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Ärende: The Weekly ARRL Letter
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The ARRL Letter
June 17, 2020
* More Amateur Radio Exam Sessions Engineering In-Person, Remote
Solutions
* Visalia DX Convention to be Refashioned as Two Virtual Events in
2021
* Field Day 2020: Balancing Tradition and Safety in the COVID-19 Era
* ARRL Podcasts Schedule
* Support ARRL as You Shop AmazonSmile for Father's Day
* Youth on the Air in the Americas Announces At-Home Bonus Summer
Activities
* Kids Day in the Age of COVID-19
* The K7RA Solar Update
* Just Ahead in Radiosport
* Announcements
* Tennessee Court of Appeals Affirms Contempt Ruling Against Radio
Amateur
* Amateur Radio Discussed at CEPT Meeting
* 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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More Amateur Radio Exam Sessions Engineering In-Person, Remote
Solutions
As some states further relax restrictions imposed to minimize the
spread of the COVID-19 virus, additional teams of ARRL Volunteer
Examiner Coordinator (VEC) volunteer examiners (VEs) have conducted
successful sessions. On June 13 at the Clark Township Municipal
Building, the Electronic Technology Society of New Jersey (ETSNJ) held
its first exam session since February, with help from several other
clubs. With COVID-19 precautions in place, the June session was held
outdoors.
"We had to have two sessions, because we had 20 candidates on our
waiting list," said Larry Makoski, W2LJ, a member of the Piscataway
Amateur Radio Club. Drew Moore, W2OU, was the ARRL VEC liaison. "We had
the candidates line up their vehicles on one side of the parking lot.
Directly across from them were the vehicles of the VEs. They were given
the option of taking the exam inside their vehicle, or if they wanted,
they could bring a chair and clipboard and take the exam in front of
their vehicle. Each vehicle was checked for compliance as we collected
exam fees and checked photo IDs."
Makoski said social distancing was maintained, and face coverings and
gloves or hand sanitizer were the order of the day. "We communicated
with the candidates via a low-power FM transmitter tuned to 88.7 MHz or
thereabouts, and they could hear us on their FM broadcast receivers
inside their vehicles," he explained.
All went smoothly, and the weather cooperated. "Everyone who came
walked away -- or should I say, drove away -- with either a new
Technician-class license or an upgrade," Makoski said. A vacant seat
was left for VE Bobby Cure, W2REC (SK), who had succumbed to COVID-19.
"We tried to honor his memory by making him present in spirit," Makoski
said.
VE teams from the Tri-County Radio Club, the Raritan Valley Radio Club,
the South Plainfield Amateur Radio Club, the New Providence Amateur
Radio Club, and the Fair Lawn Amateur Radio Club pitched in to help.
On the same Saturday in Florida, Doug Wiles, WF4B, reports that the St.
Augustine Amateur Radio Society (SAARS) VE team held its first exam
session in 6 months. The session took place in an outdoor pavilion, and
test areas were disinfected prior to the candidates' arrival. Face
masks were distributed and social distancing was practiced during the
session, Wiles said. All three candidates passed.
On June 14 in Georgetown, Kentucky, VE Ron Malinowski, WX4GPS, with the
Scott County Amateur Radio Club said 14 candidates passed their tests
during an indoor session held there. "We took temperatures at the door,
gave masks to anyone who came without, and we wiped down all seating
areas after the attendee left," he said.
ARRL VE Team Liaison Janet Crenshaw, WB9ZPH, in Garland, Texas, told
ARRL that a trucker signed up for a recent remote exam session.
"He had a Wi-Fi hotspot in the cab of his truck, so he found a parking
space, pulled out his iPad and iPhone, and we had our Zoom test right
there," she told ARRL VEC. "The world certainly has changed, and I've
been encouraging people to realize that the world of ham radio has to
change with it."
Visalia DX Convention to be Refashioned as Two Virtual Events in 2021
There will be a Virtual Visalia in 2021. Organizers announced this week
that the newly renamed International DX and Contesting Convention
(IDXCC) in Visalia, California, will span two weekends next April. Each
will be a "unique 3-day event" without duplication. Registration will
begin early next year. The former International DX Convention was
canceled in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Visalia sponsors said
the event's new name better reflects what the convention had become
over the years -- a gathering of avid DXers and contesters from around
the US and the world. Sponsors said the challenge for planning next
year's event was whether to prepare for an in-person convention or a
virtual gathering.
"Everyone wants to hold out hope for a face-to-face meeting next year,
but we have to ask, 'What will our new normal lifestyle be like next
April, and can we guarantee a COVID-free environment for our
attendees?'" an announcement on the IDXCC website explained. "After
consultation with a few medical experts, epidemiologists, and longtime
attendees of IDXCC, we have concluded that for 2021, the right choice
-- and the safest choice -- is to have a virtual convention instead of
an in-person meeting."
Visalia Part 1 will take place on April 16 - 18, 2021, and Part 2 on
April 23 - 25. The program will include forums, technical talks,
DXpedition reports, and award presentations.
Visalia 2021 co-chairs John Miller, K6MM, and Rich Seifert, KE1B,
invite questions and suggestions via email. Read more.
Field Day 2020: Balancing Tradition and Safety in the COVID-19 Era
The fourth full weekend of the month (June 27 - 28) promises to be
different for many amateurs, as the annual ARRL Field Day operating
event will be held under unique circumstances. Somehow, the traditions
of the weekend must be balanced against the exigencies of the current
need to operate safely, in an appropriate social-distancing
environment. Most groups have had to adjust their plans to ensure that
the physical health of their members is protected.
But that's one of the great things about amateur radio in general and
Field Day in particular. There is no one single way to approach the
event, and no single goal that defines the success of the weekend. Fun
still awaits the tens of thousands of participants. "Business as
usual!" for many this year becomes, "How do we address these unique
challenges?"
An important fact to recognize is the disappointment many will feel at
not being able to congregate at their tried-and-true operating location
to do their "usual" thing. Groups in some states face fewer
restrictions than others -- and that's okay, as Field Day isn't a
competition. Most groups will not be able to host the traditional
social aspects of the weekend. The covered-dish extravaganza that
accompanies a club Field Day may be canceled this year. The interaction
of sharing amateur radio with the general public as they wander over to
your setup may be non-existent for many groups. The opportunity to test
your club's interface with your various served agencies may have to be
put off for another time. Your annual teaching session with local youth
groups -- scouts, school clubs, CAP cadets -- may have to be revisited
down the road, after the situation stabilizes.
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Remember: If you operate as a Class D station (home station on
commercial power), you may work all other stations, including other
Class D stations, for contact credit. All Field Day 2020 entries
wishing to have their individual scores credited to their club to be
aggregated for a "club score" should add the club name to their summary
sheet. Use the Field Day Web Submission Form to turn in your log.
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Yes, things are going to look and feel different in 2020. But when it
comes to the basic activity of Field Day, the event doesn't have to
sound different. CW signals will still "light up" the ether. Stations
calling "CQ Field Day" on phone will still fill the bands. The unique
"warbles" of tried and true -- as well as new and exciting -- digital
modes will still beckon the experienced operator and the curious
newcomer, inviting them to reach out and make contact in this unique
year of social distancing.
Over the past few weeks, several articles have been posted to the ARRL
website with some suggestions on how groups and individuals may vary
their participation in Field Day 2020 from previous years. The theme
running through them is one that's familiar to amateurs --
adaptability.
Read more on the ARRL Field Day web page. -- Thanks to Dan Henderson,
N1ND
ARRL Podcasts Schedule
The latest episode of the On the Air podcast (Episode 6) details
everything you need to know about ARRL Field Day, thanks to an
interview with ARRL Contest Program Manager Paul Bourque, N1SFE. Learn
how to create a simple station setup as a less-experienced operator.
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 10) will
discuss sporadic-E propagation, antenna modeling, a new approach to
spray-on antennas, and an unusual form of computer espionage.
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.
Support ARRL as You Shop AmazonSmile for Father's Day
Father's Day is Sunday, June 21. If you're looking for the perfect
gift, we invite you to shop at AmazonSmile and choose American Radio
Relay League Inc. (ARRL) as your charity of choice. With every purchase
you make at AmazonSmile, Amazon will make a contribution that will help
to extend ARRL's reach in public service, advocacy, education,
technology, and membership. So far in 2020, ARRL has received $2,030,
for a total of $40,613. The ARRL Foundation has received $316 this
year.
Amazon has the perfect gifts including electronics, apparel, ham radio
gear, and more. Get something extra special for Dad this year, while
supporting his favorite hobby. Bookmark the ARRL link and support
amateur radio and ARRL every time you shop online. AmazonSmile
customers can now support ARRL in the Amazon shopping app on iOS and
Android mobile phones.
Follow these instructions to turn on AmazonSmile and start generating
donations:
* Open the Amazon Shopping app on your device.
* Go into the main menu of the Amazon Shopping app
* Tap Settings, choose AmazonSmile, and follow the onscreen prompts
to complete the process.
Click here for instructions on updating your Amazon Shopping app.
Youth on the Air in the Americas Announces At-Home Bonus Summer
Activities
Youth on the Air in the Americas is planning additional home-based
activities for this summer, due to the postponement of its inaugural
summer camp at the National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting in
West Chester Township, Ohio. Virtual YOTA Day will take place on
Wednesday, June 24. Activities will include a series of youth-led
forums and some competitions that can be done from home -- even without
a radio. Virtual YOTA Day begins at 1800 UTC on June 24 and continues
until 2400 UTC.
Those who had been selected to attend YOTA camp 2020 will be able to
meet on Zoom for a day of learning and fun, plus a chance to win
prizes, but anyone interested will be able to get in on Virtual YOTA
Day via the official Youth on the Air YouTube channel and play along at
home. Some activities will include learning how to track down the
location of a transmitter without leaving your chair, sharpening
contesting skills, and more.
During the week of June 21 - 26, when the camp was to take place,
special event station W8Y will be on the air on all bands and modes.
Those selected to attend YOTA Camp 2020 will take turns operating as
W8Y throughout the week from the station of their own choosing. Campers
should contact Marty Sullaway, NN1C, to be added to the schedule.
Youth on the Air will operate Field Day using a remote station in
southwestern Ohio. Logging will be done by remote desktop. Campers can
sign up at YouthOnTheAir.org for a time slot on the remote station
provided by Jay Slough, K4ZLE. Contact Chris Brault, KD8YVJ, with
questions.
Youth on the Air will be a club choice for Field Day score submissions.
Participating operators age 25 or younger choosing to operate Field Day
from a home station can contribute their scores to an aggregate club
score for this year only. Enter "Youth on the Air" as the club name on
the Field Day entry.
More information about YOTA in the Americas can be found at
YouthOnTheAir.org and on YOTAregion2 on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
and YouTube.
Kids Day in the Age of COVID-19
Under normal circumstances, Kids Day on Saturday, June 20, would offer
an opportunity for individual radio amateurs or clubs to introduce the
next generation to amateur radio. This year, however, Kids Day is
likely to look a bit different, due to precautions -- both advised and
in place -- during the COVID-19 pandemic. ARRL recommends that mentors
and young operators adhere to prescribed COVID-19 guidelines in these
difficult times.
"We encourage you to take the advice of your local and regional health
officials as to whether it's wise to gather in groups and what
precautions are necessary," ARRL Contest Program Manager Paul Bourque,
N1SFE, allowed. "If inviting individual youngsters or groups into your
shack is not advisable, look instead into other ways of mentoring
youngsters."
One possibility, Bourque said, is mentoring over social media, via
Zoom, or using other non-contact means. "This year might not be the
time to invite youngsters into your shack, but that doesn't mean that
you cannot encourage the next generation of amateur radio operators,"
he said. "Of course, if you have kids at home you've been trying to
interest in ham radio, Kids Day offers the perfect framework, and
COVID-19 precautions would not be necessary."
Kids Day gets under way on Saturday, June 20 at 1800 UTC and concludes
at 2359 UTC. Sponsored by the Boring (Oregon) Amateur Radio Club, the
suggested exchange is first name, age, location, and favorite color.
Beyond that, contacts can be as long or as short as each participant
prefers.
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Look for activity on these frequencies: 10 meters: 28.350 - 28.400 MHz;
12 meters: 24.960 - 24.980 MHz; 15 meters: 21.360 - 21.400 MHz; 17
meters: 18.140 - 18.145 MHz; 20 meters: 14.270 - 14.300 MHz; 40 meters:
7.270 - 7.290 MHz, and 80 meters: 3.740 - 3.940 MHz. Repeater contacts
are okay with permission of the repeater owner.
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As with any on-the-air activity that includes unlicensed individuals,
control operators must observe third-party traffic restrictions when
making DX contacts. ditional details are on the ARRL website.
The K7RA Solar Update
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: We just experienced a nearly 2-week
period of daily sunspots! It's been quite some time since we've
witnessed a continuous string of activity like this. January 24 -
February 1 were 9 consecutive days with sunspot activity, but you'd
have to go back to May 3 -18 of last year to find a longer period. This
is a possible indication that we've moved past the sunspot minimum.
Average daily sunspot number for the June 11 - 17 reporting week was
7.9, down from 14 over the previous 7 days. Average solar flux slipped
from 71.3 to 70.
The planetary A index went from 5.1 to 3.9, and middle latitude numbers
dipped from 6.1 to 4.9. The predicted planetary A index is 4 from June
18 - August 1. This is unusual, since predicted A index values have
never been lower than 5.
Predicted solar flux for the next 45 days is 70 on June 18-25, abruptly
jumping to 77 from June 26 - August 1, also unusual.
Sunspot numbers for June 11 - 17 were 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 0, and 0, for
a mean of 7.9. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 71.5, 70.5, 69.4, 70.2,
70.4, 69.3, and 68.8, for a mean of 70. Estimated planetary A indices
were 4, 4, 3, 2, 4, 5, and 5, for a mean of 3.9. Middle latitude A
index was 4, 6, 4, 3, 5, 7, and 5, for a mean of 4.9.
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 20 -- Kids Day (Phone)
* June 20 -- Feld Hell Sprint
* June 20 -- Battle of Carabobo International Contest (Phone)
* June 20 - 21 -- All Asian DX Contest, CW
* June 20 - 21 -- Ukrainian DX Classic RTTY Contest
* June 20 - 21 -- IARU Region 1 50/70 MHz Contest (CW, phone,
digital)
* June 20 - 21 -- Stew Perry Topband Challenge (CW)
* June 20 - 21 -- West Virginia QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
* June 21 -- WAB 50 MHz Phone
* June 21 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW)
* June 24 -- SKCC Sprint (CW)
* June 25 -- RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship, SSB
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.
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Announcements
* International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend (ILLW) 2020 will take
place over the August 22 - 23 weekend, a week later than usual to
avoid conflicting with special events that may be on the air to
commemorate the 75th anniversary of the cessation of World War II
hostilities in the Pacific.
* Astronauts Chris Cassidy, KF5KDR, and Robert Behnken, KE5GGX, will
conduct spacewalks on June 27 and July 1 outside the International
Space Station. The activities will begin the process of replacing
batteries for one of the power channels on the orbiting laboratory.
* A June 13 SpaceX Falcon 9 vehicle launch placed another 58 Starlink
satellites into orbit, bringing the total of the internet service
satellites to 540. SpaceX has applied to the FCC to put upward of
30,000 Starlink spacecraft into orbit. "Starlink is designed to
deliver high-speed broadband internet to locations where access has
been unreliable, expensive, or completely unavailable," SpaceX
said. "Private beta testing is expected to begin later this summer,
followed by public beta testing, starting with higher latitudes."
* In a video, "The Last Active Morse Code Station in the US," Shannon
Morse, KM6FPP, of Richmond, California, visits coast station KPH,
which provided ship-to-shore communication using Morse code.
Maritime Radio Historical Society (MRHS) volunteers have preserved
and maintain the station and keep it on the air (along with the
associated amateur station K6KPH). The COVID-19 pandemic has put
KPH off the air "for the duration."
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Tennessee Court of Appeals Affirms Contempt Ruling Against Radio
Amateur
A Tennessee Court of Appeals has affirmed a radio amateur's liability
for a 30-day jail sentence for violating a court directive to refrain
from contacting another radio amateur who had filed a temporary order
of protection. The appeals court's June 11 determination upheld a lower
trial court ruling that found Michael J. Mgrdichian, ex-N2FUV, of
Kodak, in criminal contempt for violating the order by contacting Jamie
Faucon, N3FA (ex-AA3JF) of Knoxville via ham radio on three separate
occasions. Mgrdichian appealed, primarily asserting that the lower
court lacked jurisdiction over the case, because amateur radio is
regulated by the FCC, a federal agency.
Faucon claimed that Mgrdichian had "stalked, threatened, and harassed"
her on multiple occasions between 2016 and 2019, claiming that the
threats were made via ham radio after Faucon had asked Mgrdichian to
cease his actions. Faucon claimed that problems between her and
Mgrdichian began after she complained to the FCC, alleging that
Mgrdichian was using racially abusive language on the air. That matter
was not at issue in the appeals court ruling.
The trial court had issued a temporary protection order for Mgrduchian
to cease contacting Faucon, "either directly or indirectly, by phone,
email, messages, mail, or any other type of communication or contact."
Mgrdichian attempted to have the lower court case dismissed by arguing
that state courts do not have jurisdiction over any communication
involving amateur radio. The trial court maintained, however, that it
did have jurisdiction based on an alleged violation of the temporary
protection order.
"The [temporary restraining] order did not prohibit [Mgrdichian] from
using amateur radio; it did not attempt to establish a permitted level
of interference; and it did not originate from, or result in, a
nuisance claim," the appeals court reasoned in its ruling. "Instead,
the subject matter of this case primarily rests on [Mgrdichian]
violating the [temporary restraining] order by contacting [Faucon] on
amateur radio. A party's radio usage -- whether it be commercial or
amateur -- does not automatically preempt the case from being heard by
a state court."
The appeals court determined that the trial court had jurisdiction to
find Mgrdichian in criminal contempt of court when he violated the
temporary restraining order by contacting Faucon via amateur radio.
The appeals court upheld findings that Mgrdichian was in contempt of
the trial court's order on three occasions, each calling for 10 days in
jail and a fine.
Amateur Radio Discussed at CEPT Meeting
International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region1 reports the 96th
virtual meeting of the European Conference of Postal and
Telecommunications ministrations (CEPT) Frequency Management Working
Group (FMWG) June 8 - 12 dealt with several amateur radio matters.
According to IARU Region 1, the European Common Allocation Table (ECA)
was reviewed, resulting in a revised version for consultation with
stakeholders. IARU was able to amend the 241 - 250 GHz band entry to
correct some errors. The state of the 50 - 52 MHz band in CEPT
countries was also updated to take WRC-19 decisions into account. Last
year, Ukraine requested that it be included in CEPT ECC Recommendation
T/R 61-02, the recommendation that defines the Harmonized Amateur Radio
Examination Certificate (HAREC), and this was agreed.
Romania had contacted the FMWG chairman concerning the possibility of
introducing electronic amateur radio licensing. This idea been passed
to CEPT's Radio Amateur Forum Group for further discussion and possible
action.
The meeting also discussed developing a regulatory framework for
wireless power transfer (WPT) going forward, and attendees agreed that
the CEPT Spectrum Engineering Working Group should continue to study
the full range of WPT applications and emissions and that no regulatory
steps would be taken until that work is complete. Meeting documents are
available.
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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