useful comparison of the various digital
modes in use with the Winlink system today."
ARRL Podcasts Schedule
The latest episode of the On the Air podcast (Episode 7) features tips
for soldering a PL-259 connector onto the end of a coaxial cable, and
information on beginner courses for hams who want to serve their
communities during disasters and other incidents. 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 12) features a
discussion with Bob Allison, WB1GCM, about Low-Frequency activities,
plus an update on the status of NextGen TV.
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.
High School Marine Buoy Transmitter Now Active on 20-Meter WSPR
Phil Karn, KA9Q; Randy Standke, KQ6RS, and members of the Mount Carmel
High School Amateur Radio Club (MCHSARC) in San Diego have constructed
and deployed an amateur radio marine buoy in the Pacific. The buoy,
which transmits WSPR on 14.0956 MHz USB, has already been heard around
the continental US, Brazil, Hawaii, Japan, Costa Rica, Australia, and
South Africa.
"Over the past year, Randy and I have mentored the MCHSARC in designing
and constructing a simple marine buoy that was deployed from the RV
Sally Ride [on July 16], about 700 kilometers off the coast of southern
California," Karn said in a post on the AMSAT Bulletin Board. "It is up
and transmitting WSPR on 20 meters using the call sign KQ6RS, and is
being received all over the US and into Canada and Brazil." Karn is
blogging about the project with updates.
The electronics are the 20-meter WSPR version of the WB8ELK "pico
tracker" that has been flown on long-duration balloons. "We removed the
solar panels and substituted 21 ordinary alkaline D cells, wired to
supply 4.5 V," Karn explained. "We estimate battery lifetime will be 6
months."
Karn said that the project made use of everyday hardware. The buoy --
essentially a spar buoy -- was constructed using a 5-foot section of
4-inch PVC pipe, with sufficient ballast in one end of the pipe to
permit it to float vertically in the water. The top is closed using a
sewer pressure test plug, which has a bolt in the center that acts as a
convenient feed-through and antenna mounting point. The antenna is a
stainless-steel CB whip with a matching network.
"We use the sea as a counterpoise, but to avoid direct metal/sea water
contact, we lined the inside of the pipe with copper tape to form a
capacitive connection," Karn said.
During initial flotation testing, the project team found that the
ballasted pipe alone was remarkably stable in pitch, roll, sway, and
surge, but oscillated a lot in heave -- i.e., up and down movement.
Cross arms were at the water line to add drag in the vertical
direction, to counter the issue. Because sea water was required to tune
the antenna, Standke floated the buoy off a dock in Mission Bay.
"We tried to make this thing as rugged as we could," Karn recounted,
offering his favorite saying to the students: "The sea always wins in
the end, but we can delay that long enough to be useful."
Deployment was to be from a NOAA vessel in April, but the trip was
canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Standke secured a trip on the RV
Sally Ride, a research vessel operated by Scripps Institute of
Oceanography.
The first reception report was on July 16 at 12:52:30 UTC from grid
square CL89eu, although the current carried the buoy east into CL89fu
at 20:32:30 UTC. The buoy (KQ6RS-1) can be tracked on the APRS and
WSPRnet sites.
Karn said the project team is already planning its second buoy, which
may include two-way links, satellite tracking, and sensors.
The K7RA Solar Update
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Another Solar Cycle 25 sunspot (AR
2767) appeared this week, with a minimum non-zero sunspot number of 11
on July 21 - 22. The average daily sunspot number for the July 16 - 22
reporting week was 3.1, up from 1.7 over the previous 7 days.
Geomagnetic indicators remain very quiet, with average daily planetary
A index declining from 5 to 3.9.
This sunspot cycle minimum remains surprisingly inactive. I keep
expecting it to perk up, but all indicators remain quiet.
Predicted solar flux, which roughly correlates to sunspot activity,
also looks quite dull. The 45-day outlook predicts the solar flux won't
hit 70. Predicted flux values are 69 on July 23 - August 1; 68 on
August 2 - 20; 69 on August 21 - 28, and 68 on August 29 - September 5.
Predicted planetary A index is 8, 8, 12, and 8 on July 23 - 26; 5 on
July 27; 8 on July 28 - 29; 5, 8, and 10 on July 30 - August 1; 5 on
August 2 - 18; 8 on August 19 - 20, and 5 on August 21 - September 5.
Spaceweather.com reports a possible coronal mass ejection impact this
week. The faint CME left the sun on July 19 and may cause a minor
disturbance on July 24 - 25. This is reflected in the planetary A index
forecast.
Wade Blake, N7LGK, shared this Solar Cycle Progression graph from NOAA.
Sunspot numbers for July 16 through 22 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 11, and 11,
with a mean of 3.1. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 68.7, 69, 67.8, 68.9,
69.3, 69.8, and 70, with a mean of 69.1. Estimated planetary A indices
were 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, and 3, with a mean of 3.9. Middle latitude A
index was 4, 5, 4, 4, 3, 5, and 5, with a mean of 4.3.
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.
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Just Ahead in Radiosport
* July 25 - RSGB IOTA Contest (CW, phone)
* July 26 -- ARS Flight of the Bumblebees (CW)
* July 27 -- QCX Challenge (CW)
* July 27 -- RSGB FT4 Contest Series
* July 28 -- QCX Challenge (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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Radio Amateurs Help Air Ambulance
Peru's Radio Club Peruano (RCP) reports that Guillermo Guerra,
OA4DTU/XQ3SA, and the Peruvian Relief Net MHz assisted an air ambulance
en route to Easter Island on July 9 after its satellite communication
equipment failed. The aircraft was about 1,000 nautical miles from the
continent, so the pilot tuned to the Peruvian Relief Net on 7100 kHz.
Net control station OA4DTU and Giancarlo Passalacqua, OA4DSN, were
still on frequency, and communication was established with the
aircraft. The pilot detailed its tenuous connection and requested
support to communicate via telephone with Ocean Air Control, a service
of the Directorate General of Aeronautics of Chile, which watches over
32 million square kilometers of air space off the Chilean coast in the
Pacific. Authorities were already on alert for the aircraft because of
the communication loss, plus the HF at the Easter Island tower was
inoperative.
About 10 phone calls were made to point out the aircraft's position and
route schedule, as well as any additional information needed. Other
hams in Peru were listening in and standing by. Guerra remained in
contact with the aircraft until he was sure that it would reach its
destination. At approximately 2330 UTC, the pilot reported making VHF
contact with the Easter Island control tower for landing instructions.
-- Thanks to Radio Club Peruano
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Announcements
* The ARRL Foundation has announced its 2020 scholarship recipients.
There were 103 awards this year, totaling $144,450. The non-profit
Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) has generously awarded
a grant to the ARRL Foundation to match each scholarship award
dollar-for-dollar, lifting the grand total of scholarships awarded
to $288,900.
* ARRL Field Day entries are due by Tuesday, July 28. Entries must
include any documentation for bonus points.
* The Radio Club of America (RCA) has announced its 2020 award
recipients and fellows, several of whom are radio amateurs.
Recipients and fellows will be celebrated at RCA's 111th Banquet &
Awards Presentation on Friday, November 20, in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania.
* Winlink developer Phil Sherrod, W4PHS, has delivered a Zoom
presentation on how to use Winlink on June 6.
* The YASME Foundation has announced a supporting grant to the
Greenlandic Amateur Radio Club's OX3NUK, in Nuuk, Greenland, for
upgrading equipment. The station promotes amateur radio through
outreach to local schools and Scouts during Jamboree on the Air
(JOTA) each fall.
* The Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL) has announced the
cancellation of Tokyo Ham Fair 2020, which was scheduled to be held
October 31 - November 1. JARL said it could not guarantee the
safety of attendees during the coronavirus pandemic. -- Thanks to
Ken Yamamoto, JA1CJP
* The 10th annual New England SDR Group's NEWSDR 2020 conference will
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* Origin: Christian Fellowship | cfbbs.no-ip.com 856-933-7096 (1:266/512)
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