The ARRL Letter
September 30, 2021
* Deaf Pupils Set to Speak with ISS Crew Member in a World-First
Event
* Amateur Radio Volunteers Assist in Major US Cycling Event
* ARRL Podcasts Schedule
* Past AMSAT President and Director, and Amateur Satellite Pioneer
Tom Clark, K3IO, SK
* Georgia Gets a New Section Manager; Re-Elected SMs Begin New Terms
on October 1
* ARRL Learning Network Webinars
* ARISS Seeks Hosts for Ham Radio Contacts with Space Station Crew
* Amateur Radio in the News
* Many Ham Radio Organizations Represented at 2021 ARRL New England
Division Convention
* Announcements
* In Brief...
* The K7RA Solar Update
* Just Ahead in Radiosport
* Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
Deaf Pupils Set to Speak with ISS Crew Member in a World-First Event
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) will offer a
group of pupils at the Mary Hare School for deaf children in Berkshire,
England an opportunity to speak with an astronaut via amateur radio.
The contact is expected to take place sometime during October 10 - 17.
Mary Hare School, with Pippa Middleton as its Ambassador, is the
largest school for the deaf in the UK. The event will mark the first
time an ARISS contact has been arranged with a school for deaf youth.
"It is a very exciting event -- a world first for deaf pupils," said
Alex Ayling, a science teacher at the school. "I think it is very
important to our deaf pupils, as it shows whatever your challenges with
communication, there is no limit to what you can achieve. The sky is
not the limit."
Ciaran Morgan, M0XTD, ARISS operations lead for the UK, said that
technical aspects of the radio contact are being handled by the
ARISS-UK team. The Newbury and District Amateur Radio Society (NADARS)
will provide "the amateur radio experience" for the students, through
ham radio events and activities at the school. Lessons related to ARISS
include a crystal radio, electricity and circuits, forces, energy,
sound, electromagnetism, space and space exploration, the ISS, and
rocketry.
During September, the school has been conducting a competition,
inviting students to enter questions from one of five categories --
science in space, space technology, living in space, space
communication, and Earth from space. The school staff will pick the 10
best questions, and those students will be invited to ask their
questions. The astronaut's response will then be rendered as text for
the students.
At the school, an expected audience of 250 socially distanced
spectators will be able to see the radio contact firsthand. The
remaining students and audience members will be linked in via a web
feed.
Amateur radio equipment has been on board the ISS for more than 20
years, and most astronauts hold ham radio licenses. A live web feed
will be available.
Mary Hare School educates some 240 profoundly and severely deaf
children, aged 5 - 19, each year.
In the US, ARISS is sponsored by NASA, the ISS National Laboratory,
ARRL, and AMSAT. -- Thanks to UK News
Amateur Radio Volunteers Assist in Major US Cycling Event
Some 115 amateur radio volunteers from five states turned out on
September 11 to support communication for the longest single-day
US-sanctioned cycling event, LoToJa, now in its 39th year. Starting in
Logan, Utah, the 203-mile course ends in Jackson Hole, Wyoming --
taking cyclists through northeastern Utah, southeastern Idaho, and
western Wyoming in the process. The race attracts thousands of
applicants, and upward of 2,000 of them are selected to compete. Some
1,700 competed in this year's LoToJa. The event's cyclists and sponsors
have contributed more than $2 million for Huntsman Cancer Foundation.
Hams from multiple ARRL-affiliated clubs in Utah, including Golden
Spike, OARC, and UVARC, participate. The group does "neutral wheel"
support (which substitutes wheels and equipment in the event of a
failure) as well as first aid, as needed, and provides communications
from start to finish. The race deploys four command centers and
multiple repeaters.
"This year's race will have 600 course volunteers, which includes 150
ham radio operators [and helpers] from the Bridgerland Amateur Radio
Club. They provide uninterrupted communication throughout LoToJa's
mountainous and remote terrain," Race Director Brent Chambers told the
Cache Valley Daily.
"We take two portable repeaters to the top of mountains, and we deploy
multiple APRS digipeaters," explained Kevin Reeve, N7RXE, the
coordinator of amateur radio operators and communication systems for
LoToJa. "All ham vehicles run APRS, and we have APRS and a radio
operator with the race director and race official. Our goal is to help
the cyclists, support crews, and families have a safe and enjoyable
event."
Ted McArthur, AC7II, heads the communication infrastructure team for
the LoToJa hams. In all, nine repeaters and several simplex frequencies
are used throughout the event, and APRS plays an important role.
"With [an increased] number of mobile vehicles needed to meet a growing
event, Net Control stations were spending a lot of radio time asking
for position reports," McArthur said. "We needed the air time for real
traffic, like helping cyclists, emergencies, and other critical
traffic."
"LoToJa is such a great event for amateur radio operators to
participate in," said Tyler Griffiths, N7UWX. "It is the ARES [Amateur
Radio Emergency Service^(R)] radio operator's dream event. We know
where it starts, we know where it ends, but everything that happens in
between is different from year to year."
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ARRL Podcasts Schedule
The latest episode of the On the Air podcast (Episode 21) features a
discussion with Steve Goodgame, K5ATA, about the new edition of The
ARRL Handbook and how it can be useful to new hams.
The latest edition of Eclectic Tech (Episode 43) features a chat with
Glen Popiel, KW5GP, about his new ARRL book More Arduino for Amateur
Radio.
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.
Past AMSAT President and Director, and Amateur Satellite Pioneer Tom
Clark, K3IO, SK
AMSAT-NA Past President and ham radio satellite and digital pioneer Tom
Clark, K3IO (ex-W3IWI), of Columbia, Maryland, died on September 28
after a short illness and hospital stay. An ARRL Life Member and ARRL
Maxim Society and Diamond Club member, he was 82. Clark's
accomplishments are legendary, and he left a lasting footprint on the
worlds of amateur radio satellites and digital techniques.
"His longtime technical achievements, mentoring to others, and
technical leadership will be missed by his many peers and friends the
world over," said Bob McGwier, N4HY.
To honor Clark, AMSAT has rebranded its upcoming annual gathering as
The 2021 AMSAT Dr. Tom Clark, K3IO, Memorial Space Symposium and Annual
General. It will take place on October 30 via Zoom. (AMSAT members may
register to attend via AMSAT's Member Portal.) The event will be
livestreamed on AMSAT's YouTube channel.
A founding member of Tucson Amateur Packet Radio (TAPR), Clark was a
cofounder of the TAPR/AMSAT DSP Project, which led to software-defined
radio. He was a leader in the development of the AX.25 packet radio
protocol. Clark served as AMSAT's second president, from 1980 until
1987. He also served on the AMSAT and TAPR Boards.
In concert with McGwier, Clark developed the first amateur DSP
hardware, including a number of modems. He developed the uplink
receivers and the spacecraft LAN architecture used on all the Microsats
(Oscars 16, 17, 18, 19, 26, 27, and 31). McGwier said it was Clark who
convinced him in 1985 that the future lay in DSP.
"We started the TAPR/AMSAT DSP project, and it was announced in 1987,"
McGwier recounted. "We showed in our efforts that small stations with
small antennas could bounce signals off the moon, and using the power
of DSP, we could see the signals in our computer displays." This led to
the software-defined transponder (SDX) for satellite work, including
ARISSat and AMSAT's Phase 3E.
Clark received a doctorate in astro-geophysics from the University of
Colorado. He went on to serve as Chief of the Astronomy Branch at NASA
Marshall Space Flight Center and was a Senior Scientist at NASA Goddard
Space Flight Center, where he was principal investigator for the Very
Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) activity.
In 2005, he became the first non-Russian to be awarded the Special
Medal of the Russian Academy of Sciences for his contributions to the
international VLBI network. He is a member of the 2001 class of CQ
Magazine's Amateur Radio Hall of Fame.
In 2016, ARRL awarded Clark with its President's Award, to recognize
his 60 years of advancing amateur radio technology. On that occasion,
McGwier said, "There would be no AMSAT to inspire all of this work
without Tom Clark. Tom...saved the organization and inspired all of us
to look to the future and aim for the stars," McGwier said.
Clark was a Fellow of the American Geophysical Society and the
International Association of Geodesy.
Georgia Gets a New Section Manager; Re-Elected SMs Begin New Terms on
October 1
Jim Millsap, K9APD, will become the ARRL Georgia Section Manager (SM)
on Friday, October 1. Millsap, of Acworth, was the only candidate who
applied by the June 4 nomination deadline. Millsap has been an ARRL
Emergency Coordinator and District Emergency Coordinator. He also
served as the ARRL Southeastern Division Vice Director from 2012 to
2014. Outgoing SM David Benoist, AG4ZR, of Senoia, decided not to run
for a new term after serving since November 2016.
These incumbent SMs faced no challengers in the summer election cycle
and will also begin new 2-year terms of office on October 1: Robert
Wareham, N0ESQ (Colorado); Diana Feinberg, AI6DF (Los Angeles), Carol
Milazzo, KP4MD (Sacramento Valley); Bill Hillendahl, KH6GJV (San
Francisco); Stuart Wolfe, KF5NIX (South Texas); Monte Simpson, W7FF
(Western Washington), and Dan Ringer, K8WV (West Virginia).
Eastern Washington Section Manager Jo Whitney, KA7LJQ, was also the
only nominee when the June 4 nomination deadline arrived. Whitney, of
Yakima, was initially scheduled to start her elected term of office on
October 1. However, she was appointed to start her term of office on
July 1 after outgoing SM Jack Tiley, AD7FO, stepped down before the
completion of his term.
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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.
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.
Working the Pileup, presented by Ron Delpiere-Smith, KD9IPO / Tuesday,
October 5, 2021 @ 1:00 pm EDT (1700 UTC)
Ron Delpiere-Smith, KD9IPO, Vice President of the Chicago Suburban
Radio Association and an ARRL Assistant Section Manager in Illinois,
will offer an enlightening discussion on working a pileup from both
sides of the contact. Whether your interest lies in ARRL Field Day,
contesting, special events, or rare DX, this is a must-see
presentation. Ron will discuss search-and-pounce and running
techniques, when to use them, and some tips on working them to your
advantage.
The ARRL Learning Network schedule is subject to change.
ARISS Seeks Hosts for Ham Radio Contacts with Space Station Crew
Starting on October 1, Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
(ARISS) will accept applications from US schools, museums, science
centers, and community youth organizations (individually or working
together) interested in hosting amateur radio contacts with crew
members on the International Space Station (ISS). Contacts will be
scheduled between July 1 and December 31, 2022. Crew scheduling and ISS
orbits will determine the exact contact dates. ARISS is looking for
organizations that will draw a sizeable number of participants and
integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan.
The deadline to submit is November 24. Proposal information and more
details, including expectations, proposal guidelines, and a proposal
form are on the ARISS-US website. An ARISS introductory webinar session
will be held on October 7 at 8 PM ET (2400 UTC). Sign up for the
webinar via Eventbrite.
Each year, ARISS provides tens of thousands of students with
opportunities to learn about space technologies and communications
through amateur radio. Crew members aboard the ISS will participate in
scheduled amateur radio contacts. These contacts are approximately 10
minutes long and allow students to interact with the astronaut through
a question-and-answer session.
The program offers learning opportunities by connecting students to
orbiting astronauts through a partnership that includes ARRL, AMSAT,
and NASA, as well as other amateur radio organizations, and space
agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan, and Europe. The program's goal is to
inspire students to pursue interests and careers in science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), as well as amateur
radio.
"Educators overwhelmingly report that student participation in the
ARISS program stimulates interest in STEM subjects and in STEM
careers," ARISS said in their announcement regarding the contact
opportunities. ARISS says enthusiasm sparked by a school contact may
also lead to an interest in ham radio among students and to the
creation of ham radio clubs in schools. Some educators have even become
radio amateurs after experiencing a contact with an ISS crew member.
ARISS is celebrating 20 years of continuous amateur radio operations on
the ISS. Contact ARISS-US for additional information.
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Amateur Radio in the News
ARRL Public Information Officers, Coordinators, and many other
member-volunteers help keep amateur radio and ARRL in the news.
* Simulated Emergency Test Saturday for local ham radio operators /
The Monroe News (Michigan) September 28, 2021
* Amateur radio group marks 80 years of community service during
disasters / Star vertiser (Pennsylvania) September 28, 2021
* Volunteer Radio Operators Are A Lifesaver During Emergencies In The
San Bernardino National Forest / LAist (California) September 22,
2021
* The Quietest Place in America (Greenbank, West Virginia) /
LethbridgeNewsNow (Alberta, Canada) September 21, 2021
Share any amateur radio media hits you spot with us.
Many Ham Radio Organizations Represented at 2021 ARRL New England
Division Convention
This year's Northeast HamXposition drew about 1,200 attendees to its
new location in Marlborough, Massachusetts, during September 10 - 12.
The event hosted the ARRL New England Division Convention, and was
formerly held about 15 miles away in Boxborough, Massachusetts. This
was the first year the convention was held at this location because the
event was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Event proceeds
go to the New England FEMARA Scholarship fund, which helps students
attend a college or trade school of their choice. Scholarships are
administered by the ARRL Foundation Scholarship Program.
HamXposition Chairman Bob DeMattia, K1IW, and his committee said they
were pleased with the turnout, given last year's cancellation and this
year's new venue. The event was held at the Best Western Royal Plaza
Hotel and Trade Center in Marlborough. Although there were some
last-minute cancellations from a handful of exhibitors and presenters,
W1 QSL Bureau Co-Manager Eric Williams, KV1J, believed that there was
"remarkably good attendance," despite the concerns of COVID-19. The W1
QSL Bureau team included ARRL Director of Operations Bob Naumann, W5OV,
who checked DXCC and other ARRL award applications throughout the
convention.
Sci-Tech Amateur Radio Society
(STARS) hosted a hands-on activity.
[Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, photo]
In addition to ARRL Vice President Mike Raisbeck, K1TWF, and New
England Division Director Fred Hopengarten, K1VR, the 2021 ARRL
convention team included New England Division Vice Director Phil
Temples, K9HI; Field Services Manager Mike Walters, W8ZY; Senior Member
Services Representative Kim McNeill, KM1IPA; Director of Operations Bob
Naumann, W5OV, and Public Relations and Innovation Director Bob
Inderbitzen, NQ1R. Several Section Managers and other Field
Organization volunteers also supported the convention. Raisbeck and
Temples also served as the convention's Vice Chair and Program Chair,
respectively.
The Nashua Area Radio Society (NARS) of New Hampshire demonstrated a
variety of activities to encourage new licensees to become "radio
active." NARS was among several radio clubs and organizations that
staffed visitor booths at the event.
Members of the Women Radio Operators of New England (WRONE) hosted an
exhibit for the Young Ladies' Radio League (YLRL), represented by
District 1 YL Barbara Irby, KC1KGS, and Anne Manna, WB1ARU. These
organizations encourage and assist women entering the Amateur Radio
Service.
Sci-Tech Amateur Radio Society (STARS) of New England Sci-Tech in
Natick, Massachusetts, offered a hands-on exhibit and conducted a youth
panel. STARS is hosted by the STEM Education Center and Makerspace at
New England Sci-Tech.
ARRL members Mark Stenning, AA1AC
(left), of Newport, Rhode Island,
and Christopher Stenning, K1XHX, of
East Greenwich, Rhode Island, were
among those operating from special
event station W1A, organized for the
convention by members of the Yankee
Clipper Contest Club. [Bob
Inderbitzen, NQ1R, photo]
DXCC and Contest Dinner speaker rian Ciuperca, KO8SCA, recapped the
DXpedition and IARU Contest activities and activations from Market Reef
and Åland Islands. On Saturday, the banquet speaker was Philip J.
Erickson, W1PJE, of Haystack Observatory, operated by Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT). Erickson discussed HamSCI's latest
ionospheric science investigations, supported in partnership with radio
amateurs and scientists from Haystack Observatory and other
institutions.
The ARRL leadership team hosted an ARRL Membership Forum on Saturday.
ARRL Washington Counsel Dave Siddall, K3ZJ, was among the attendees.
Inderbitzen's keynote address on Saturday morning included a tribute to
the September 11 attacks and a color guard supported by the local Boy
Scouts of America. He also attended the youth panel and met with many
young hams, parents, and their advisors throughout the event, including
Olin College of Engineering undergraduate Zachary Sherman, KC1NXK, who
exhibited for Olin Collegiate Amateur Radio Club, KC1LHR. -- Thanks to
Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, ARRL Public Relations and Innovation Director
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