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N9PMO > LETTER 09.05.19 23:23z 513 Lines 23875 Bytes #999 (0) @ ARRL
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Sent: 190509/2316Z 20595@N9PMO.#SEWI.WI.USA.NOAM BPQ6.0.18
Mobile Event App will Help Dayton Hamvention Visitors to Navigate the Show
Dayton Hamvention to Provide Information Radio Station on 1620 AM
High-Altitude Celebration at SAQ
The Doctor Will See You Now!
ARRL Field Day Site Locator is Live, Promotional Material and FD Gear Now
Available
May 14 FT4 Mock Contest Session Canceled, New WSJT-X Beta Version Pending
The K7RA Solar Update
Just Ahead in Radiosport
Spectrum: FCC opts Order on Use of Bands above 24 GHz for Next-Gen Wireless
Hams Help Trace "Mystery" Signal Disrupting Keyless Entry Devices in Ohio
Former ARRL Headquarters Staffer Ellen White, W1YL, is Krenkel Medalist
DX Voice from Mount Athos Monk Apollo, SV2ASP, SK
"Put Howard to Work" Event Canceled
In Brief...
Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
Mobile Event App will Help Dayton Hamvention Visitors to Navigate the Show
Dayton Hamvention® 2019, host of the ARRL National Convention, will mark
the debut of a free mobile event app to help attendees navigate the
extensive Hamvention program, activities, and exhibits using their
smartphones or tablets. Hamvention is May 17 - 19 at the Greene County
Fairgrounds and Expo Center in Xenia, Ohio.
A collaborative effort between ARRL and Dayton Hamvention, the app was
developed by TripBuilder Mediaâä¢. ARRL Convention and Event
Coordinator Eric Casey, KC2ERC, has been readying the app, with content
contributions from Dayton Hamvention Committee members, and he has
introduced it in a new ARRL YouTube video.
"Our goal is to have all of the printed program content mirrored in the app,
organized so that you can schedule the forums you're planning to attend, and
find the exhibitors you want to visit," Casey said. In addition to including
exhibits and forums, the app will highlight schedules and details for
affiliated events, such as dinners and other special gatherings, and a
feature to allow attendees to follow the hourly prize drawings from wherever
they are.
"Use the app so you don't miss a winning ticket!" Casey suggested. The
Dayton Hamvention Prize Committee will populate the app as winners are
drawn.
Attendees are also encouraged to tap on the "MyProfile" icon to optionally
include their name and call sign, email address, and any other information
they'd like to share with other attendees. "One of the neat features of this
app is connecting with other Dayton Hamvention guests who choose to share
their contact info," says Casey. "The icon labeled 'Scan Badge' will allow
users to scan a QR Code displayed on a second device using the 'MyBadge'
icon -- instantly connecting your shared contact information with another
ham. After all, Dayton Hamvention and the ARRL National Convention is where
you meet with other members and friends from this great big world of Amateur
Radio."
The free 2019 Dayton Hamvention event app is available for both Apple and
Android smart devices. A web-browser version is also available, which is
optimized for nearly any browser or other mobile device type. Visit your app
store to download the Apple and Android versions (search "Hamvention") or
find links on the ARRL National Convention web page. If you are reading this
article on a mobile device, click here to be automatically redirected to the
appropriate app store to download the app, or to be redirected to the web
browser version. Email with any questions about the app.
+++
Dayton Hamvention to Provide Information Radio Station on 1620 AM
Dayton Hamvention® again will provide an Information Radio Station at 1620
kHz on the AM band to help ease the trip for inbound attendees. Hamvention
will host ARRL's 2019 National Convention.
The low-power station will offer traffic, weather, parking, and event
information to motorists as they approach Xenia, which is bracing to handle
an influx of nearly 30,000 visitors -- roughly doubling the city's
population for the weekend.
Due to the web of two-lane roads that serves the Greene County Fairgrounds
and Expo Center, a sophisticated shuttle-bus operation will be in place to
alleviate traffic congestion. The 1620 AM signal will blanket Xenia and be
audible in surrounding Greene and Montgomery counties, directing approaching
attendees to special parking facilities.
The service is being provided to Dayton Hamvention by Information Station
Specialists of Zeeland, Michigan, which this year will utilize a newly
designed, high-efficiency/high-capacity antenna. The transmitter and antenna
system will be on display during Dayton Hamvention at Booth 6503.
High-Altitude Celebration at SAQ
On May 1, the Day of Industrial Culture in Europe sponsored "WORK it OUT,"
during which workers all over the continent displayed their skills in
choreographed dance. The occasion involved thousands of dancers in a
"massive Pan-European dance event" at 1500 UTC. Participants included a
dozen women and men at SAQ in Sweden -- the VLF Alexanderson alternator
transmitter and UNESCO World Heritage Site -- all apparently unafraid of
heights.
Video, likely shot by a drone and posted on YouTube, shows appropriately
equipped workers arrayed across the T-bar support of one of SAQ's tall
antenna support towers, dancing to "WORK it OUT," a techno-style theme based
largely on Bach's "Ode to Joy." They joined other worker groups --
displaying various levels of dancing prowess -- who took part in the May Day
event at 41 industrial monuments in 12 European countries.
SAQ maintains a 1920s-vintage electromechanical radio transmitter once used
for transatlantic telecommunication in that pre-high-power transmitting tube
era. The nearly century-old Alexanderson Alternator at SAQ transmits on CW
at 17.2 kHz on special occasions from Grimeton, Sweden. Read more about SAQ
in the July 2019 issue of QST.
The Doctor Will See You Now!
"It's About Time!" is the topic of the new (May 9) 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 email 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.
ARRL Field Day Site Locator is Live, Promotional Material and FD Gear Now
Available
Amateur Radio's most popular operating event, ARRL Field Day is June 22 -
23. See the May issue of QST, page 85, for the official Field Day
announcement. The complete 2019 ARRL Field Day packet is online.
The Field Day site locator is now up and running, and by mid-week, 475 sites
already were in the database. To find a Field Day site near you, enter your
town and state in the "Location or Call Sign" box at the upper left.
Listings also are available by state or Canadian province. To add a site,
visit the d Field Day Station page. Information on promoting Field Day is
available. Also, visit the Field Day social media page for information on
promoting your Field Day operation via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
LinkedIn, and YouTube.
The ARRL Public Relations Committee will host a series of live video/audio
conference calls every Thursday starting on May 9 to help ARRL PIOs with
their Field Day publicity efforts. Field Day public service announcements
(PSAs) are set to be posted to the ARRL Field Day web page this week.
Official FD 2019 Gear!
Official Field Day gear and supplies available from ARRL including pocket
T-shirts, hats, pins, patches, stickers, and coffee mugs are a great way to
acknowledge -- and commemorate -- your participation in this most popular
on-the-air operating event in Amateur Radio.
Encourage club members, family, friends, and prospective hams to take part
using ARRL Field Day with recruitment posters and attractive "Get on the
Air" (GOTA) pins for those newcomers.
ARRL's new Radio Communications vinyl banner is perfect for showing off
Amateur Radio at ARRL Field Day, any public exhibit or recruitment display.
It's good for indoor and outdoor use and reusable for years to come.
Clubs are encouraged to order early. Place a group order and pay just $12.50
shipping for all orders over $50 (while supplies last). Get your 2019 ARRL
Field Day supplies from the ARRL online store or by calling (888) 277-5289
in the US, Monday through Friday, from 8 AM to 5 PM Eastern Time. Outside
the US, call (860) 594-0355.
The complete 2019 ARRL Field Day packet is online. ARRL encourages
participants to register their Field Day operations using the FD Site
Locator.
May 14 FT4 Mock Contest Session Canceled, New WSJT-X Beta Version Pending
A second hour-long FT4 "practice contest" set for May 14 UTC has been
cancelled, following the success of an initial mock contest held on May 9
UTC (the evening of Wednesday, May 8, in continental US time zones). The
event followed ARRL RTTY Roundup rules, with everyone working everyone.
WSJT-X program suite developer Joe Taylor, K1JT, was among those jumping
into the fray. He called the exercise "very useful" and has drawn some
preliminary conclusions as to how the FT4 protocol functions in a contest
setting.
"FT4 works well, but -- as implemented WSJT-X 2.1.0-rc5 -- it has some rough
spots and performance issues," Taylor said in a post to the Yahoo WSJT
Meteor Scatter and Weak Signal Group. "Many of these have been fixed already
during this beta-testing period, and more improvements are still to come."
Taylor said a second mock contest session using the current -rc5 "release
candidate" (beta version) would not be helpful, and it's not convenient for
the developers to build and distribute -rc6 in time for a session early next
week, a few days before the Dayton Hamvention. "Instead, we are aiming now
to release WSJT-X 2.1.0-rc6 about 2 weeks later -- probably in the last week
of May or the first week of June," Taylor said. "Another mock contest
practice session will be scheduled soon after that release." The current
-rc5 beta version will expire automatically on June 7.
Post observations and comments to the Yahoo WSJT Group reflector or to the
WSJT Development Group Mailing List. Read more.
The K7RA Solar Update
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: We saw zero sunspots April 21 - May 2, but
on May 3 sunspots returned. The average daily sunspot number rose to 16.1
this week, and the average daily solar flux increased as well, from 67.5 to
73.5. Both the average middle latitude and planetary A index this week were
6.6, and last week those numbers were 4.7 and 5.9, respectively.
Predicted solar flux is 75 on May 9 - 11; 73 on May 12 - 15; 74 and 76 on
May 16 - 17; 72 on May 18 - 20; 68 on May 21 - 22; 67 on May 23 - 26; 69,
68, 69, 70, and 72 on May 27 - 31; 75 on June 1; 76 on June 2 - 13; 72 on
June 14 - 16; 68 on June 17 - 18, and 67 on June 19 - 22.
Predicted planetary A index is 5 on May 9 - 10; 14 and 12 on May 11 - 12; 5
on May 13 - 19; 8 on May 20; 5 on May 21 - 27; 10, 12, 8, and 10 on May 28 -
31; 5, 12, and 14 on June 1 - 3; 8 on June 4 - 6; 5 on June 7 - 15; 8 on
June 16, and 5 on June 17 - 22.
Sunspot numbers for May 2 - 8 were 0, 11, 12, 14, 25, 27, and 24, with a
mean of 16.1. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 69.2, 69.8, 72.3, 73.5, 76, 78.7,
and 75.3, with a mean of 73.5. Estimated planetary A indices were 12, 7, 10,
4, 5, 5, and 3, with a mean of 6.6. Middle latitude A index was 13, 8, 9, 4,
5, 5, and 2, with a mean of 6.6.
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
May 11 -- FISTS Spring Unlimited Sprint (CW)
May 11 - 12 -- CQ - M International DX Contest (CW, phone)
May 11 - 12 -- VOLTA WW RTTY Contest
May 11 - 12 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon (CW)
May 11 - 12 -- Arkansas QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
May 11 - 12 -- 50 MHz Spring Sprint (CW, phone)
May 12 -- WAB 7 MHz Phone/CW
May 13 -- 4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint (CW, phone)
May 13 -- RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship (SSB)
May 16 -- NAQCC CW Sprint
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.
Spectrum: FCC opts Order on Use of Bands above 24 GHz for Next-Gen Wireless
The FCC on April 12 adopted a Report and Order (GN Docket 14-177) aimed at
making available millimeter wave (mmW) spectrum at or above 24 GHz for
fifth-generation (5G) wireless, Internet of Things, and other advanced
spectrum-based services, including satellite broadband services. The FCC
first adopted rules to allow Fixed-Satellite Service (FSS) Earth stations to
be individually licensed to transmit in the 50.4 - 51.4 GHz band using
criteria identical to those applicable in the 24.75 - 25.25 GHz band.
"This action will allow FSS operators to provide faster, more advanced
services to their customers," the FCC said in announcing the action.
The Commission also established a coordination process to accommodate the
military's potential need for additional sites in the upper 37 GHz band
(37.6 - 38.6 GHz band) in limited circumstances, while protecting the
interests of non-federal licensees in this band.
"The[se] steps are an integral step toward the auction of the Upper 37 GHz,
39 GHz, and 47 GHz spectrum bands slated to begin later this year," the FCC
said.
Hams Help Trace "Mystery" Signal Disrupting Keyless Entry Devices in Ohio
A recent article in The New York Times reported that many garage door
openers and keyless vehicle entry fobs in an Ohio town near Cleveland
mysteriously stopped working. While the article invoked The X-Files and
hinted initially that a NASA research center might be involved, the cause
was not so much mystifying as arcane.
"Garage door repair people, local ham radio enthusiasts, and other volunteer
investigators descended on the neighborhood with various meters," the May 4
article by Heather Murphy recounted. "Everyone agreed that something
powerful was interfering with the radio frequency that many fobs rely on,
but no one could identify the source."
More than a dozen residents reported intermittent issues getting their key
fobs and garage door openers to operate, and most lived within a few blocks
of each other. At one point, the local power utility started shutting off
power to areas where the strongest RF signal was detected, but the signal
persisted. Dan Dalessandro, WB8ZQH, a TV repairer, was among several hams
who investigated. He initially picked up "little blips" on a signal
detector, but finally, on one block and at a particular house, the signal
was quite loud.
"The source of the problem was a homebrew, battery-operated device designed
by a local resident to alert him if someone was upstairs when he was working
in his basement," the Times reported. "It did so by turning off a light."
The inventor, not identified for privacy concerns, had no malicious intent
nor any no inkling that his device was wreaking havoc on the neighborhood
until a North Olmstead City Council member and a volunteer knocked on his
door. The device operated on 315 MHz, the frequency many keyless-entry
devices use under FCC Part 15 rules. The device's battery was removed, the
signal stopped, and all who were involved breathed sighs of relief.
Former ARRL Headquarters Staffer Ellen White, W1YL, is Krenkel Medalist
ARRL Headquarters staff alumna and Life Member Ellen White, W1YL, has been
awarded the Russian E.T. Krenkel Medal, a prestigious award granted to
individuals and organizations for outstanding global contributions to
Amateur Radio.
First licensed in 1946, White had already learned Morse code in high school,
and even today, she only rarely operates any other mode. She served for more
than 25 years (1952 - 1978) on the Headquarters staff, at one point heading
up ARRL contesting activities. She retired as Deputy Communications Manager
and became QST "How's DX?" editor. On her own time, she recorded QST on tape
for the vision impaired through the US Library of Congress talking book
program.
Ellen White, W1YL [Photo courtesy of MABUHAY DXstitch]
Her husband Bob White, W1CW (SK), was ARRL DXCC manager. Their son Jim
White, K4OJ (SK), also once served on the ARRL HQ staff and was president of
the Florida Contest Group, which now holds his call sign.
For several years now, Ellen White has been operating via the W7RN remote
contest station in Nevada to stay active on CW as W1YL/7, usually on 40
meters at around 1000 UTC. She is on the roster of the A-1 Operators Club
and has served as a West Central Florida Assistant Section Manager. The
article "A Conversation with Ellen White, W1YL," by Rosalie White, K1STO (no
relation), appeared in the May/June 2015 edition of NCJ.
"It has been quite a ride and one I could not have made without ham radio,"
White told ARRL. "I am proud and delighted to be a chosen recipient of 'The
Krenkel.""
QST was awarded a Krenkel Medal in 2018.
The award's namesake, Ernst Teodorovich Krenkel, was a radio amateur who,
over the years, used the call signs RAEM, U3AA, and UA3AA. Krenkel's image
appears on postage stamps from the USSR and Russia, and he authored a
biography entitled My Callsign is RAEM. Read more. -- Thanks to George
Wagner, K5KG
DX Voice from Mount Athos Monk Apollo, SV2ASP, SK
Mount Athos' best-known radio amateur, Monk Apollo, SV2ASP, died on May 5
after complications resulting from cancer. He was 64. Monk Apollo was
essentially the lone DX voice from Mount Athos, the 20th most-wanted DXCC
entity, where he operated from his Orthodox Monastery of Docheiariou. Born
into a large family in western Greece, he became a monk in 1973, eventually
joining the ascetic monastery on Mount Athos in 1980.
When the need for reliable communication from the monastery surfaced in the
1980s, Monk Apollo followed a recommendation to become a radio amateur,
which he did in 1988. He had to wait for permission from the Holy Council to
operate, however, before he was able to get on the air for the first time in
1990. He celebrated his 10th anniversary on the air with the special call
sign SY2A.
Monk Iakovos, SV2RSG, who lives at Koutloumousiou Holy Monastery on Mount
Athos, was licensed in 2015 and has been active on the air. He is a member
of DX Plus Hellenic Radio Amateur Team.
Peter Vekinis, KH6VP, has visited Mount Athos a few times recently to help
Monk Iakovos, and an article on his experiences there will appear in an
upcoming issue of QST. Read more.
"Put Howard to Work" Event Canceled
In late April, ARRL had announced that ARRL CEO Howard Michel, WB2ITX, would
be on the air at W1AW on Monday, May 13, giving ARRL members a chance to
chat with the CEO and get to know him better as a ham. An issue was raised,
however, that this event may be a potential FCC rule violation.
The particular rule is §97.113: "A station is also not allowed to transmit
communication in which the station licensee or control operator has a
pecuniary interest, including communications on behalf of an employer."
Given that ARRL is Michel's employer and that an effort was made to
publicize an event at which members of the organization could chat with the
CEO, such an event could be perceived as a benefit to the organization. So,
out of an abundance of caution and to avoid any potential violation of FCC
rules, or even the appearance of a violation, Michel decided to cancel plans
for the "Put Howard to Work" event.
"I've operated W1AW before and will continue to do so in the future," Michel
said. "I hope to meet many of you on the air, but only as part of my regular
ham radio activities and not as part of an ARRL-promoted event."
The "Put Howard to Work!" event was conceived by the ICQ Amateur/Ham Radio
Podcast, on which Michel was a guest on March 31. "We are disappointed, of
course, at this turn of events, but fully understand and endorse ARRL's
decision," said ICQ Podcast Presenter Frank Howell, K4FMH.
In Brief...
Support ARRL when shopping for Mother's Day. Mother's Day is Sunday, May 12.
If you're looking for the perfect gift, 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 to
ARRL. This helps the League to extend its reach in public service, advocacy,
education, technology, and membership. Make Mom smile, and get her something
special this year while supporting Amateur Radio and ARRL. Help to support
ARRL all year long: Bookmark ARRL's link and support Amateur Radio and ARRL
every time you shop online.
+++
National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting will expand its hours
during Dayton Hamvention®. The museum, located at the site of the former
Voice of America Bethany Relay Station in West Chester, Ohio (between Dayton
and Cincinnati, off the I-75 Tylersville Road exit), will be open Thursday
and Friday, May 16 and 17, 4 - 9 PM; Saturday, May 18, 1 - 9 PM, and Sunday,
May 19, 1 - 5 PM during Dayton Hamvention 2019 weekend. The WC8VOA station
also will be open. The museum includes a comprehensive collection of Drake
Amateur Radio gear. More information is on the VOA Museum website.
Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions
May 17 - 19 -- Dayton Hamvention -- ARRL National Convention, Xenia, Ohio
May 31 - June 1 -- Arizona State Convention, Prescott, Arizona
May 31 - June 2 -- Northwestern Division Convention, Seaside, Oregon
June 1 -- Georgia Section Convention, Marietta, Georgia
June 1 - 2 -- Western Pennsylvania Section Convention, Prospect,
Pennsylvania
June 7 - 8 -- West Gulf Division Convention (Ham-Com), Plano, Texas
June 15 -- W8DXCC DX Convention, Owensville, Ohio
July 19 - 21 -- Nevada State Convention, Reno, Nevada
July 25 - 27 -- Central States VHF Conference, Lincoln, Nebraska
July 26 - 27 -- Ham Holiday, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Find conventions and hamfests in your area.
ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for
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