The ARRL Letter
January 20, 2022
* ARES Activates as Wind-Driven Year-End Fire Destroys 1,000 Colorado
Homes
* Extended ARRL Team Will Support February's ARRL National Convention
in Orlando
* ARRL Podcasts Schedule
* National Science Foundation Awards Nearly $50,000 for HamSCI
Workshop
* Announcements
* FCC Seeks Attorney-visor for its Mobility Division
* Launch of a Wooden Satellite Still Pending
* Amateur Radio in the News
* Two Radio Amateurs Appointed to the FCC Technological visory
Council (TAC)
* Getting It Right!
* In Brief...
* The K7RA Solar Update
* Just Ahead in Radiosport
* Upcoming Section, State, and Division Conventions
ARES Activates as Wind-Driven Year-End Fire Destroys 1,000 Colorado
Homes
Members of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service^(R) (ARES^(R)) in
Colorado, volunteering for the Boulder County (Colorado) Amateur Radio
Emergency Services (BCARES), turned out on December 30, 2021 as the
devastating Marshall Fire roared through Superior and (portions of)
Louisville, Colorado. Intense winds whipped a grass fire south of
Boulder near Marshall into a massive firestorm that became too large
and fierce for firefighters to battle.
"The only battle was evacuation, as the towns of Louisville and
Superior and [the] northern suburbs of Denver lay in the fire's
wind-driven path," said Amateur TV (ATV) enthusiast and equipment
dealer Jim Andrews, KH6HTV, of Boulder. Andrews said the only thing
limiting the fire's spread was the fact that the winds diminished by
that evening.
"By that time, hundreds of homes had burned down," Andrews said, whose
own house was among them. "This was not a typical forest fire, but an
urban firestorm." Thousands of people were evacuated.
BCARES Board of Directors Chairman and Region 1, District 3 Emergency
Coordinator Allen Bishop, K0ARK, said that a request from the Boulder
Office of Emergency Management (OEM) to activate the emergency
operations center (EOC) is what initiated the ARES activation. "At that
time, staffing was initiated with the activation of the BCARES Radio
Network, with three BCARES members assigned to the EOC," Bishop said.
The BCARES Net was promptly activated.
ARES volunteers supported communication at evacuation sites and
established emergency communication as commercial power failures and
preventive shutdowns by utilities caused a loss of commercial
communication. "Within about 8 hours," Bishop said, "battery back-up
systems for cell phones and landlines failed, and 911 services went
down."
"To facilitate a restoration of these emergency services, BCARES
activated the Mountain Emergency Radio Network (MERN)," Bishop said.
Established in 2010, MERN consists of repeaters installed at fire
stations in Gold Hill and Allenspark, at community centers in Nederland
and Raymond, and the privately owned Airlink Repeater. "These repeaters
provided the emergency communication links that facilitated the
restoration of 911 communications back to the dispatch center for the
duration of the power outages," Bishop explained. The Allenspark
Neighbors Emergency Network (ANEN) and Airlink (Alternate Access Radio
Network) participated.
Jim Andrews, KH6HTV, shared this
photo of what remained of his home.
[Jim Andrews, KH6HTV, photo]
According to Bishop, as the Marshall Fire expanded, evacuation center
support was requested at three locations to provide on-site situation
reports using Winlink. Bishop said BCARES members and mutual-aid ARES
operators from neighboring Districts established local communication
with the BCARES EOC radio position from designated field locations.
BCARES was activated for 2 days. One person died as a result of the
fire.
As Andrews reported, Boulder County announced on New Year's Day that
nearly 1,000 homes were lost. In addition to his own home, the fire
destroyed his daughter's home next door, as well as the homes of all
his close neighbors. "We had no official warning of the coming
firestorm," Andrews said. "My only warning was from our daughter who
saw it happening." Andrews added, "KH6HTV VIDEO, as a supplier of ATV
gear, will be out of operation for a very long time to come." Andrews
edits the monthly Boulder Amateur Television Club TV Repeater's
REPEATER newsletter.
Extended ARRL Team Will Support February's ARRL National Convention in
Orlando
An extended ARRL team of member-volunteers, program representatives,
and presenters will advance the convention theme inviting attendees to
"reDiscover Radio" at Orlando HamCation, host of the 2022 ARRL National
Convention February 10 - 13. A wide-ranging roster of workshops,
exhibits, and activities will educate and entertain radio amateurs
committed to developing knowledge and skills in radio technology and
radio communication.
The convention will be held in two parts. On Thursday, February 10, an
all-day ARRL National Convention Program will be held at the DoubleTree
by Hilton Hotel Orlando at SeaWorld. vance registration is required
and includes a series of day-long ARRL Training Tracks and a National
Convention luncheon with a keynote address by ARRL CEO David Minster,
NA2AA. The Training Tracks comprise four workshops led by experienced
presenters: Contest University (CTU), Emergency Communications Academy,
Hands-On Handbook, and Technology Academy. Registration can be
completed online.
DX Engineering is the Official Sponsor of the 2022 ARRL National
Convention Program.
On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, February 11 - 13, HamCation will take
place at the Central Florida Fairgrounds and Expo Park in Orlando -- an
87-acre lakefront fairgrounds. The convention marks the 75th
anniversary of HamCation -- one of the largest annual gatherings of
radio amateurs in the US. HamCation tickets can be purchased online
until January 31 and at the gate during the event.
The centerpiece of ARRL's participation will be a large exhibit area in
the East and West Hall. Nearly a dozen ARRL program areas will be
represented, including Radiosport and DXCC Card Checking, Radio Clubs,
the Amateur Radio Emergency Service^(R), Development, and the ARRL
Foundation.
A suite of exhibits organized by the ARRL Education and Learning
Department will include an introduction to the new ARRL Learning
Center. ARRL Education and Learning Manager Steve Goodgame, K5ATA, will
introduce this new member benefit that includes online courses, videos,
and other amateur radio instruction and training. At another booth,
ARRL Education and Technology Program Instructor Tommy Gober, N5DUX,
will cover the ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology.
Josh Nass, KI6NAZ, of the popular
"Ham Radio Crash Course" is one of
the YouTube content creators who
will present at the Convention.
ARRL has invited several ham radio content creators from popular
YouTube channels to meet and interact with attendees in the exhibit
area. Josh Nass, KI6NAZ, of the popular "Ham Radio Crash Course"
YouTube channel, will moderate. He is the 2020 winner of the ARRL Bill
Leonard Award for outstanding published media that advances amateur
radio. Visitors will have a chance to meet ARRL authors and editors.
ARRL Laboratory engineers and volunteers will offer free testing of
visitors' handheld radios. This service will determine the spectral
purity of the output signal from the radios.
Members and other attendees can meet ARRL elected officials and Field
Organization volunteers at the Southeastern Division booth to catch up
on events and to explore opportunities to get involved through their
ARRL Sections and radio clubs.
The exhibit area will also include the ARRL store and membership area,
where visitors may join, renew, or extend ARRL and Diamond Club
memberships and purchase publications, apparel, and 2022 Field Day
products. New ARRL Membership Manager Matt Caruso will be eager to meet
and greet members.
ARRL will sponsor three forums at HamCation:
* An ARRL Emergency Communications Panel will be held at 3:15 PM
Eastern on Friday. The panel will be moderated by ARRL Director of
Emergency Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, and will include
panelists from the ARRL Southeastern Division Field Organization.
* On Saturday at 2 PM Eastern, ARRL Collegiate Amateur Radio visors
Andy Milluzzi, KK4LWR, and Tony Milluzzi, KD8RTT, will lead a
Collegiate Amateur Radio Forum. The ARRL Collegiate Amateur Radio
Initiative is a regular networking source among active campus radio
clubs and their student members.
* An ARRL Membership Forum will be held on Saturday at 3:15 PM,
moderated by Southeastern Division Director Mickey Baker, N4MB.
This forum offers an opportunity to hear from ARRL representatives
on key areas of member interest and amateur radio advocacy and to
learn how ARRL supports dozens of ways to get involved and active
on the air. Panelists will include President Rick Roderick, K5UR,
and CEO David Minster, NA2AA.
The exhibit area will also include the ARRL store and membership area,
where visitors may join, renew, or extend ARRL and Diamond Club
memberships and purchase publications, apparel, and 2022 Field Day
products.
The Orlando Amateur Radio Club sponsors Orlando HamCation. Further
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