The ARRL Letter
April 8, 2021
* Florida Emergency Communications Exercise Combines Hams, Agencies,
State, and NGOs
* IARU and CEPT Nudge WRC-23 Preparations Forward
* ARRL Podcasts Schedule
* March 2021 Volunteer Monitor Program Report
* ARRL Learning Network Webinars
* Oklahoma SM Kevin O'Dell, N0IRW, Stepping Down; Mark Kleine, N5HZR,
Appointed as Oklahoma SM
* Announcements
* MARS is a Not Always an Obvious Resource in Emergencies
* ARISS USA Gets IRS 501(c)(3) Recognition
* YOTA Announces New Three-Times-a-Year Contest
* In Brief...
* The K7RA Solar Update
* Just Ahead in Radiosport
* Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
Florida Emergency Communications Exercise Combines Hams, Agencies,
State, and NGOs
A 2-hour emergency communications exercise on March 19 in Florida was
deemed "wildly successful," while resulting in 21 specific suggestions
for improvement of issues recognized. Sponsored by Florida Baptist
Disaster Relief, a non-governmental (NGO) "served organization," the
exercise simulated a combined disaster of multiple tornadoes crossing
north-central Florida closely followed by a terrorist attack on
telecommunications, which took down large chunks of internet and
telephone service.
Pop-up situations, called "injects" by event planners, simulated
multiple dire situations and hinted at even larger attacks, designed to
create possible rumor issues. Multiple counties arranged for volunteers
to help with the simulation, working in shelters and transmitting
status reports of individualized disaster scenarios to county emergency
operations centers (EOCs). Volunteers directed by actual or simulated
EOC officials aggregated situational awareness and formulated status
and resource request messages, sent by voice or digital mode to a
volunteer from the actual Florida agency that handles disaster
communications. Appropriate responses were sent back by radio.
The exercise picked up additional support from multiple out-of-state
volunteers, who relayed traffic from voice to email and vice versa.
Amateur radio also conveyed simulated outbound welfare messages from
survivors in stricken cities and counties.
Lee County, Texas, Emergency
Coordinator Marida Favia del
Core Borromeo, KD5BJ, took part
in the exercise.
All told, 431 messages zipped through the airwaves within the 2-hour
simulation, including 53 to the state and 31 replies. Messages were
passed using digital email or radiogram.
Two of the seven exercise goals addressed interoperability between
agencies and volunteers. Agency emergency management and communications
groups participating included Florida Division of Emergency Management,
Florida Baptist Disaster Relief, the federal SHARES Southeast Regional
Net, Alachua, Columbia, Flagler, Madison, and Taylor Counties, as well
as Homestead City.
Volunteer communications groups included the Northern Florida ARES Net,
Northern Florida Phone Net, North Florida Phone Traffic Net, and
ARES^A(R) groups from Alachua, Columbia, Flagler, Madison, Marion,
Santa Rosa, Suwanee, and Volusia Counties. Madison corralled volunteers
from several surrounding counties to expand situational awareness.
Multiple county emergency managers injected their own specific plans
and overlay exercises, as provided by the open-exercise design. Ross
Merlin, WA2WDT, director of the federal SHARES program, arranged for a
60-meter interoperability channel to be made available, and leaders
from the SHARES Southeast Regional Net provided coverage that resulted
in formal message transfer. Florida net trainer Dave Davis, WA4WES,
rounded up volunteers to staff multiple voice nets, and he supervised a
PSK31 net. Northern Florida Section Emergency Coordinator Karl Martin,
K4HBN, also took part.
Exercise planning was carried out as much as possible in accordance
with DHS Homeland Security Exercise Evaluation Program (HSEEP)
protocols.
Post-exercise feedback -- both through a 1-hour Zoom "hotwash" session
and an anonymous feedback form -- were very positive and also suggested
possible improvements. All are included in the detailed and candid
After-Action Report/Improvement Plan.
IARU and CEPT Nudge WRC-23 Preparations Forward
The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) continued preparing for
World Radiocommunication Conference 2023 (WRC-23) by attending the
second meeting of the European Conference of Postal and
Telecommunications ministrations (CEPT) Conference Preparatory Group
(CPG) Project Team A on March 23 - 25. IARU Region 1 Spectrum Affairs
Chair Barry Lewis, G4SJH, said that Project Team A develops the CEPT
WRC briefs for several WRC scientific and regulatory agenda items of
particular interest to the amateur community. Specific attention is
being paid to WRC-23 agenda items 1.12, 1.14, and 9.1a.
IARU put forward its agreed preliminary positions for these agenda
items at the meeting. Lewis said IARU's overall objective is to
safeguard the allocations to the Amateur and Amateur Satellite Services
in co-located and adjacent frequency bands within the scope of each
agenda item. The CEPT briefs include a special section in which the
views of all recognized international and regional organizations can be
placed, and IARU's views are now in this section of the draft briefs
for each of these agenda items:
* Agenda Item 1.12 -- Earth exploration-satellite service (EESS)
(active) for spaceborne radar sounders within the range of
frequencies around 45 MHz. IARU's position is to ensure that
adjacent-band 50 MHz Amateur Services are protected. CEPT has not
voiced a position yet.
* Agenda Item 1.14 -- Possible new primary frequency allocations to
EESS (passive) in the frequency range 231.5 â** 252 GHz. IARU's
position is no change to the 248 - 250 GHz primary allocations and
the 241 - 248 GHz secondary allocations. CEPT supports the EESS
proposal.
* Agenda Item 9.1A -- Radio service designations for space weather
sensors. IARU 's position is to avoid additional constraints on
Amateur Services. CEPT's position is not yet defined.
The IARU Spectrum and Regulatory Liaison Committee (SRLC) continues to
be active in Project Team A and in all CEPT project teams dealing with
WRC-23 preparations. CEPT Conference Preparatory Group Project Team A
will also consider agenda item proposals to be put forward at WRC-27.
CPG Project Team A meeting documents are available on the CEPT website.
Visit the IARU Region 1 web page for more information on WRC-23
preparations.
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ARRL Podcasts Schedule
The latest episode of the On the Air podcast (Episode 16) focuses on
Parks on the Air (POTA), one of the most popular activities taking
place in amateur radio today. We chat with Audrey Hance, KN4TMU, a
relatively new ham who recently operated from Panther Creek State Park
in Tennessee.
The latest edition of the Eclectic Tech podcast (Episode 31) finds the
PSK31 digital mode alive and well, with many amateurs using it to
rediscover the joys of real keyboard-to-keyboard conversation. Also,
QST and QEX author Phil Salas, AD5X, discusses the revolution taking
place in small, inexpensive vector network analyzers, or VNAs.
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.
March 2021 Volunteer Monitor Program Report
The Volunteer Monitor (VM) Program is a joint initiative between ARRL
and the FCC to enhance compliance in the Amateur Radio Service.
The FCC delayed action on the renewal application of a General-class
licensee in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, in order to review allegations of
repeated transmission of obscenities and failure to properly identify.
The Volunteer Monitor Coordinator issued 14 visory Notices. An
visory Notice is an attempt to resolve rule violation issues
informally before FCC intervention:
* An visory Notice was sent to the owner of a remote amateur
station in California, advising him that he is responsible for
deliberate interference transmitted by any station over his remote
facility.
* An visory Notice was sent to a radio amateur in Ripley,
Tennessee, regarding deliberate interference and failure to
properly identify on 75 meters.
* An visory Notice was sent to a radio amateur in Jefferson,
Georgia, regarding failure to properly identify on 40 meters.
* visory Notices were sent to radio amateurs in Tiburon, Petaluma,
and Manteca, California, and Grants Pass, Oregon, concerning
interference on 75 meters.
General visories were sent to operators in West Virginia, Michigan,
Iowa, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin concerning
operation on 7.200, 3.927, and 3.860 MHz.
A Good Operator Commendation was sent to a husband-and-wife team in
Perryopolis, Pennsylvania, recognizing excellent net and 2-meter
operations.
VM representatives had two meetings with FCC officials. -- Thanks to
Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, Volunteer Monitor Program ministrator
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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.
Finding and Fixing RFI -- Paul Cianciolo, W1VLF, on Tuesday, April 20,
2021 at 1 PM EDT (1700 UTC)
Radio frequency interference (RFI) has been a problem for ham radio
operators and SWLs (shortwave listeners) since the radio hobby began.
Noise has gotten worse over the last 20 years or so with the advent of
widespread solar power, LED lightning, grow lights, and digital
devices. Learn all about finding and fixing RFI in today's world.
HF Noise Mitigation -- ARRL Northwestern Division Director Mike Ritz,
W7VO, on Thursday, May 6 at 3:30 PM EDT (1930 UTC)
An educational seminar to help both new and experienced HF operators
who find themselves plagued with noise. We'll learn what "noise" is,
discuss the various noise sources, and talk about how to mitigate those
noises using a variety of techniques.
W1AW Antenna Farm -- W1AW Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q; Date To Be
Determined
Experience a bird's-eye view and description of the antennas used by
W1AW for the station's scheduled transmissions and visiting operator
activity. All the antennas used at W1AW are single-band Yagis. Viewers
will also see the 5 GHz sector antennas that are part of W1AW's AREDN
system.
These Learning Network presentations are sponsored by Icom.
ARRL members may register for upcoming presentations and view
previously recorded Learning Network webinars. ARRL-affiliated radio
clubs may also use the recordings as presentations for club meetings,
mentoring new and current hams, and discussing amateur radio topics.
The ARRL Learning Network schedule is subject to change.
Oklahoma SM Kevin O'Dell, N0IRW, Stepping Down; Mark Kleine, N5HZR,
Appointed as Oklahoma SM
Kevin O'Dell, N0IRW, Oklahoma's long-serving Section Manager (SM) --
serving two terms from 2010 to 2014 and again serving since 2016 -- has
decided to step down effective April 9, 2021. Although he is stepping
down as Oklahoma SM, O'Dell will continue to serve amateur radio and
ARRL as a member of ARRL's Public Relations Committee. Prior to
becoming SM, O'Dell served as both a Public Information Officer and as
the Public Information Coordinator for the Oklahoma Section for many
years.
Mark P. Kleine, N5HZR, a resident of Norman, Oklahoma, has been
appointed to replace O'Dell as Oklahoma Section Manager effective April
9, and will serve out the balance of O'Dell's term, which extends to
September 30, 2022.
Kleine has been a very active member of the Oklahoma amateur radio
community for many years, currently serving as an Oklahoma Assistant
Section Manager, a leader of the South Canadian Amateur Radio Society
(SCARS), and as President of the Central Oklahoma Radio Amateurs
(CORA), a group of nine amateur radio clubs that host the Oklahoma City
Hamfest "Ham Holiday." An ARRL Life Member, Kleine is also an amateur
radio license class instructor and Volunteer Examiner for three
different Volunteer Examiner Coordinators.
ARRL Radiosport and Field Services Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, made the
appointment based on the recommendations of ARRL West Gulf Division
Director John Robert Stratton, N5AUS; O'Dell, N0IRW; West Gulf Vice
Director Lee Cooper, W5LHC, and leaders of the Oklahoma Section.
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Announcements
* Dayton Hamvention^A(R) has information about online activities over
Hamvention weekend, May 20 - 22. Visit the Hamvention website for
details.
* Kanga Kits has closed, as its owners are retiring and putting the
business up for sale.
* The Radio Club of America has announced that it will interview Ken
Claerbout, K4ZW, on April 13, 2021, at 9 PM EDT (April 14 at 0100
UTC). He is acting chief of the Broadcast Technologies Division for
Global Media (USAGM). RCA President Tim Duffy, K3LR, will
facilitate the free event. vance registration is required.
* Complete results of the 2020 ARRL November Phone Sweepstakes and
the 2020 160-Meter Contest have been posted. The full results
articles, a searchable databases of all events, line scores,
certificates, and log-checking reports are available too.
* Mark Driscoll, W5MED, will operate KC4USV at Antarctica's McMurdo
Station for World Amateur Radio Day. Look for him at 14.243 MHz SSB
and 14.070 (FT8), April 17, 2330 - April 18, 0230 UTC, and April
18, 0600 - 0800 UTC. He'll participate in the ARRL Rookie Roundup,
April 18, 2100 - 2359.
* Solar physicist Scott McIntosh of the National Center for
Atmospheric Research (NCAR) will present an update to the Cycle 25
Solar forecast at 0200 UTC on Friday, April 9 (Thursday evening,
April 8, in the continental US and Canada). The Zoom meeting link
will open 30 minutes prior to the presentation to give participants
time to set up cameras, microphones, and chat.
MARS is a Not Always an Obvious Resource in Emergencies
The Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) is a US Department of
Defense adjunct comprised of radio amateurs that's not always the first
resource that comes to mind in an emergency, even within the military.
In a recent article in SIGNAL, US Marine Corps Major Brian Kerg exhorts
the brass to more fully exploit amateur radio in general, and MARS in
particular, for use in times of distress.
"As future threats continue to evolve, day-to-day communications
architectures will become more unreliable in times of crisis," Kerg
concludes. "It is imperative that joint communications planners turn to
amateurs to remain experts. By building awareness of how to employ MARS
and training military radio operators in ham radio technique, leaders
will ensure their planners are proactively leveraging the organic
amateur communications networks that abound across the globe."
In his article, Kerg -- who does not appear to be a radio amateur --
attempts to raise the amateur radio consciousness level of military
planners who are deciding how to address an emergency. He characterizes
ham radio as a robust and readily available communications resource
when things go south.
"And they are often every bit the expert as professional military
communicators and signalmen. The term 'amateur' refers not to their
technical acumen but to the private, nonbusiness use of allocated radio
bands by those possessing amateur radio licenses," Kerg points out. He
notes that while voice communication may be the most common ham radio
mode, operators are skilled at sending and receiving text, images, and
data.
With MARS, the Defense Department has a mechanism employing amateur
radio operators who can actively support military operations. "Notably,
military aircrews remain capable of using MARS phone patches through
high-frequency radios when satellite communications are unavailable,"
he writes.
Kerg says the downside is that the use of MARS "remains a largely
unknown or niche capability, one that is usually stumbled upon by
planners in the moment of crisis and then poorly implemented." He said
awareness of MARS was not helped when the Navy and Marine Corps MARS
were shuttered in 2015, leaving only Army and Air Force MARS.
Military planners should focus on raising awareness of MARS and of
amateur radio by making it available through training and other
activities, Kerg said. Contesting could be a component. "The wide
variety of annual amateur radio competitions can further incentivize
military operators to improve their amateur radio skills while
inevitably improving proficiency in their mission-essential tasks," he
wrote.
Kerg currently serves as the fleet amphibious communications officer,
US Fleet Forces Command.
ARISS USA Gets IRS 501(c)(3) Recognition
ARISS-USA, a Maryland not-for-profit corporation, has earned
recognition from the US Internal Revenue Service as a Section 501(c)(3)
charitable, scientific, and educational organization. ARISS-USA is the
US segment of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
(ARISS) international working group. With this IRS determination,
ARISS-USA may solicit donations and grants, and donations to ARISS-USA
become tax-deductible in the US, retroactive to May 21, 2020.
"The educational scope and reach of what ARISS accomplishes has grown
significantly since our beginnings in 1996, said ARISS-USA Executive
Director Frank Bauer, KA3HDO. "We are actively working to extend
students' reach even further. This, through the pursuit of potential
student opportunities on human spaceflight missions beyond low-Earth
orbit, is part of our Amateur Radio Exploration (AREx) Program. First
AREx destination: the moon!"
ARISS-USA says it will continue to promote student involvement with the
astronauts on the ISS via amateur radio. Working with educational
organizations, ARISS provides opportunities to inspire, engage, and
educate our next generation of space explorers through STEAM (science,
technology, engineering, arts, and math) activities and content.
ARISS-USA will continue to collaborate with ARISS International and US
sponsors, partners, and interest groups. ARISS' sponsors are NASA Space
Communication and Navigation (SCaN) and the ISS National Lab (INL).
Donations to ARISS-USA are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
YOTA Announces New Three-Times-a-Year Contest
"Team YOTA" of Youngsters on the Air in IARU Region 1 has announced it
will sponsor a new contest, the YOTA Contest. Open to all radio
amateurs, it takes place three times a year and runs for just 12 hours.
YOTA said the aim is to boost on-the-air activity by younger radio
amateurs and to support YOTA. The contest will take place on different
12-hour windows on three Saturdays.
The opening event will be on May 22, 0800 - 1959 UTC. The other two in
2021 will be July 17, 1000 - 2159 UTC, and December 30, 1200 - 2359
UTC.
YOTA has established eight different operating categories, which
include sub-categories for operators age 25 and younger, but operators
of all ages may participate. Covering 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters,
the allowable modes will be CW and SSB.
The contest exchange will be the age of the participating operator.
Different ages serve as score multipliers during the contest. Stations
may work the same station once per band mode.
Contacts between the station's own continent are worth 1 point, while
working DX is worth
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