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| Message 2407 |
| mark lewis to all |
| The ARRL Letter for December 15, 2016 |
| 16 Dec 16 04:12:56 |
If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at:
http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2016-12-15
The ARRL Letter
December 15, 2016
Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME
* Amateur Radio Parity Act Bill Unable to Overcome Florida Senator's
Objections
* IARU Continues Preparations for World Radiocommunication Conference 2019
* The Doctor Will See You Now!
* National Parks on the Air Update
* Commemorative Special Event Reenacts 1921 Amateur Radio Transatlantic
Reception
* Support ARRL and Earn an Extra 5,000 Points
* Radio Amateurs Assist in Wake of Indonesian Earthquake
* ARISS Celebrates 20th Anniversary, Plans for Future of Amateur Radio in
Human Spaceflight
* Middle School Students' "TubeSat" Set for ISS Deployment; Other Launches
Pending
* Mexico Not Yet Extending Operating Permission to Non-Mexican Radio
Amateurs
* Getting It Right!
* In Brief...
* The K7RA Solar Update
* Just Ahead in Radiosport
* Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
Amateur Radio Parity Act Bill Unable to Overcome Florida Senator's Objections
The Amateur Radio Parity Act, H.R. 1301, suffered an unbefitting demise on
December 9 as the 114th Congress drew to a close. After passing the House of
Representatives on a unanimous vote earlier this fall, the bill stalled in the
Senate due to the intervention of only one member, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL).
The measure would have directed the FCC to extend its rules relating to
reasonable accommodation of Amateur Service communications to private land-use
restrictions, such as covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&Rs) imposed
by homeowners associations.
"[During 2016] Nelson received thousands of e-mails, letters, and phone calls
from concerned constituents asking for his support of H.R. 1301. Numerous
meetings were held with his senior staff in an effort to move the legislation
forward," ARRL said in a news release. "Negotiations, which led to an
agreement with the Community Associations Institute (CAI), the national
association of homeowner's associations and publicly supported by CAI and
ARRL, were brushed aside by Sen. Nelson as irrelevant."
In a final meeting with Nelson's staff as the 114th Congress neared
adjournment, it became clear that no matter what was said or done, the Senator
would oppose the bill and refuse to allow it to move forward. Because the
measure had not been put on the floor schedule, the only way it could have
passed the Senate would have been through a process called "unanimous
consent." A Senate member may request unanimous consent on the floor to set
aside rules and expedite proceedings. If any single Senator objects, though,
the request is rejected.
The unhappy ending followed nearly 2 years of intense effort on the part of
ARRL and thousands of its members, who contacted their Congressional
representatives to urge their support of the measure on Capitol Hill. The
ARRL Board of Directors is expected to discuss the future of the initiative
at its January meeting.
IARU Continues Preparations for World Radiocommunication Conference 2019
Work already is under way by the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) to
address agenda items of interest to Amateur Radio during the run-up to the
2019 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-19). The International
Telecommunication Union (ITU) convenes WRCs every 3 or 4 years; the last WRC
was in 2015. The IARU's prime focus is spectrum privileges -- gaining or
retaining spectrum for the Amateur Radio services and spectrum protection --
making sure that amateur spectrum remains available for use and free from
serious man-made interference. The IARU works within international standards
organizations and with regional telecommunication organizations to accomplish
its goals.
In the past month, IARU representatives have attended the European Conference
of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) Electronic
Communications Committee (ECC), CEPT's policy-making body. IARU was also
present at ITU Working Parties under Study Group 5 (SG5), which studies
matters related to terrestrial radiocommunication services, including the
Amateur Service. Working Party 5A met November 7-17, preparing for WRC-19 with
a focus that includes the Amateur Radio Services. Among other things, the
panel:
* Completed revisions to Recommendation ITU-R M.1732 dealing with
parameters to be used in sharing studies regarding the compatibility of
Amateur Service operations with other radio services, mainly in the
50-54 MHz band.
* Continued work on sharing and compatibility studies required for WRC-19
Agenda Item 1.1, which addresses an Amateur Radio allocation at 50-54
MHz in ITU Region 1, in common with what already is available in Regions
2 and 3. Sharing studies consider criteria under which spectrum can be
shared among different radio services.
* Addressed other WRC-19 agenda items that could impact the Amateur
Service.
* Updated the WP5A web document, "Guide to the use of ITU-R texts relating
to the Amateur and Amateur-Satellite services."
IARU will continue to be active in ITU and regional telecommunication
organizations as preparations go forward for WRC-19. In the coming weeks, IARU
plans to participate in CEPT's Conference Preparatory Group for WRC-19 and in
its Project Team meetings.
The Doctor Will See You Now!
"Antenna System Troubleshooting." is the topic of the latest (December 1)
episode of the "ARRL The Doctor is In" podcast. Listen...and learn!
Sponsored by DX Engineering, "ARRL The Doctor is In" is an informative
discussion of all things technical. Listen on your computer, tablet, or
smartphone -- whenever and wherever you like!
Every 2 weeks, your host, QST Editor-in-Chief Steve Ford, WB8IMY, and the
Doctor himself, Joel Hallas, W1ZR, will discuss a broad range of technical
topics. You can also e-mail your questions to doctor@arrl.org, and the Doctor
may answer them in a future podcast.
Enjoy "ARRL The Doctor is In" on Apple iTunes, or by using your iPhone or iPad
podcast app (just search for "ARRL The Doctor is In"). You can also listen
online at Blubrry, or at Stitcher (free registration required, or browse the
site as a guest) and through the free Stitcher app for iOS, Kindle, or Android
devices.
If you've never listened to a podcast before, download our beginner's guide.
National Parks on the Air Update
The ARRL National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) program is on the verge of making
history. With less than 2 weeks to go until the program concludes on December
31, NPOTA Activators have made more than 995,000 contacts from National Park
Service units this year, and it appears certain that the count will top 1
million before year's end.
National Parks on the Air has proven to be one of the most successful and
popular on-air activities ARRL has ever created. Tens of thousands of radio
amateurs made at least one contact with an NPOTA Activator in 2016, and nearly
1,400 Activators went out and transmitted from a park. One million contacts
from portable operations -- many of them using under 100 W and simple wire
antennas -- is an amazing feat. Congratulations to every NPOTA Activator who
hit the trail this year and helped NPOTA to reach its goal!
But the fun isn't over yet! More than 30 NPOTA activations are scheduled
through the end of 2016, including Fort Scott National Historic Site in
Kansas, and the Amistad National Recreation Area in Texas. NPOTA Activators
have promised a burst of activity all across the country in the final week,
especially all day on Saturday, December 31. Work as many NPOTA stations as
you can!
Details about these and other upcoming activations can be found on the NPOTA
Activations calendar. Keep up with the latest NPOTA news on Facebook. Follow
NPOTA on Twitter (@ARRL_NPOTA).
Commemorative Special Event Reenacts 1921 Amateur Radio Transatlantic Reception
Radio amateurs in the US and in Scotland have reenacted the first successful
transatlantic reception of a shortwave Amateur Radio signal nearly a century
earlier. Special event station N1BCG in Greenwich, Connecticut, and GB2ZE in
Ardrossan, Scotland, completed contacts on SSB and on CW during the December
11 event. ARRL, the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB), and the Radio Club
of America (RCA) partnered to support the activity, organized by ARRL CEO Tom
Gallagher, NY2RF, and Clark Burgard, N1BCG, who loaned his history-rich call
sign for the occasion.
On December 11, 1921, in Ardrossan, Scotland, reception of a radio signal
transmitted from an RCA test station -- located in a small shack on the
Greenwich, Connecticut, property of Minton Cronkhite, 1BCG -- helped to usher
in the age of global communication. In Scotland, American Paul Godley, 2ZE,
clearly heard the signal using a receiver of his own design.
"These events are fun, because they're timely and cause us to focus on the
history and on the people who made history," Gallagher said. "We were very
pleased with the tenor of it and with the media coverage, and we were happy to
make the connection with GB2ZE, although we would have preferred to have made
it on 160 meters, where it would have been closer to the frequency used in
1921." The 1921 transatlantic test, on CW, was conducted on a wavelength of
230 to 235 meters (about 1.3 MHz). The ARRL transatlantic tests proved the
value of the shorter wavelengths, which had long been considered worthless for
long-distance communication.
Burgard spoke on 20-meter SSB with GB2ZE, operated by Jason O'Neill, GM7VSB,
in Ardrossan. A bit later, ARRL Field Services Manager Dave Patton, NN1N,
chatted with GB2ZE on CW. "After working GB2ZE on 20 meters, I was reminded of
how much of a challenge the RCA ops had using 200 meters," Patton said.
"Hearing signals in Europe from across the Atlantic had to be a tremendous
thrill for Godley and the others listening."
The first message sent by Burgard from Greenwich to Ardrossan on Sunday
morning repeated the original 1921 text. Patton retransmitted the message 30
minutes later on CW.
Describing the special event as "a rewarding experience," Patton said the
entire team worked together to build a Field Day-style station in wintry
weather. The complement of equipment included what he called "a few fully
armed vintage AM stations," as well as modern gear. Among the older pieces was
a 1950s-era transmitter owned by rocker Joe Walsh, WB6ACU, of the Eagles.
Bruce Godley Littlefield and his sister Janice Taylor are grandchildren of
Paul Godley, 2ZE, who was at the Ardrossan, Scotland, receiving station in
1921.
The antennas were simple dipoles.
With about a dozen operators active, the special event logged nearly 525
contacts, more than 100 of them on AM, through conditions that were only fair.
To highlight the historical nature of the occasion, Godley's grandchildren
Bruce Godley Littlefield and his sister, Janice Taylor, visited, and
Littlefield brought his grandfather's complete log books of the experiment, as
well as numerous photos and letters from ARRL.
"We enjoyed the opportunity to reconnect the Godley history with that of ARRL
and the Radio Club of America," Littlefield said afterward.
Support ARRL and Earn an Extra 5,000 Points
Apply for the ARRL Visa Signature(R) Card and, upon approval, enjoy a long
list of great everyday benefits. Plus now, as a special gift, you'll also earn
an additional 5,000 Bonus Points (subject to credit approval) on your account
after you make your first purchase.
Take advantage of these great everyday Signature Card benefits:
* One reward point for every eligible net $1 spent in purchases
* Redeem points for cash back, gift cards, merchandise, unrestricted
travel, and more. (Transactions qualify for double points, based on how
merchants classify the transaction.)
* Zero fraud liability
* Merchant upgrades, special offers, savings, and more.
Radio Amateurs Assist in Wake of Indonesian Earthquake
Radio amateurs provided emergency communication support during the response to
a December 7 magnitude 6.5 earthquake in Indonesia's Aceh Province. The death
toll was reported at 100, with nearly 300 injured. The IARU Region 3 Disaster
Communications Committee's Dani Hidayat, YB2TJV, reported that it took 2 hours
for the ham radio group from the Indonesian Amateur Radio Organization
(ORARI), Aceh Region, to reach the earthquake zone.
A team led by Abdullah Ali, YB6AA, and Ismul Huda, YB6AG, and others supported
emergency communications in the field at Pidie Jaya. Zainal Abidin, YC6FZ, was
injured when his house collapsed, but his family was said to be safe; Huda
took Abidin to the Banda Aceh Hospital for treatment. YB2TJV reported that 40
meters and 2 meters were used for emergency traffic. The quake flattened
houses and buildings, caused infrastructure damage, and left large cracks in
roads in the worst-affected districts of Pidie Jaya and Pidie.
Search-and-rescue teams checked the rubble of hundreds of structures, and
displaced residents took shelter in a makeshift refugee camp. -- Thanks to Jim
Linton, VK3PC, chairman, IARU Region 3 Disaster Communications Committee
ARISS Celebrates 20th Anniversary, Plans for Future of Amateur Radio in Human
Spaceflight
ARISS-International delegates celebrated 20 years of Amateur Radio on the
International Space Station (ARISS) when they met November 15-18 at the
International Space Center Conference Facility in Houston, Texas, to continue
planning for the years ahead. More than 50 delegates and guests from Russia,
Japan, Italy, Germany, the UK, and North America took part, and
eleconferencing let individuals unable to attend in person to join the
proceedings. An international group interested in installing and operating an
Amateur Radio station on the ISS first met in November 1996 at Johnson Space
Center, and ARISS was born as a result of that gathering.
"The international partners celebrated the dedication and contributions of
volunteers who have sustained it over the challenges of the past 20 years,"
said ARRL Education Services Manager Debra Johnson, K1DMJ, who attended on
behalf of ARRL. "It was clear that the vision to make the excitement of space
exploration accessible to students and the challenge of participating in space
activities through Amateur Radio is still very much alive." Rosalie White,
K1STO, also represented ARRL at the gathering.
Hardware sessions discussed finalizing designs for the Kenwood TM-D710GA
dual-band radio and interoperable radio system, which includes a new power
supply. Participants also heard a review of educational outcomes. Ronny
Risinger, KC5EES, a government teacher at Language Arts and Sciences Academy
in Austin, Texas, discussed classroom integration of ham radio and student
outcomes. Delegates also saw a demonstration of a standardized HamTV ground
receiver constructed by Ciaran Morgan, M0XTD.
"A vision of Amateur Radio in space exploration beyond the ISS was also
discussed and action taken to develop a position statement about the program's
intention to be involved in future journeys into space," Johnson recounted.
"This position statement will be used as a basis for discussions with key
industry leaders involved in projects in development for the next journeys to
the Moon and to Mars."
Contributions to ARISS are welcome via the ARISS website (click on the "Donate
to the ARISS Annual Fund" button) or via the AMSAT website (click on the
"ARISS Donate" button). Read more. -- Thanks to ARISS via AMSAT News Service
for some information
Middle School Students' "TubeSat" Set for ISS Deployment; Other Launches
Pending
The cargo ship carrying the Tancredo-1 "TubeSat" -- so called because of its
cylindrical form factor -- launched on schedule from Japan on December 9.
Built by 10- to 14-year-old middle schoolers in Brazil, Tancredo-1 carries an
Amateur Radio payload. Tancredo-1 went into space inside the TuPOD TubeSat
deployer, which is expected to be ejected into space from the ISS on December
19 by the JEM Small Satellite Orbital Deployer (J-SSOD). It will, in turn,
eject Tancredo-1 into orbit on December 21. Once in space, Tancredo-1 should
start transmitting telemetry.
Tancredo-1 is the first satellite of the UbatubaSat Project, a STEM initiative
at Tancredo Neves Public School in Ubatuba, Sao Paulo, Brazil. The project is
supported by the Brazilian Institute for Space Research and the Brazilian
Space Agency. Tancredo-1 will initially have the same orbit as the ISS. The
UbatubaSat project team and AMSAT-BR has asked for reception reports.
Tancredo-1 will transmit on 437.200 MHz using 1,200 bps AFSK AX.25. Submit
reports via e-mail. According to information filed with the IARU Satellite
Coordinator, Tancredo-1 has an onboard voice recorder that will transmit a
message chosen through a competition among students from schools in Ubatuba.
The December 9 launch also carried Turkey's UBAKUSAT CubeSat. Equipped with a
145/435 MHz (V/U) SSB/CW Amateur Radio transponder and a CW beacon, UBAKUSAT
will be deployed from the ISS next year. The satellite is being developed by
Istanbul Technical University's Space Systems Design and Test Lab (SSDTL)
along with the Turkish Amateur Satellite Technologies Organization (TAMSAT)
and other entities, including the Ministry of Transportation, Communication
and Maritime, in collaboration with the Japanese government.
On December 26, the China Center for Aerospace Science and Technology's BY70-1
satellite is expected to launch from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center into a
530-kilometer Sun-synchronous orbit. The 3-axis stabilized 2U CubeSat will
carry a Mode V/U FM transponder, with an uplink on 145.920 MHz, and a downlink
on 436.200 MHz
China's CAMSAT is reported to be working closely with a Beijing government
aerospace contractor to build two microsatellites with Amateur Radio linear
transponders -- CAS-4A and CAS-4B. Each spacecraft will carry a
0-centimeter/2-meter (U/V) 100 mW SSB/CW linear transponder, a 2-meter CW 50
mW telemetry beacon, and an AX.25 4.8 kbps GMSK 100 mW telemetry downlink. The
transponders will have the same technical characteristics, but will employ
different frequencies for their 70-centimeter uplinks and 2-meter downlinks.
Launch is anticipated in late March. -- Thanks to AMSAT News Service, IARU
Mexico Not Yet Extending Operating Permission to Non-Mexican Radio Amateurs
Broad changes in Mexico's radiocommunication regulatory environment 2 years
ago continue to hinder Amateur Radio licensing there and still do not provide
reciprocal permission for non-Mexican radio amateurs to operate south of the
border. Mexico's International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) member society, the
Federation of Mexican Radio Amateurs (FMRE), has been working with the new
regulator, the Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) to craft more
Amateur Radio-friendly licensing procedures and regulations, and there has
been a little positive movement. The new regulatory regime considers the radio
spectrum as an exploitable resource, and all former Amateur Radio regulations
have been deemed null and void.
FMRE's new president, Alfonso "Poncho" Tamez, XE2O, is spearheading the
society's negotiations with the IFT. At FMRE's National Convention in
September, IFT Commissioner Adriana Labardini announced to loud cheers that
her agency will get Amateur Radio licensing going again, after a 2-year delay.
FMRE has estimated that of the 3,500 existing Mexican Amateur Radio licenses
in place before the new law went into effect, more than 1,000 have expired and
their renewal was put on hold until the IFT works out procedural details. She
said the IFT expects to process more than 800 applications by year's end, with
another batch of more than 1,400 to follow. An initial license will cost about
$30 US. The status of Amateur Radio clubs has also been put in limbo by the
new regulatory regime.
A revised IFT draft of Amateur Radio licensing procedures included specific
provisions to grant Amateur Radio operating permission and to make licensing
requirements more consistent with the nature of the Amateur Radio service. But
significant gaps still exist. At this point, it is not even necessary to take
an examination to obtain an Amateur Radio license -- called a "concession" --
in Mexico.
While the IFT has not yet determined what to do about foreign radio amateurs
wishing to operate in Mexico, the agency has received 45 petitions to do so
and is considering how it can issue permits; a foreigner cannot obtain a
license under the new law, but may be given permission to operate as XE#/
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