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Ärende: The Weekly ARRL Letter
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The ARRL Letter
June 4, 2020
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Spring 2020 Section Manager Election Results Announced
* Dan Grady, N2SRK, Appointed as New Rocky Mountain Division Vice
Director
* ARRL Podcasts Schedule
* WSJT-X Version 2.2.0 is Now in General Release
* KN6EQU Balloon Wins Cross-Country Educational Challenge Race
* The K7RA Solar Update
* Just Ahead in Radiosport
* Six Meters Recently Running Hot
* IARU Region 2 Executive Committee Meets in Videoconference
* In Brief...
* Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
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COVID-19 Impact & News
Find the latest news and information on the impact of the coronavirus
pandemic to ARRL members and our global amateur radio community.
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Spring 2020 Section Manager Election Results Announced
Three incumbent ARRL Section Managers were returned to office, while
one challenger outpolled an incumbent Section Manager (SM) in contested
elections this spring. Section Manager ballots were counted on Monday,
June 1, at ARRL Headquarters. Three other incumbent Section Managers
were unopposed and will continue with new terms of office, while one
candidate was declared elected as the only nominee for the volunteer
position.
In Illinois, incumbent SM Ron Morgan, AD9I, edged out a win over two
challengers. Morgan received 605 votes, while Thomas Beebe, W9RY,
garnered 600 votes, and Scott DeSantis, KB9VRW, of Crystal Lake, picked
up 288 votes. Morgan, of East Peoria, has been Illinois Section Manager
since February 2017.
In Maine, challenger Robert Gould, N1WJO, of Casco, topped incumbent SM
Bill Crowley, K1NIT, of Farmingdale, 196 votes to 179 votes. Crowley
has served as Maine's Section Manager since 2014.
In Indiana, incumbent SM Jimmy Merry, KC9RPX, was re-elected with 515
votes to 384 for his challenger Brian Jenks, W9BGJ, of Fort Wayne.
Merry, of Ellettsville, has been Section Manager since July 2018.
In Oregon, David Kidd, KA7OZO, was re-elected over challenger Kevin
Fox, KU0L, of Damascus, 728 votes to 386 votes. Kidd, of Oregon City,
has been Section Manager since 2018.
Bill Ashby, AA6FC, of San Jose, California, was the only nominee for
the Santa Clara Valley Section Manager position. He will succeed
Brandon Bianchi, NI6C, who decided not to run for a new term after
serving since 2012.
Several sitting Section Managers were the only nominees in their
respective sections and were declared re-elected. Kevin Bess, KK4BFN
(Northern Florida); Paul Gayet, AA1SU (Vermont), and Patrick Moretti,
KA1RB (Wisconsin).
All new terms of office begin on July 1.
Dan Grady, N2SRK, Appointed as New Rocky Mountain Division Vice
Director
ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, has appointed Dan Grady, N2SRK, of
Aurora, Colorado, as the new Rocky Mountain Division Vice Director.
Grady will succeed Robert Wareham, N0ESQ, who has stepped down from
that post to accept appointment as Colorado Section Manager (SM),
taking the reins from SM Jack Ciaccia, WM0G, who resigned effective on
June 1 to relocate.
"I am delighted to welcome Dan to the ARRL Rocky Mountain Division
team," Rocky Mountain Division Director Jeff Ryan, K0RM, said. "His
strong leadership skills and his boundless enthusiasm for amateur radio
will be a great benefit to the members of ARRL, as well as the amateur
radio community at large."
Grady credited Ryan and the Division's Section Managers for keeping the
Division healthy and strong. "I am humbled and honored to be working
with Division Director Jeff Ryan as well as the Section Managers
throughout Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Utah," he said. "I am
equally excited to be working for and serving ARRL members in this
leadership role. To join the ranks of these exceptional people is an
honor, and I can assure our membership that the Rocky Mountain Division
will continue to set many amazing standards for the amateur radio
community in the years to come."
A native of southern New Jersey, Grady was licensed in 1992, after a
middle-school technology teacher inspired his curiosity about ham
radio. He served in the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and
Office of Emergency Management communication support teams in southern
New Jersey and in the Philadelphia areas in the 1990s. After relocating
to Colorado in 2014, he helped to found and now serves as president of
the Parker Radio Association -- a 150-member ARRL-affiliated club.
Grady enjoys chasing DX on HF and contesting, as well as digital modes.
He is a vice president and executive team member for a sheet metal
manufacturing, fabrication, and wholesale company headquartered in
Denver and is a state chapter board member for a national sheet metal
contractor association.
Grady holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Phoenix and
pursued religious studies at Seton Hall University.
ARRL Podcasts Schedule
The latest episode of the On the Air podcast (Episode 5) focuses on the
various types of modulation and tips on go-kits. 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 9) includes a
discussion of CW decoding software, intermodulation distortion, and
blockchain technology.
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.
WSJT-X Version 2.2.0 is Now in General Release
WSJT-X version 2.2.0 is now in general availability release, after a
short period in beta (or release candidate) status. WSJT-X version 2.2
offers 10 different protocols or modes -- FT4, FT8, JT4, JT9, JT65,
QRA64, ISCAT, MSK144, WSPR, and Echo. The first six are designed for
reliable contacts under weak-signal conditions, and they use nearly
identical message structure and source encoding. JT65 and QRA64 were
designed for EME ("moonbounce") on VHF/UHF bands, but have also proven
very effective for worldwide very low-power communication on HF bands.
"FT8 is operationally similar but four times faster (15-second T/R
[transmit-receive] sequences) and less sensitive by a few decibels,"
developer Joe Taylor, K1JT, explains in the version 2.2.0 User Guide.
"FT4 is faster still (7.5-second T/R sequences) and especially well
suited for contesting."
Taylor noted that even with their shorter transmit-receive sequences,
FT4 and FT8 are considered "slow modes," because their message frames
are sent only once per transmission. "All fast modes in WSJT-X send
their message frames repeatedly, as many times as will fit into the
[transmit] sequence length," he explained.
Compared with FT8, FT4 is 3.5 dB less sensitive and requires 1.6 times
the bandwidth, but it offers the potential for twice the contact rate.
New in WSJT-X version 2.2.0: FT8 decoding is now spread over three
intervals, the first starting at 11.8 seconds into a receive sequence
and typically yielding around 85% of the possible decodes. This means
users see most decodes much sooner than with previous versions. A
second processing step starts at 13.5 seconds, and a third at 14.7
seconds.
"Overall decoding yield on crowded bands is improved by 10% or more,"
Taylor said.
Other changes: Signal-to-noise (SNR) estimates no longer saturate at
+20 dB, and large signals in the passband no longer cause the SNR of
weaker signals to be biased low. Times written to the ALL.TXT
cumulative journal file are now correct, even when decoding occurs
after the T/R sequence boundary.
KN6EQU Balloon Wins Cross-Country Educational Challenge Race
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) partner
ISS-Above inventor Liam Kennedy, KN6EQU, of Pasadena, California, has
been declared the winner of a mid-altitude cross-continent educational
challenge balloon race. His balloon was one of four launched on June 1
from the west coast with the goal of being the first to reach the
Eastern Time Zone.
Joanne Michael, KM6BWB.
Coming in second was the balloon of Ted Tagami, KK6UUQ, from ARISS
partner Magnitude.io.
It all began when educator Joanne Michael, KM6BWB -- a science coach at
the Wiseburn Unified School District in Los Angeles -- challenged
another ARISS partner group to a mid-altitude, cross-continent balloon
race. Michael has led her students in several balloon launch attempts
from the Los Angeles area. Given the disruption caused to schools by
the COVID-19 pandemic, Michael wanted to shake things up a bit and give
students worldwide a unique distance-learning treat that could safely
be accomplished during the pandemic. She challenged Tagami, and he
accepted. On May 31, a fourth team joined in the competition: Steve
Potter, K7HAK, and Trevor Macduff of Washington.
Tagami launched his balloon from Oakland, California. Kennedy got wind
of the idea and also came on board, launching from Pasadena,
California. Michael set her balloon aloft in Los Angeles, while Potter
and Macduff's balloon lifted off from southern Washington.
ARISS, Magnitude.io, and ISS-Above are ISS National Lab Space Station
Explorer (SSE) partners that work to inspire, engage, and educate
students in science technology engineering, arts, and mathematics
(STEM) topics and to pursue careers in those fields.
The story caught fire on social media, inspiring one teacher to figure
out how to initiate a launch from her school. "Let's get planning and
get your thoughts and ideas, and let's make this happen for the
students," she said in a post.
Students can still track each balloon's location, altitude, and
temperature, which are fed automatically via the Automatic Packet
Reporting System (APRS). The call signs are KM6BWB-9, KK6UUQ-8,
KN6EQU-2, and K7HAK-11.
ARISS said the race initiative gave students the opportunity to tally
and track the states each balloon traveled through and plot altitude
versus temperature (and other parameters). Also, by researching weather
patterns, students could make assumptions from their own data. This
could include speed variations due to weather. They could also predict
each balloon's flight path and when each might cross the finish line.
For more information on the balloon launch, lesson plans, and the
livestream video link, visit the ARISS Mid-Altitude Balloon Race page.
The K7RA Solar Update
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Two new sunspots emerged this week,
with a 1-day gap on Tuesday with no sunspots. Average daily sunspot
numbers rose from 0 last week to 3.3 this week, May 28 - June 3.
It seems odd, but the average daily solar flux of 69.6 was unchanged
from the previous 7 days. Average daily planetary A index rose from 4
to 6, but average middle latitude A index remained at 5.7, the same as
last week.
Predicted solar flux over the next 45 days is 70 on June 4 - 20; 71 on
June 21 - July 4; 70 on July 5 - 17, and 71 on July 18.
Predicted planetary A index is 5 on June 4 - July 18. That's right:
Quiet with an A index of 5 on every single day over the next six and a
half weeks.
Sunspot numbers for May 28 - June 3 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 11, 0, and 12,
with a mean of 3.3. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 67.5, 69.6, 70, 70.8,
69.2, 70.4, and 70, with a mean of 69.6. Estimated planetary A indices
were 4, 3, 14, 4, 6, 7, and 4, with a mean of 4. Middle latitude A
index was 2, 4, 13, 4, 7, 7, and 3, with a mean of 5.7.
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. Monthly charts offer
propagation projections between the US and a dozen DX locations.
Share your reports and observations.
Just Ahead in Radiosport
* June 5 -- HA3NS Sprint Memorial Contest (CW)
* June 6 -- Wake-Up! QRP Sprint (CW)
* June 6 - 7 -- PVRC Reunion (CW, phone)
* June 6 - 7 -- 10-10 International Open Season PSK Contest
* June 6 - 7 -- DigiFest (Digital)
* June 6 - 7 -- VK Shires Contest (CW, phone)
* June 6 - 7 -- UKSMG Summer Contest (CW, phone, digital)
* June 6 - 7 -- Kentucky QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
* June 6 - 7 -- Dutch Kingdom Contest (CW, phone)
* June 6 - 7 -- RSGB National Field Day (CW)
* June 7 -- Cookie Crumble QRP Contest (CW, phone, digital)
* June 10 -- NAQCC CW Sprint
* June 10 -- RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship, 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.
Six Meters Recently Running Hot
In recent days, 6 meters has been living up to its nickname -- "the
magic band." On May 30 at around 1200 UTC, Rich Zwirko, K1HTV, in
Virginia, worked Nicolas Sinieokoff, TT8SN, in Chad, who answered his
CQ on FT8. After the quick exchange, K1HTV alerted several local
6-meter DXers, who were also able to snag the rare contact. TT8SN was
able to work into the US mid-Atlantic and Arkansas as well as West
Virginia on FT8 before switching to CW at about 1300 UTC and then
alternating between the two modes over the next hour. Yves Collet,
6W1TA, in Senegal also showed up on the band, and K1HTV and other
stations were able to put him in the log as well.
"So the 6-meter E-skip season has begun," Zwirko remarked. "Who knows
what kind of magic the band will serve up?"
What's being called a historic opening on 6 meters occurred on May 31,
when David Schaller, W7FN, in the Pacific Northwest saw the band open
at about 1430 UTC and stay open for a couple of hours. W7FN worked 12
DXCC entities on FT8 (on 50.323 MHz); other stations had similar
success. Schaller said longtime 6-meter DXers from his area reported
never having experienced a 6-meter opening to Europe like the one on
May 30.
On May 28, Bill Steffey, NY9H, just south of Pittsburgh in western
Pennsylvania, reported working three European stations on FT8 at around
2200 UTC. "Six [meters] has been great this week," Steve Fetter,
WA8UEG, in eastern Pennsylvania, observed after working stations in the
Caribbean and in Europe.
From Greenland, Bo Christensen, OX3LX, has been showing up on 6 meters
on FT8 between 2230 and 0000 UTC. He's been reported working into the
mid-Atlantic stations with a good signal. Mark Murray, W2OR, in
Florida, took advantage of an opening to Japan on the evening of May
22. Two Florida stations each worked 20 or more Japanese stations, and
one was said to have had 40 stations in Japan. W2OR said it was "an
incredible number for an opening that did not last." On the previous
evening, a similar opening occurred from Wisconsin and other parts of
the upper midwest.
Jim Reisert, AD1C, reported that stations in Wisconsin and Minnesota
were able to work Hawaii on 6 meters starting around 2300 UTC on May
24, using FT8. John Sweeney, K9EL, in Illinois, worked three Hawaiian
stations from 2240 - 2250 UTC. He called it "the best 6-meter opening
to Hawaii from W9 that I have seen."
Kev Hewitt, ZB2GI, in Gibraltar, made his first 6-meter contact of the
season, working K1TOL, in Maine. ZB2GI said the band sounded dead,
except for K1TOL's signal. Read more. -- Compiled from reports in The
Daily DX
IARU Region 2 Executive Committee Meets in Videoconference
The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 2 Executive
Committee (EC) held its quarterly meeting on May 28 via
videoconference. In addition to routine business, the panel was briefed
by IARU R2 Workshops Coordinator Augusto Gabaldoni, OA4DOH. He reported
that, as of the meeting date, nearly 400 have subscribed and more than
2,800 have viewed the first four workshops, either live on Zoom or on
YouTube. Participants have been from almost every country in the
Americas, as well as some from Asia, Europe, and other parts of the
world. Feedback has been very positive, Gabaldoni said, both from
participants and from Region 2 member-societies, with a common theme:
"When are you doing another one?"
All IARU R2 workshops are free and open to anyone interested. They are
available live on Zoom and on YouTube, where they are recorded and
available for future access. The introduction to each workshop explains
what IARU is and the role of member-societies in representing their
country's amateurs to their regulator and other organizations.
Participants are encouraged to join and support their IARU
member-society, if they are not already members.
High demand exists for additional workshops in both English and Spanish
-- especially for more advanced Winlink workshops, amateur satellites,
digital operations, and other topics for additional future workshops.
Gabaldoni told the EC he will be scheduling more sessions in the near
future. These will be announced on the IARU Region 2 website under
"Events," with a new online registration system, courtesy of webmaster
Christian Buenger, DL6KAC, whom Gabaldoni thanked for his quick
response and support.
Other EC business included an amendment to the IARU R2 Standard
Operating Procedures to formalize the approval process for changes to
the Region 2 Band Plan between General Assemblies. In the past, changes
could only be approved at a session of the General Assembly, which
meets only every 3 years. When the next General Assembly meeting is
more than 6 months in the future, the new process provides for the Band
Planning Committee to recommend changes to the Executive Committee for
consideration.
If the Executive Committee agrees with the changes, member-societies
are informed and have 60 days to object, if they disagree. If only one
objection is received, the changes are approved and will be
incorporated into the R2 Band Plan and reported at the next General
Assembly. -- Thanks to IARU Region 2 Secretary George Gorsline, VE3YV
In Brief...
The 2020 ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference (DCC) has issued a
call for papers. Technical papers are being solicited for presentation
at the ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference (DCC), September 11
- 13. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year's conference will be
held online. Papers will also be published in the Conference
Proceedings. Authors do not need to participate in the conference to
have their papers included in the Proceedings. The submission deadline
is August 15, 2020. Submit papers via e-mail to Maty Weinberg, KB1EIB.
Papers will be published exactly as submitted, and authors will retain
all rights.
[IMG]The Yasme Foundation has announced grants of $5,000 each to the
Foundation for Amateur Radio (FAR) and to ARRL scholarship programs for
2020. The Foundation Board also named Joe Eisenberg, K0NEB, as a
recipient of the Yasme Excellence Award. This honor recognizes
individuals and groups who, through their own service, creativity,
effort, and dedication, have made a significant contribution to amateur
radio. The Yasme Excellence Award is in the form of a cash grant and an
individually engraved crystal globe. The Yasme Foundation recognized
Eisenberg for "his contributions to amateur radio through his
kit-building seminars, as seen at the Dayton Hamvention and other ham
gatherings. He is also editor of the 'Kit-Building' column for CQ
magazine. Joe exemplifies the 'give back' and 'self-teaching' spirit of
ham radio, especially in training youngsters," the Foundation said in
granting the award. -- Thanks to Ward Silver, N0AX, President, The
Yasme Foundation
Puerto Rico SM Oscar
Resto, KP4RF, at his
solar-powered emergency
exercise setup.
A May 30 nationwide American Red Cross communication exercise engaged
participants across the country. The drill simulated the types of
message traffic typical during a national disaster response, such as a
hurricane or wildfire. Among those involved in the drill were members
of the ARRL Sacramento Valley and San Joaquin Valley Sections. More
than 30 northern California radio amateurs took part, passing 35 voice
messages via California Amateur Radio Linking Association (CARLA)
repeaters, and 66 digital messages using both HF and VHF gateways to a
simulated Red Cross operations center, and receiving 101 messages. In
Puerto Rico, ARRL Puerto Rico Section Manager Oscar Resto, KP4RF,
fielded a well-appointed solar-powered station for HF, VHF, and UHF, as
well as a laptop and external monitor. At both locations, participants
received advance email messages to be transmitted, using flmsg, fldigi,
and Winlink. The Red Cross said it would put some changes into effect
immediately as a result of the drill.
The SEA-PAC QSO Party is standing in for the canceled convention. Along
with many other ham radio events, SEA-PAC 2020, which was to host the
ARRL Northwestern Division Convention, fell victim to the COVID-19
pandemic. Standing in for this year's live event will be the SEA-PAC
QSO Party on Saturday, June 6, starting at 1600 UTC and continuing
until June 7 at 0400 UTC. "We may not be able to be with our 2,000+
fellow amateur radio friends this year on this day, but we can still
have a ham-tastic time on the airwaves," the event's organizers said.
The event will offer categories for HF and VHF-UHF stations, with all
modes and high-power, low-power, and QRP categories (greater than 50 W
and less than 50 W on VHF-UHF). Participants will exchange a signal
report and the first year they attended SEA-PAC, or "2020" for those
who have never attended. Awards will be available. Submit a report
form; no logs are required. For more information, contact Ron O'Connor,
KD7VIK.
The 2020 Huntsville Hamfest has been canceled due to the COVID-19
pandemic, the event's Board of Directors has announced. The Huntsville
Hamfest was sanctioned as the 2020 ARRL Southeastern Division
Convention. Full refunds to prepaid commercial and flea market vendors
will be processed via the mode in which payment was made. Online ticket
purchases will be credited to PayPal accounts. Embassy Suite Hotel
reservations only will be automatically canceled. -- Thanks to Hamfest
Chairman Mark Brown, N4BCD
The Frankford Radio Club Scholarship will join the growing list of
scholarships administered by the ARRL Foundation. The Frankford Radio
Club (FRC) is a very active contesting club centered in Alburtis,
Pennsylvania, dedicated to increasing operating skill and technical
expertise through radiosport. The club's motto is "Proficiency Through
Competition." The scholarship will be $1,500, with the first
scholarship expected to be awarded in 2020. Applicants must be a US
citizen and hold a valid FCC-issued amateur radio license. The
scholarship is open to graduating high school seniors, undergraduates,
and US military veterans. Applicants must be pursuing a degree in
electronics, electrical engineering, computer science, or related
fields at any accredited college, university, or trade school that has
established programs in the field of study. Preference will be given to
applicants residing within 175 miles of Alburtis, Pennsylvania. The
ARRL Foundation will determine award recipients after evaluating all
applications and disburse the award funds directly to the chosen
institution of higher learning.
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Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
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Note: Many conventions and hamfests have been canceled or postponed due
to the coronavirus pandemic. Check the calendar of canceled events on
the ARRL website.
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* July 16 - 19 -- Montana State Convention, Essex, Montana
* July 24 - 25 -- Oklahoma State Convention, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Find conventions and hamfests in your area
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