The ARRL Letter
December 17, 2020
* SKYWARN Recognition Day 2020 Deemed A Success
* SSTV Event to Help ARISS Mark 20 Years of Continuous Ham Radio
Operation in Space
* ARRL Podcasts Schedule
* Oregon ARRL VEC Testing Group Offers Testing from the Comfort of
Your Car
* Announcements
* The ARRL RTTY Roundup is January 2 - 3
* SAQ Alexanderson Alternator Christmas Eve Transmission Cancelled
* ARRL Learning Network Webinars
* Reverse Beacon Network Leveraging Yasme Foundation Grant for
Expansion
* The K7RA Solar Update
* In Brief...
* Just Ahead in Radiosport
* Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
-------------------------------------------------------------------
* Due to severe winter weather, ARRL Headquarters is closed on
Thursday, December 17 for the safety of our staff. Headquarters
management expects that things will be back to normal on Friday,
December 18.
* Because of the holidays, this will be the final edition of The ARRL
Letter for 2020. The ARRL Letter will return on January 7. ARRL
Audio News will be available on December 18, and then go on hiatus
until January 8.
* Logbook of The World (LoTW), ARRL's online QSO confirmation system,
will undergo scheduled maintenance beginning Monday, December 21,
at 2300 UTC (6 PM EST) for approximately 6 hours. LoTW will be
offline and unavailable while the system's server is upgraded to
new hardware. Thank you for your understanding.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
SKYWARN Recognition Day 2020 Deemed A Success
Judging by the list of more than 700 registered participants,
SKYWARN^(R) Recognition Day (SRD) on December 5 was a success.
Cosponsored by ARRL and the National Weather Service (NWS), SRD
recognizes radio amateurs for the vital public service they provide
during severe weather. Participants ranged from NWS offices, radio
amateurs, non-amateur radio spotters, and non-SKYWARN spotters. Radio
amateurs -- the first SKYWARN volunteers -- comprise a large percentage
of SKYWARN volunteers across the country, providing vital communication
between the NWS and emergency management in the event that
telecommunication systems are knocked out.
The NWS Milwaukee Forecast Office reported more than 150 contacts
logged across 35 states. The NWS office in Springfield, Missouri,
tweeted, "What would SKYWARN Recognition Day be without a special
thanks to the net control operators?" The NWS office in Chicago
tweeted, "SKYWARN Recognition Day has come to an end; thanking everyone
for attending and to all of our spotters across the nation."
SKYWARN Recognition Day planner and organizer Michael Lewis, KG4KJQ,
who is the Warning Coordination Meteorologist in the northern Indiana
NWS Forecast Office, expressed appreciation to the SRD Planning Team
and the Facebook livestream presenters for helping to make the event a
success. The NWS Forecast Office in northern Indiana registered 34
radio amateurs. The office serves 37 counties in northern Indiana,
southwest lower Michigan, and northwest Ohio.
Given the COVID-19 pandemic, SRD was handled a little differently than
in the past. Normally, radio amateurs participate from their home
stations and from stations at NWS forecast offices, with the goal of
contacting as many NWS forecast offices as possible. This year,
participation from NWS forecast offices was minimal, and the focus
shifted to contacting as many SKYWARN trained spotters as possible. New
this year, SRD was opened to all SKYWARN spotters, and a SKYWARN
Recognition Day Facebook page was created, hosting a variety of live
and recorded segments throughout the day. -- Thanks to the ARRL ARES
Letter
SSTV Event to Help ARISS Mark 20 Years of Continuous Ham Radio
Operation in Space
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) will continue
its year-long 20th anniversary celebration of continuous ham radio
operation from the ISS this month, with a slow-scan television (SSTV)
event over the holidays. The first ARISS school contact took place in
December 2000, not long after the first ISS crew arrived on station a
month earlier and had made test contacts. The commemorative
late-December SSTV event will be held December 24 through December 31,
although dates are subject to change. The frequency will be 145.800
MHz, using SSTV PD-120 mode. Over its 20 years, ARISS has supported
nearly 1,400 scheduled ham radio contacts with schools, student groups,
and other education organizations.
"ARISS would not be the complex and growing program of education,
operations, and hardware were it not for ARRL, AMSAT, NASA, and the ISS
National Lab (INL)," said Rosalie White, K1STO, ARISS-US Delegate
representing ARRL. "For these past 20 years and for the years to come,
when we grow into lunar ham radio opportunities and more, the ARISS
team will continue to be grateful to ARRL and all our sponsors. We
could not do it without you!"
The ARISS ham radio gear, for what would become NA1SS on board the
station, arrived ahead of the Expedition 1 crew, headed by Bill
Shepherd, KD5GSL. Shepherd made the first ARISS school contact with
students at Luther Burbank Elementary School in Illinois on December
21, 2000. NASA has marked the ARISS milestone with an infographic
highlighting the educational contacts via amateur radio between
astronaut crew members aboard the ISS and students.
ARISS will continue to sponsor various commemorative events through
November 2021, including more of the very popular ARISS SSTV sessions.
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of ham radio on the space
station, ARISS took part in the ISS Research and Development Conference
(ISSRDC) panel session, "20 Years of STEM Experiments on the ISS." A
video developed for the session describes the program, conveys some key
lessons learned over the past 20 years, and describes the ARISS team's
vision for the future.
"Twenty years of continuous operations is a phenomenal accomplishment,"
said ARISS-International Chair Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, who's been with the
program from the start. "But what makes it even more extraordinary is
that ARISS has achieved this through hundreds of volunteers who are
passionate in paying it forward to our youth and ham radio community.
On behalf of the ARISS International team, I would like to express our
heartfelt thanks to every volunteer who has made ARISS such an amazing
success over the past 20 years. Your passion, drive, creativity, and
spirit made it happen."
In September, ARISS announced that the initial element of its
next-generation Interoperable Radio System (IORS) had been installed in
the ISS Columbus module, replacing outmoded and problematic station
gear.
A helpful addition to the ARISS website is a "Current Status of ISS
Stations," which reports the present or coming operating mode of ARISS
radios in the Columbus and Service modules. Click on "General Contacts"
and then "Current Status of ISS Stations" on the drop-down menu of the
ARISS website to access the reports.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
ARRL Podcasts Schedule
The latest episode of the On the Air podcast (Episode 12) features a
discussion about storm spotting and SKYWARN, with Mike Corey, KI1U.
The latest episode of Eclectic Tech (Episode 23) includes a story about
6th-generation wireless networking, and a discussion with W1AW Station
Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, about the technology in use at W1AW.
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.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Oregon ARRL VEC Testing Group Offers Testing from the Comfort of Your
Car
Volunteer Examiners in Grant County, Oregon, affiliated with the ARRL
Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC), put their heads together to
overcome adversity and hold a safe and secure drive-in exam session
that took pandemic precautions into account. Current health regulations
in Oregon precluded both indoor and outdoor gatherings, so the Grant
County Amateur Radio Club, the local ARES Group, and the Grant County
Emergency Radio Infrastructure Coalition (ERIC) combined forces to
offer five candidates the chance to obtain their first license or to
upgrade their existing license, all from the comfort of their vehicles.
"Many amateur radio clubs have experimented with exams via the
internet," said Steve Fletcher, K7AA, who is the ARES Emergency
Coordinator for Grant County. "In eastern Oregon, with the cooperation
of the County Roads Department, we chose to hold a 'drive-up' exam
session on Saturday, December 12. Under the circumstances, we used four
ARRL VEs for the exam instead of the required three." Wheeler County
ARES loaned Stuart Bottom, K7FG, to help as the third required Amateur
Extra-class Volunteer Examiner.
Fletcher reports three new Technician-class licensees and two new
General-class radio amateurs resulted from the session.
Required ARRL VEC forms contained pre-printed data -- including the FCC
Registration Number (FRN) -- were given to the candidates on a
clipboard. Each candidate took the exam in the front seat of their own
vehicle. Cell phones, papers, and anything not required for the exam
were removed.
"Everyone dressed warmly, and most candidates had their heaters
running," Fletcher reported. A camper owned by Ronda Metler, KB5LAX,
and a communications van owned by Fletcher served as sites to check
results and sign forms.
The Grant County Roads Department loaned its parking area for the exam
session. Thanks to Steve Fletcher, K7AA; photos courtesy of Thomas
Dekany
Announcements
* The summer/autumn edition (No. 25) of The 5 MHz Newsletter is now
available for download in PDF. A newsletter archive is maintained.
-- Thanks to editor Paul Gaskell, G4MWO
* CWops is accepting award nominations for the 2021 CWops Award for
vancing the Art of CW. The award recognizes individuals, groups,
or organizations that have made the greatest contribution toward
advancing the art or practice of radio communications by Morse
code. More details are on the ARRL website.
* As he has done each December for the past few years, Brian Justin,
WA1ZMS, of Forest, Virginia, will transmit a program on 486 kHz,
under authority of his FCC Part 5 Experimental License WI2XLQ, to
commemorate wireless pioneer Reginald Fessenden's accomplishments.
Justin will transmit for at least 24 hours starting at around 1800
UTC on December 24. Fessenden claimed to have made his first voice
-- and music -- broadcast on Christmas Eve in 1906 from Brant Rock,
Massachusetts, although his account is disputed.
* The WINTERHEAT VHF/UHF simplex event will take place during
January. The event is open to participants in Illinois, Michigan,
Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Iowa, and Wisconsin. -- Thanks to
Jesse Hunter, W9ABS
* HamAlert will notify you when a desired station appears on the DX
cluster, the Reverse Beacon Network, or PSK Reporter. Alerts are
available via email, push notification, text message, or URL
GET/POST. Registration is free.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The ARRL RTTY Roundup is January 2 - 3
The 2021 ARRL RTTY Roundup on January 2 - 3 features two new
multioperator categories: multi-two (M2) and multi-multi (MM). Because
M2 and MM are new categories, there are no existing records, so the
high scores for these categories will, by default, become the new
records. High scores are kept by US call area, ARRL Division, ARRL
Section, Canadian Province, and DX entity. Visit the ARRL Contest web
page to see the current ARRL RTTY Roundup all-time records.
If you're new to RTTY or digital modes, in the RTTY Roundup, operators
worldwide contact and exchange QSO information with other amateurs
using Baudot RTTY, PSK, FT8/FT4, ASCII, AMTOR, and Packet. Automated
operation is not permitted; each claimed contact must include
contemporaneous direct initiation by the operator on both sides of the
contact.
If you have to look outside your immediate household for M2 or MM
operators and you're already set up for RTTY or FT8/FT4, consider
staying safe and letting other team members access your station
remotely via AnyDesk or another sharing technology. The key to making
this easy and frustration-free for all involved is that all aspects of
your station's operation be controllable from your logging computer's
desktop, and that the RTTY audio be audible to the remote operator (if
using RTTY) via the sharing software.
It is possible to do RTTY without listening to the receiver and just by
watching the decode and X - Y or waterfall, but it's not recommended.
Many, if not most, RTTY operators prefer low-level audio to signal when
other stations are transmitting. For those using FTx modes, all you
really need is the screen display.
Contacts must be made on 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters. Any station may
work any other station. Stations may be worked once per band,
regardless of mode. The ARRL RTTY Roundup begins at 1800 UTC on January
2 and wraps at 2359 UTC on January -- Thanks to Brian Moran, N9ADG, and
Paul Bourque, N1SFE
SAQ Alexanderson Alternator Christmas Eve Transmission Cancelled
There will be no Christmas Eve transmission from SAQ, the Alexanderson
Alternator transmitting station in Sweden. The Grimeton World Heritage
Foundation and Alexander GVV Friends Association cited "prevailing
circumstances in our society" for the event cancellation.
"We find it sad to have to make this decision, but see it as a
necessary measure to protect everyone involved," the announcement
continued. Past SAQ transmission events are chronicled on YouTube. "We
truly regret this and hope for your understanding of the situation and
continued support for the business. We hope that 'our old lady' can
soon be heard on the air again," the announcement concluded.
The vintage Alexanderson Alternator provided an electromechanical means
of transmitting message traffic. It dates back to the early 1920s.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
The schedule is subject to change.
Learn and Have Fun with Morse Code: Howard Bernstein, WB2UZE, and Jim
Crites, W6JIM
Morse code, or "CW," is a popular ham radio operating mode. Learning CW
does not have to be an arduous or lonely experience. Learn, practice,
and enjoy CW with the methods used by the Long Island CW Club.
Thursday, December 17, 2020, 5 PM PST / 8 PM EST (0100 UTC on Friday,
December 18)
QSLing in an Online World: Anthony Luscre, K8ZT
Learn all about the changing methods of QSLing in amateur radio,
including traditional paper QSL cards, and electronic QSLing methods,
such as Logbook of The World and eQSL.
Tuesday, January 5, 2021, 10 AM PST / 1 PM EST (1800 UTC)
Amateur Radio Logging: Anthony Luscre, K8ZT
Discover the advantages of keeping an electronic amateur radio log.
Find out why you may need more than one software program for
logging-contesting, digital modes, special events, and more. Learn
about using one full-featured logging program to pull everything
together, interface with outside databases, handle electronic QSLing,
and so on. The discussion will include file formats, importing and
exporting data between programs, submitting contest logs online, and
safe backup of data.
Thursday, January 7, 2021, 12:30 PM PST / 3:30 PM EST (2030 UTC)
VHF/UHF Contesting and SOTA; A Perfect Match: Brian Betz, W7JET
Explore the challenge of VHF UHF contesting and the success of the
large-scale participation of SOTA Summit activators in Arizona for the
January VHF contest.
Thursday, January 14, 2021, 12:30 PM PST / 3:30 PM EST (2030 UTC)
Emergency Communications: Why Train? North Texas Section Emergency
Coordinator Greg Evans, K5GTX
Why should we train? Utilizing amateur radio operators in an emergency
communication situation is a key function that can save lives. We must
be able to respond to the needs of our served agencies quickly and
responsibly. Topics covered include: Incident Command System and its
relevance; building on consistent training; interoperability with
multiple communication providers; interoperability with VOAD and
partners, and Mission One: Get the information delivered.
Thursday, January 21, 2021, 12:30 PM PST / 3:30 PM EST (2030 UTC)
Reverse Beacon Network Leveraging Yasme Foundation Grant for Expansion
The Reverse Beacon Network (RBN) is taking advantage of a grant from
the Yasme Foundation, in cooperation with Amateur Radio Digital
Communications (ARDC), to add 15 more nodes. RBN is a global system of
software-defined radio receivers that monitor amateur radio bands and
report CW, RTTY, and FT4/FT8 signals to a central, searchable database.
In October, a Yasme-funded node was successfully installed in Tunisia,
bolstering RBN representation in northern Africa. ditional nodes are
planned for Algeria and Libya. The success of this small program led to
the global 15-node project to expand the RBN into such
under-represented areas as the Caribbean, the South Pacific, Central
Asia, the Middle East, and South America. Selections were guided by the
research community at HamSCI, whose website provides a forum for
researchers and amateurs to interact and conduct studies and
experiments.
"By adding stations in these areas, the network's data quality and
coverage are improved to allow better analysis of events and openings
beyond what was previously available," Yasme Foundation President Ward
Silver, N0AX, said. "This large and growing database of records
supports scientific research and allows hams to be more effective on
the air and in planning operations and station design."
Silver said researchers are particularly interested in the RBN data
because it covers such a wide area with so many stations, a capability
unusual in research. Silver also noted that the RBN project has
resulted in many volunteers working together around the globe. "The RBN
team deserves a lot of credit for creating an important asset that
combines amateur radio and science in the best traditions of both," he
said. "We look forward to helping keep that spirit alive and well." --
Thanks to Ward Silver, N0AX, and DX Engineering
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The K7RA Solar Update
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Solar activity has declined recently,
with average daily sunspot numbers slipping in recent weeks from 57.6
to 28.9 and then 17.4 over this past week. Solar flux averages also
slipped from 108.1 to 91.9 to 82.1 over the past week.
The latest solar flux prediction also appears soft, with predicted
values over the next 45 days at 82 on December 17 - 23; 83 on December
24; 86 on December 25 - 28; 85, 84, and 83 on December 29 - 31; 82 on
January 1 - January 10; 83, 83, and 84 on January 11 - 13; 85 on
January 14 - 20; 86 on January 21 - 24; 85, 84, and 83 on January 25 -
27, and 82 on January 28 - 30.
Predicted planetary A index is 8 on December 17; 5 on December 18 - 20;
12, 8, 8, 5, and 8 on December 21 - 25; 5 on December 26 - January 4;
10 on January 5 - 6; 5 on January 7 - 12; 8 on January 13; 5 on January
14 - 16; 10, 12, and 10 on January 17 - 19; 8 on January 20 - 21, and 5
on January 21 - 30.
--- QScan/PCB v1.20a / 01-0462
* Origin: Christian Fellowship | cfbbs.no-ip.com 856-933-7096 (1:266/512)
|
