The ARRL Letter
August 27, 2020
* Board of Directors Elects New ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA
* Amateur Radio Volunteers Ready as Deadly Hurricane Laura Makes
Landfall
* NASA's THEMIS Mission Investigates Aurora Mysteries
* ARRL Podcasts Schedule
* Candidates Set for 2020 ARRL Division Elections
* ARRL Seeks National Club Coordinator
* The K7RA Solar Update
* Just Ahead in Radiosport
* Ham-Astronauts to Crew Boeing, SpaceX Commercial Missions for NASA
* Announcements
* In Brief...
* Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
Board of Directors Elects New ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA
The ARRL Board of Directors has elected David Minster, NA2AA, of Wayne,
New Jersey, as ARRL's new Chief Executive Officer, starting on
September 28. Minster is currently Managing Partner at Talentrian
Partners, a management consulting firm serving the consumer goods and
luxury goods industries.
Minster began his career as a software engineer, moving into management
at Unilever, as a Chief Information Officer of this globally recognized
portfolio of brands that includes Elizabeth Arden Company,
Chesebrough-Ponds Canada, Thomas J. Lipton Co., and others. From there,
he moved to fine jewelry manufacturer and retailer David Yurman, where
he served as COO and CIO. More recently, Minster served as CEO of
jewelry brands Scott Kay and Judith Ripka.
"Building a culture of accomplishment and accountability is what I do
best," he said. "My initial focus will be working with the Board on
establishing strategic goals and concrete plans to navigate ARRL
through the digital transformation required for the coming decades of
its Second Century. This includes exciting and innovative ways to be
engaged in amateur radio, while growing activity and membership."
Minster got his Novice license, WB2MAE, in 1977, when he was in his
teens. He progressed from vanced to Amateur Extra and, after a stint
as NW2D, he settled on the vanity call sign NA2AA in the 1990s as a way
to honor a mentor, N2AA, and the contest station that he used to
frequent, K2GL, in Tuxedo Park, New York.
Minster's ham radio pursuits have ranged far and wide over the years.
His background includes National Traffic System training and
participation in public service events, as well as contesting from
home, club stations, and contest stations in the Caribbean --
particularly on Bonaire, where he is a member of PJ4G. Primarily a CW
operator, Minster collects unique and vintage bugs and keys.
Minster earned a bachelor's degree in computer engineering from The
Ohio State University and has a special interest in satellites, digital
communications, remote operation, and ham radio computing and software.
He has written keyer software for the commercial market, and contest
logging, packet, and satellite telemetry software for personal use.
In addition to being an ARRL member, Minster is a member of AMSAT, the
Frankford Radio Club, the Straight Key Century Club, CWops, and the
North American QRP CW Club.
"I spend every day of my life, one way or another, engaged in amateur
radio. It is more than just a hobby for me; it is my community. It is
where I live; where I have built lifelong friendships, and friendships
that span the globe. Amateur radio allows me to dream and to
experiment. I can't wait to bring my energy and boundless enthusiasm in
service to ARRL."
ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, said, "We are excited to welcome
David as our new CEO, and look forward to his progressive leadership.
His experience in management and operations, plus his activities in
amateur radio, will serve our organization and members well."
Minster will succeed Barry J. Shelley, N1VXY, who was CEO in 2018, and
who has been serving as ARRL's Interim CEO since January 2020. Shelley
had been ARRL's Chief Financial Officer since January 1992.
Amateur Radio Volunteers Ready as Deadly Hurricane Laura Makes Landfall
Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES^(R)) teams along the Gulf Coast
were ready to assist as needed after Hurricane Laura made landfall as a
powerful and deadly Category 4 storm along the Texas-Louisiana border
with sustained winds of 150 MPH. The National Hurricane Center (NHC)
predicted "unsurvivable storm surge" was in the vicinity of 20 feet or
greater, driving Gulf waters inland into waterways and lowlands. More
than a half-million people in Louisiana and Texas were told to evacuate
ahead of the storm, but not everyone did -- or was able to leave.
Widespread power outages were reported. By Thursday morning, the
Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) had ratcheted its alert level up to 5 --
Catastrophic Response Mode -- and remained in operation even after the
hurricane hit.
"Once Laura has been downgraded to a Tropical Storm, we will focus on
helping to gather any post-storm reports from the areas that had been
hit," HWN Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, said. "This includes the
relaying of any emergency or priority traffic."
At mid-week, ARRL South Texas Section Emergency Coordinator Jeffery
Walter, KE5FGA, said, "We have begun nightly Zoom meetings with North
Texas, South Texas, and ARRL Delta Division leadership. The areas
directly in the path of the storm may call for mutual aid support." He
assured that volunteers would be vetted and provided with necessary
information and a plan put in place to define their deployment period.
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The FCC has granted an ARRL request for a 30-day waiver to facilitate
relief communications in the wake of Hurricane Laura. The waiver
temporarily permits amateur data transmissions at a higher symbol rate
than currently permitted under the FCC's rules. ARRL pointed out in its
request that Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) members would be
working with federal, state, and local emergency management officials
to assist with disaster relief and may use radio modems capable of both
PACTOR 3 and PACTOR 4 emissions. The higher data rates PACTOR 4 offers
are critical to sending hurricane relief communications, including
lists of needed and distributed supplies. Read more.
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At 1200 UTC on Thursday, the NHC was reporting damaging winds and
flooding rainfall overspreading inland areas in western and central
Louisiana. "Life-threatening storm surge continues along much of the
Louisiana coastline," the report added. The storm was still packing 100
MPH winds. Laura was moving toward the north and that motion was
expected to continue through the day. A northeastward to
east-northeastward motion was expected Thursday night and Friday. Laura
was predicted to move across southwestern Louisiana Thursday morning,
and then continue northward across the state through the afternoon,
with the storm's center forecast to move over Arkansas Thursday night,
the mid-Mississippi Valley on Friday, and the mid-Atlantic states on
Saturday.
Voice over Internet Protocol Weather Net (VoIP-WX) Manager Rob Macedo,
KD1CY, was interviewed on The Weather Channel on Thursday morning.
In Louisiana and Texas, ARES teams were in standby status for local
emergency managers or served agencies, such as the Red Cross, to
request activation. Louisiana Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC) James
Coleman, AI5B, said earlier this week that activations would happen on
a parish-by-parish or on a regional basis as support is needed. The
Louisiana ARES Emergency Net activated on Wednesday on 3.878 and/or
7.255 MHz. The Delta Division Emergency Net was on standby Thursday.
Ham Aid emergency communication kits from ARRL Headquarters have been
pre-positioned in Louisiana for such situations since last year.
ARRL South Texas Section Manager -- and incoming ARRL Director of
Emergency Management -- Paul Gilbert, KE5ZW, was among those
participating in an August 26 ARRL Headquarters Emergency Response Team
(HQERT) Zoom meeting that also included Section leadership in Louisiana
and Mississippi. ARES members were advised to stay in touch with
Section Emergency Coordinators as well as district and local emergency
coordinators for any activation plans, but consensus of those at the
session was that volunteers would be needed. Gilbert stressed that ARES
volunteers should not self-deploy.
"Most staff members, including the HQERT, are working from home and
communicating with each other via email and Microsoft Teams," ARRL
Assistant Emergency Preparedness Manager Ken Bailey, K1FUG, said,
adding that W1AW was ready if needed.
NASA's THEMIS Mission Investigates Aurora Mysteries
According to a NASA report, a special type of aurora, draped
east-to-west across the night sky like a glowing pearl necklace, is
helping scientists to better understand the science of auroras. Known
as auroral beads, these lights often show up just before large auroral
displays, which are caused by electrical storms in space called
substorms. Previously, scientists weren't sure if auroral beads were
somehow connected to other auroral displays as a phenomenon in space
that precedes substorms, or if they are caused by disturbances closer
to Earth's atmosphere.
But powerful new computer models combined with observations from NASA's
Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms --
THEMIS -- mission have provided the first strong evidence of the events
in space that lead to the appearance of these beads, and demonstrated
the important role they play in our near space environment.
"Now we know for certain that the formation of these beads is part of a
process that precedes the triggering of a substorm in space," said
Vassilis Angelopoulos, principal investigator of THEMIS at UCLA. "This
is an important new piece of the puzzle."
A THEMIS Spacecraft.
By providing a broader picture than can be seen with the three THEMIS
spacecraft or ground observations alone, the new models have shown that
auroral beads are caused by turbulence in the plasma -- a fourth state
of matter, made up of gaseous and highly conductive charged particles
-- surrounding Earth. The results, recently published in Geophysical
Research Letters and Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics,
will ultimately help scientists better understand the full range of
swirling structures seen in the auroras.
"THEMIS observations have now revealed turbulences in space that cause
flows seen lighting up the sky as of single pearls in the glowing
auroral necklace," said Evgeny Panov, lead author on one of the new
papers and THEMIS scientist at the Space Research Institute of the
Austrian Academy of Sciences. "These turbulences in space are initially
caused by lighter and more agile electrons, moving with the weight of
particles 2,000 times heavier, and which theoretically may develop to
full-scale auroral substorms."
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ARRL Podcasts Schedule
The latest episode of the On the Air podcast (Episode 8) features an
interview with brothers Andy, KK4LWR, and Tony, KD8RTT, Milluzzi about
the ARRL Collegiate Amateur Radio Initiative. 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 15) features a
chat with Bob Allison, WB1GCM, about HF transceiver shopping -- getting
the best performance for the money.
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.
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Candidates Set for 2020 ARRL Division Elections
The candidates for the 2020 ARRL Division elections are now official.
ARRL members will choose between two candidates for Director in the
Dakota and Great Lakes Divisions in this year's election cycle, and
from among three candidates for Vice Director in the Great Lakes
Division and between two candidates in the Midwest Division. In the
Atlantic and Delta Divisions, incumbents are unopposed for both
Director and Vice Director. In the Dakota Division, the sitting Vice
Director is running unopposed, while in the Midwest Division, the
current Vice Director is the only candidate for Director.
Declared Elected Without Opposition
* In the Atlantic Division, Director Tom Abernethy, W3TOM, who has
held the seat since 2015, and Vice Director Bob Famiglio, K3RF,
elected to a 3-year term (2015 - 2018) and then appointed in 2019
to fill a vacancy when the incumbent stepped down.
* In the Dakota Division, Vice Director Lynn Nelson, W0ND, in office
since 2018.
* In the Delta Division, Director David Norris, K5UZ, who's served in
that office since 2012, and Vice Director Ed Hudgens, WB4RHQ,
appointed in 2013.
* In the Midwest Division, current Vice Director Art Zygielbaum,
K0AIZ, will become the new Director in January, succeeding
incumbent Rod Blocksome, K0DAS, who is not seeking a new term.
Zygielbaum has been Vice Director since 2014.
Contested Seats
* In the Dakota Division, incumbent Director Matt Holden, K0BBC, in
office since 2018, is being challenged by Vernon "Bill" Lippert,
AC0W.
* In the Great Lakes Division, incumbent Director Dale Williams,
WA8EFK, who has held the seat since 2014, will face off against
Michael Kalter, W8CI, who is treasurer of the Dayton Amateur Radio
Association.
* In the Great Lakes Division, members will choose from among three
candidates to succeed incumbent Vice Director Thomas Delaney,
W8WTD, who is not running for another term. They are current Ohio
Section Manager Scott Yonally, N8SY; Jim Hessler, K8JH, who is vice
president of the Grand Rapids Amateur Radio Association, and Frank
Piper, KI8GW, Yonally's predecessor as Ohio Section Manager.
* In the Midwest Division, members will choose between Dave Propper,
K2DP, a current Assistant Director, and Lloyd Colston, KC5FM, a
past Oklahoma Section Manager, to fill the Vice Director's chair
that Zygielbaum is vacating.
Balloting for contested seats will take place this fall. Votes will be
counted, and successful candidates announced, in November.
ARRL Seeks National Club Coordinator
ARRL is seeking a National Club Coordinator who will act as the primary
point of contact for Section Affiliated Club Coordinators. Section
Affiliated Club Coordinators work with clubs to foster and coordinate
activities to promote recruiting and training of new radio amateurs,
endorse ARRL membership, and impart a positive image of amateur radio
within the community.
In addition to maintaining lines of communication with Section
Affiliated Club Coordinators, the National Club Coordinator will
develop presentations for in-person audiences and electronic media. The
National Club Coordinator will also maintain affiliated club records
and provide information and support to Affiliated Club Coordinators so
they can assist clubs in keeping the ARRL affiliated club database
current. This individual will also process applications from clubs
seeking ARRL affiliation.
The National Club Coordinator will design, write, and produce a
newsletter and contribute content for QST, the ARRL website, and social
media venues. The incumbent will also represent ARRL at amateur radio
events, deliver presentations on the work of ARRL and the value of
membership, and interact with members on behalf of the organization.
The successful candidate will be able to conduct business in a
professional manner, effectively represent ARRL at amateur radio
events, and maintain productive working relationships and open
communication between staff and the Field Organization. He or she will
have at least 3 years of similar or related experience; past service as
a club officer is a plus.
Applicants should have a 2- or 4-year college degree or possess
job-specific skills acquired through on-the-job training or an
apprenticeship.
The ideal candidate will exhibit courtesy, tact, and diplomacy on the
job and be able to build relationships and solicit cooperation both
within and outside the organization. Other skills include a working
knowledge of Microsoft Office, desktop applications, online
videoconferencing tools, and managing social media platforms.
For complete information on this opening, see the full job description,
which includes instructions on how to submit a resume.
The K7RA Solar Update
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Our closest star seems to have
quieted again. We have now experienced 6 consecutive days with no
sunspots at all.
The average daily sunspot number dropped from 5.4 to 1.9 this week, and
average daily solar flux declined from 71 to 70.4. Geomagnetic
indicators increased marginally, with average daily planetary A index
going from 4.4 to 5.1, and average middle latitude A index from 5 to 6.
Predicted solar flux is 70 on August 27 - September 2; 71 on September
3; 72 on September 4 - 9; 71 on September 10 - 16; 70 on September 17 -
27; 71 on September 28 - 30; 72 on October 1 - 6, and 71 on October
7-10.
Predicted planetary A index is 8 on August 27 - 28; 10, 12, and 12 on
August 29 - 31; 8 on September 1; 5 on September 2 - 17; 8 on September
18 - 19; 10, 15, and 10 on September 20 - 22; 5, 10, 12, and 18 on
September 23 - 26; 15 on September 27 - 28; 12 on September 29, and 5
on September 30 - October 10.
Sunspot numbers for August 20 - 26 were 13, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, and 0, with
a mean of 1.9. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 69.9, 70.9, 70, 70.6, 70.3,
70.6, and 70.4, with a mean of 70.4. Estimated planetary A indices were
3, 4, 8, 7, 3, 4, and 7, with a mean of 5.1. Middle latitude A index
was 4, 5, 13, 7, 3, 3, and 7, 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.
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Just Ahead in Radiosport
* August 29 -- Kentucky State Parks on the Air (CW, phone, digital)
* August 29 - 30 -- ALARA Contest (CW, phone)
* August 29 - 30 -- W/VE Islands QSO Party (CW, phone)
* August 29 - 30 -- SCC RTTY Championship
* August 29 - 30 -- YO DX HF Contest (CW, phone)
* August 29 - 30 -- World Wide Digi DX Contest
* August 29 - 30 -- Kansas QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
* August 30 -- SARL HF CW Contest
* August 31 -- 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.
Ham-Astronauts to Crew Boeing, SpaceX Commercial Missions for NASA
Ham-astronauts abound among crew members assigned to pioneering
commercial space missions by Boeing and SpaceX. Jeanette Epps, KF5QNU,
is the latest astronaut assigned to the Boeing Starliner-1, a
four-passenger vehicle that will undertake its first mission to the
International Space Station (ISS) in 2021. Others on the crew will
include veteran Sunita Williams, KD5PLB, and Josh Cassada, KI5CRH.
Another crew member is yet to be named.
Jeanette Epps, KF5QNU.
[NASA, photo]
Epps, Williams, and Cassada will spend 6 months on the ISS. The flight
will follow NASA certification after a successful uncrewed Orbital
Flight Test-2 and Crew Flight Test with astronauts. The spaceflight
will be the first for Epps and Cassada and the third for Williams, who
spent long-duration tours on the ISS for Expeditions 14/15 and 32/33.
NASA assigned Williams and Cassada to the Starliner-1 mission in August
2018.
F
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