Nominations Solicited for Six ARRL Awards
ARRL is inviting nominations for awards that recognize educational and technological pursuits in amateur radio. Nominations are also open for the League’s premier award to honor a young licensee. - The Hiram Percy Maxim Award recognizes a radio amateur and ARRL member younger than age 21, whose accomplishments and contributions are of the most exemplary nature within the framework of amateur radi...
Puerto Rico Volunteers Deployed to Red Cross, ARRL Sending Equipment
Puerto Rico Section Manager Oscar Resto, KP4RF, reports that several Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers have been deployed to earthquake-ravaged regions of the island at the request of the American Red Cross. Initial operations got under way in the town of Yauco, where the Red Cross has a central warehouse for the earthquake relief effort. Operations are on VHF and UHF, although ...
Well-Known DXer and DXCC Card Checker Peter Glasmacher, DK5DC, SK
Well-known DXer and DXCC card checker Peter Glasmacher, DK5DC/AA6HM, of Werl, Germany, died unexpectedly on January 12. An ARRL member, he was 68. Glasmacher served as the editor of the monthly DX column “DXtra” in CQ DL, the official journal of the Deutscher Amateur Radio Club (DARC), to which Glasmacher also belonged. Glasmacher was a familiar face at Ham Radio, held each June in Friedrichsh...
Leadership Elections to Highlight January 17 – 18 ARRL Annual Board Meeting
Tragic Drowning Cuts Short DXpedition to Rotuma
Sultan of Oman Qaboos Bin Said, A41AA, SK
The Sultan of Oman Qaboos Bin Said, A41AA, died on January 10. He was 79. The Diwan of the Royal Court has declared 3 days of mourning, with the flag flown at half-mast for the next 40 days. The sultan was the patron and sponsor of the Royal Omani Amateur Radio Society (ROARS) and its A47RS club station. He had been the Sultan of Oman since 1970.
Germany Special Event Recognizes Anniversary of SDR Development
The Deutscher Amateur Radio Club (DARC) this year is honoring 35 years of software-defined radio (SDR) technology with special call sign and special DOK. “In order to acknowledge the high importance of digital signal processing for communications technology in general, and amateur radio in particular, a special event station DL35SDR will be active from the greater Munich area throughout 2020,” ...
Global Learn Day on the Air Aims to Shrink World One Contact at a Time
Global Learn Day on the Air (GLDOTA) is an extension of Global Learn Day, which celebrates learning and encourages everyone to recognize the importance of education. GLDOTA will start at 0001 UTC on October 5 and continue through 2359 UTC on October 8.
Individual radio amateurs and clubs are encouraged to exchange contacts with each other and to include children in this learning activity. Each contact during GLDOTA is a celebration, reducing the distance between us as we shrink the planet one contact at a time, the event announcement said. Suggested frequencies are 3.803, 7.187, 14.287, and 21.387 MHz. Contacts via satellite and with the International Space Station are also valid.
VP6D Ducie Island 2018 DXpedition to Offer Near Real-Time Contact Posting
The VP6D Ducie Island 2018 DXpedition, on schedule to begin October 20, has announced that it will use DXA to post contacts on a near real-time basis. Bob Schmieder, KK6EK, of Cordell Expeditions, offered the use of DXA, and we gladly accepted, the DXpedition said in a news update this week.
Within 60 seconds of your contact with VP6D, the browser page is automatically updated to show your call sign; this confirms that your contact is in the log (DXA reads the VP6D log). This process eliminates the need for duplicate contacts on the same band/mode and minimizes the confusion caused by pirates or other DXpeditions operating at the same time.
Investigation into International Space Station Leak Continues
NASA has issued a statement regarding a leak affecting the International Space Station (ISS). On August 29, a mysterious 2-millimeter hole was discovered on a Soyuz capsule docked to the ISS, resulting in a pressure leak.
The Soyuz capsule last carried to the ISS cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev, and astronauts Serena Auñón-Chancellor, KG5TMT, and Alexander Gerst, KF5ONO. It is scheduled to return them to Earth in December.
The hole, which appeared to have been drilled, was repaired by the crew. Roscosmos said this week that the hole was not drilled by accident, opening the possibility of sabotage. Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Rogozin earlier ruled out a manufacturing defect.
[This] indicates that this is an isolated issue which does not categorically affect future production, the NASA statement said. This conclusion does not necessarily mean the hole was created intentionally or with mal-intent.
Black Swan 18 Exercise to Test US Government/Amateur Radio Interoperability on 60 Meters
Black Swan 18 is a communications exercise aiming to test how well responders, emergency management agencies, and non-government organizations (NGOs) activate, operate, and complete communication missions, specifically in terms of the volume, accuracy, and speed of radio traffic. The scenario for the October 4 10 Black Swan 18 will be a series of winter storms and associated events. ARRL Field Organization teams have been invited to adapt this activity as the basis of their annual Simulated Emergency Test (SET). Operational periods by participating organizations should not exceed 48 hours.
In a high-impact disaster, response will need to include many organizations bringing their unique expertise and resources to bear in a coordinated fashion, the Black Swan 18 announcement explains. Black Swan 18 will test this ability to operate across geography and among complementary organizations. Cooperating forces include the Ohio Military Reserve (2nd Battalion), the ARRL Ohio and Iowa sections, and Air Force MARS.
ARRL, FCC Discussing Issue of Uncertified Imported VHF/UHF Transceivers
ARRL has taken a minor exception to the wording of a September 24 FCC Enforcement Advisory pertaining to the importation, marketing and sale of VHF and UHF transceivers and is in discussion with FCC personnel to resolve the matter. The Enforcement Advisory was in response to the importation into the US of certain radio products that are not FCC certified for use in any radio service, but identified as Amateur Radio equipment.
While much of this equipment is actually usable on Amateur bands, the radios are also capable of operation on non-amateur frequencies allocated to radio services that require the use of equipment that has been FCC-certified, ARRL said. Such equipment is being marketed principally to the general public via mass e-marketers and not to Amateur Radio licensees.
ARRL said the upshot is that the general public has been purchasing these radios in large quantities, and they are being used on the air by unlicensed individuals.
Northern Florida ARES Teams Handle Hurricane Duty
Over the past week, Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) teams in the ARRL Northern Florida Section went on alert and some activated to support emergency communication before and during Hurricane Michael.
Miller Norton, W4EMN, the Communications Watch Officer at the Duval County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Jacksonville, Florida, was monitoring SARnet a UHF-linked repeater network in Florida when he heard an urgent call for help that needed to be sent to the State EOC in Tallahassee. All other forms of communication were out, but Norton was able to relay the message to via Amateur Radio. He also passed along messages and requests from the Jackson County EOC to the American Red Cross. Norton said officials in Tallahassee and Jackson County were both incredibly grateful for the way the SARnet system functioned during the weather emergency.
Jackson County Emergency Coordinator Ricky Whittington, KD4AST, deployed to the county EOC in Marianna.
We took a direct hit by the center of the storm at 140 MPH, he told Clay County ARES Assistant Emergency Coordinator (AEC) and Public Information Officer Scott Roberts, KK4ECR. [The] county maintenance building across the road from the EOC was picked up and slammed into the north side and over the roof of the EOC just prior to the eye passing over.
IARU Region 1 Volunteers and Partners Getting Behind WRC-19 50 MHz Agenda Item
International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) volunteers are continuing their work toward a favorable outcome for World Radio Conference 2019 (WRC-19) Agenda Item 1.1, which seeks a 6-meter allocation for the Amateur Radio Service in Region 1 in the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Radio Regulations Table of Frequency Allocations. The effort is aimed at aligning the band with the 50 MHz allocations in ITU Regions 2 and 3. In a news release, IARU Region 1 (IARU R1) President Don Beattie, G3BJ, described extensive work in various forums and the ITU aimed at gaining support for a 6-meter band in Region 1, rather than the current country-by-country allocations.
IARU has represented the global voice of Amateur Radio in these meetings, arguing that new applications in Amateur Radio require significant bandwidth at 50 MHz and has set out a proposed utilization of the band which supports its claim, Beattie said. He added that the IARU has also engaged in extensive work on sharing studies using propagation models recognized by the ITU and the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT).
via the ARRL: Dwayne Allen, WY7FD, Resigns as Rocky Mountain Division Director
In a letter to ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, on Friday, October 19th, Dwayne Allen, WY7FD, resigned as Director of the Rocky Mountain Division due to time constraints and competing duties with work and family. As such, the Secretary of the Corporation has declared the position vacant.
In accordance with Article 7 of the Articles of Association, Vice Director Jeff Ryan, K0RM, will assume the Director position immediately.
via the ARRL: South African Radio Amateurs Poised to Support Communication as Wildfires Rage
An intense heat wave and gale-force winds in the Western Cape region of South Africa have resulted in devastating runaway fires, threatening the towns of George and Karatara in the Southern Cape area since October 24. An Amateur Radio Joint Operational Center (JOC) was established on October 29, and radio amateurs were put on standby when parts of George experienced telephone and power outages in the Knysna area. Several new fires were also reported due to lightning.
At one point, those living in the affected areas were ordered to prepare for evacuation, although that order was later rescinded.
Radio amateurs in the Southern Cape have been asked to make their stations available to support emergency communication, should commercial systems fail. Johan Terblanche, ZS1I, in Mossel Bay, who administers the Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network (AREDN), reports that the Amateur Radio JOC is currently active on the AREDN Mossel Bay Mesh Network, Echolink, AllStar, Twitter, and Zello. The Amateur Radio JOC will remain active until all fires are brought under control. The death toll as a result of fires in the Southern Cape area now stands at 7, and more than 800 have been evacuated. Disaster relief operations continue. Thanks to John Terblanche, ZS1I A
New Beta Version of WSJT-X is Now Available, Mock FT8 Contest Set
A new WSJT-X "release candidate," version 2.0.0-rc4, now is available, and the version 2.0 Quick Start Guide has been revised and extended. The developers urge anyone upgrading to the new version to read the release notes thoroughly, since the upgrade requires users to change operator settings, so the software may not work "out of the box" when upgrading from previous versions.
Maritime Mobile Service Network Operators Assist Vessel with Ill Crew Member
Amateur Radio operators associated with the Maritime Mobile Service Network (MMSN) played a significant part in summoning medical assistance on November 9 for a crew member suffering chest pains on board the 48-foot sailing vessel Marie Elena, some 300 miles east of Bermuda.
WSJT-X 2.0 Full Release Now Available; FT8 Enthusiasts Urged to Upgrade Now
The WSJT-X 2.0 software suite has been released, and developer Joe Taylor, K1JT, is urging FT8 and MSK144 users to upgrade to what will become the new standard, because the FT8 and MSK144 protocols have been enhanced in a way that is not backward compatible with older versions of the program. That includes any version 1.9 releases.
"The new protocols become the worldwide standards starting on December 10, 2018, and all users should upgrade to WSJT-X 2.0 by January 1, 2019," Taylor said on the WSJT-X home page. "After that date, only the new FT8 and MSK144 should be used on the air."
Users are encouraged to read the new Quick Start Guide for WSJT-X. Gary Hinson, ZL2IFB, has released an FT8 Operating Guide.
Broadcasters Intruding on Exclusive Amateur Radio Frequencies
The International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 (IARU-R1) Monitoring System (IARUMS) reports that Radio Hargeisa in Somaliland has returned to 7,120 kHz after a break of several weeks, while Radio Eritrea has been reported on 7,140 and 7,180 kHz. Radio Sudan has been transmitting on 7,205 kHz with excessive splatter, IARUMS said. German telecommunications authorities have filed official complaints.
IARUMS has also reported digital signals attributed to the Israeli Navy on 7,107 and 7,150 kHz. In addition, a Russian military F1B signal was observed in mid-November on 7,179 kHz. A Russian over-the-horizon radar has returned to 20 meters on 14,335 – 14,348 kHz. It was monitored on November 22. Earlier this fall, IARUMS reported digital signals from the Polish military daily on 7,001.8 kHz where Amateur Radio has a worldwide primary allocation. Telecommunications officials in Germany filed a complaint.
US Senate Confirms Geoffrey Starks and Brendan Carr to Full FCC Terms
The US Senate has confirmed Geoffrey Starks and Brendan Carr to full 5-year terms as FCC commissioners. Starks, who most recently had served as assistant chief of the FCC Enforcement Bureau, fills the seat vacated last spring by Mignon Clyburn. Both are Democrats. Republican nominees have a 3 – 2 advantage on the Commission. Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel is the other Democrat on the FCC.
"I congratulate Geoffrey on his Senate confirmation," FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement. "During his confirmation hearing, I was excited to hear him highlight the need to expand rural broadband and the power of telemedicine. I look forward to working with him and having a fellow Kansan on the Commission."
Carr, a Republican originally nominated by President Donald Trump to fill the seat left vacant by the departure of former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, was confirmed last August. He now has been confirmed for a full 5-year term. Carr previously served as FCC general counsel.
FCC Outlines Impact on its Operations of Potential Funding Lapse
The FCC said in a January 2 Public Notice that in the event of a continued partial lapse in federal government funding, it will suspend "most operations" at mid-day on Thursday, January 3. Some systems that have gone dark in prior government shutdowns will remain operational this time, however. That includes the FCC website, although it will not be updated except for matters related to spectrum auction activities and those necessary for the protection of life and property until normal operations resume. The FCC Daily Digest will continue to appear.
The Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS), the Universal Licensing System (ULS), the Electronic Document Management System (EDOCS), and the Commission Online Registration System (CORES) will remain available, but no support will be provided except that necessary for spectrum auction activity. Processing of Amateur Radio applications will come to a halt, however, said ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) Assistant Manager Amanda Grimaldi, N1NHL.
Also down will be the Consumer Complaint Center and the Experimental Licensing System, among several others
Still available will be the Network Outage Reporting System (NORS), the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS), the Public Safety Support Center (PSSC), the Licensing Management System (LMS), the Consolidated Database System (CDBS), the Auctions Public Reporting System (PRS), the Auction Application System, and the Auction Bidding System.
"All other Commission electronic filing and database systems will be unavailable to the public until normal agency operations resume," the FCC said.
via the ARRL: December YOTA Month Activity Records More Than 80,000 Contacts
More than 80,000 contacts went into logs at YOTA suffix stations and others participating in December Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) Month, with most operations in International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 (IARU-R1). The final tally included 46,989 on SSB, another 28,064 on CW, some 3,814 on FT8, and the rest on various other modes.
"This year, as many as 44 participating stations made 82,938 QSOs in December, proving once again that neither the weather nor the holidays can keep a radio amateur away from the station," Gergana Ruseva, LZ1ZYL, said in the 2018 YOTA Month report.
via the RSGB: Three new bands for Indonesians
The Indonesian national society, ORARI, reports new amateur radio regulations have been issued with top class licensees gaining new WRC-15 Secondary allocations at 136kHz, 472kHz and 5MHz.
via Radio Society of Great Britain
via the RSGB: Slow-scan TV experiment on ISS
The Inter-MAI amateur radio slow scan television experiment on the International Space Station is scheduled to be activated between Wednesday, 30 January and Friday, 1 February.
It appears that the experiment will only be active during a couple of orbits that overfly Moscow, rather than a continuous operation.
Expected periods of activation appear to be between 1300 and 1900UTC, and should occur on the traditional 145.800MHz downlink frequency.
Third AM Rally is this Weekend
The third annual AM Rally is just ahead. The event, which aims to encourage the use of AM on 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, and 6 meters, gets under way at 0000 UTC on Saturday, February 2 (Friday, February 1, in US time zones) and continues until 0700 UTC on Monday, February 4.
The AM Rally is open to any radio amateurs running full-carrier amplitude modulation using any type of radio equipment — modern, vintage, tube, solid-state, software-defined, military, boat anchor, broadcast, homebrew, or commercial. Numerous transceivers in use today offer AM capability. A lot of hams enjoy restoring and using vintage Amateur Radio equipment. The event website has complete AM Rally details, contact information, award categories, logging, and tips on how to get the most out of your station equipment in AM mode.
Contact Clark Burgard, N1BCG, for more information.
The event is sponsored by Radio Engineering Associates (REA), in cooperation with ARRL, which supports all modes of Amateur Radio operation. W1AW will play a leading role in the event, as it has for the past 2 years.
National Weather Service Dropping High Seas and Storm Warnings on WWV/WWVH
The National Weather Service (NWS) is discontinuing its high seas and storm warnings transmitted via National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) WWV/WWVH time and frequency-standard HF transmissions, starting January 31 at 1800 UTC. The NWS warnings are aimed at the Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Pacific.
"This service is being terminated because weather information in the current broadcast format does not support frequent-enough updates for changes in marine weather and cannot provide enough detail in the allotted window required by mariners to avoid hazardous weather," NWS said in announcing the discontinuation. "Additionally, alternative technologies and numerous media outlets that provide weather information in various formats have overtaken the need for providing weather information through the NIST frequency signals."
The NWS said other sources of marine weather information, high seas alerts, and detailed forecasts are available over satellite, telephone, the internet, marine fax, radio fax, and VHF radio. The NWS, US Coast Guard, and US Navy provide multiple dissemination methods for storm positioning, high sea areas, observations, forecasts, outlooks, and warnings for both coastal and oceanic marine zones near the US, all through a variety of technologies, including NAVTEX and the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS).
Electronics Notes opens a Ham Radio store
The website, Electronics Notes provides a huge amount of reference material for engineers, students and hobbyists. Within this there is a huge amount of material for radio amateurs on subjects like amateur radio itself as well as radio receiver technology, RF design, antennas, radio propagation and a whole lot more.
To complement this, Electronics Notes has opened a ham radio store.
In association with Amazon, this offers some really excellent bargains which do not appear with many other amateur radio stores.
It is surprising what you can find - there is a much bigger choice than you might think, and the prices are often really good as well.
Currently we are set up so that the links automatically link to the UK or USA, so you can enjoy local shopping within these countries. We are soon hoping to be available in Canada and possibly other countries as well.
Check out the link and browse though our ham radio store: https://www.electronics-notes.com/hamstore
Amendment Aims to Promote CITEL/CEPT Amateur Radio Operating Reciprocity
Chile recently became the third country to sign the Amendment of the Inter-American Convention on the use of an International Amateur Radio Permit (IARP). Once the Amendment is in effect, Chile and other Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL) signatories may offer reciprocal Amateur Radio privileges to Amateur Radio licensees from European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) member countries that have implemented CEPT Recommendation T/R 61-01 (CEPT Radio Amateur License).
The Inter-American Convention says CEPT-country licensees shall be entitled to the same rights and privileges enjoyed by holders of the IARP, provided, however, that CEPT accords all holders of the IARP the same rights and privileges enjoyed by holders of the CEPT Amateur Radio license. The Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly approved the treaty last June; CITEL comes under the OAS umbrella. In addition to Chile, the Dominican Republic and Argentina have signed.
IARPs are not be valid for operation in the territory of the issuing country and are valid for 1 year. A Class-1 IARP allows the use of all frequency bands allocated to the Amateur and Amateur-Satellite Services and specified by the country where the amateur station is to be operated, per Recommendation ITU-R M.1544. A Class-2 IARP permits utilization of all frequency bands allocated to the Amateur and Amateur-Satellite Services above 30 MHz and specified by the country where the amateur station is to be operated.
US radio amateurs already enjoy both IARP and CEPT reciprocity.
New Campaign Exploiting Linux Servers to Insert Backdoor "SpeakUp" Trojan
A new backdoor Linux-based operating system trojan dubbed "SpeakUp" is on the loose, although so far it does not appear to have propagated to North America or Europe. Research team Check Point Research recently reported the discovery and said SpeakUp exploits known vulnerabilities in six separate Linux distributions and is able to evade all security vendors. A community of radio amateurs use various forms of Linux, including the popular Ubuntu software, which includes ham radio apps. Check Point Research said the attack is targeting worldwide servers.
"The attack is gaining momentum and targeting servers in East Asia and Latin America, including AWS [Amazon Web Services]-hosted machines," the Check Point Research article said. "SpeakUp acts to propagate internally within the infected subnet, and beyond to new IP ranges, exploiting remote code execution vulnerabilities. In addition, SpeakUp presented ability to infect Mac devices with the undetected backdoor." The origin of the malware appears to be in East Asia, although its developer may be Russian.
Check Point Research said the sample it analyzed had targeted a machine in China on January 14. Once the software successfully registers a victim, it receives commands to manipulate the machine to download and execute various files. Check Point Research said SpeakUp serves XMRig cryptocurrency miners listening to infected servers.
via the RSGB: SOS Radio Week 2019
SOS Radio Week 2019 will take place between 0000UTC on 1 May 2019 to 2359UTC on 31 May 2019.
Individual amateur radio operators and clubs are invited to register as official SOS Radio Week stations and operate during the month.
Stations can be run under individual, club, or special event call signs, from home or other locations.
There are few restrictions at to what can be done when, how, or where, other than to warn participants not to operate within the vicinity of a lifeboat or Coastwatch station without clearing it with them first.
For more information, visit sosradioweek.org.uk.
Ninth District Incoming QSL Bureau has New Manager and Address
Erik Andersen, K9EU, of Naperville, Illinois, has assumed the role of manager for the Ninth District Incoming QSL Bureau. He is a long-time volunteer with the Bureau as well as a noted and accomplished DXer and contester. He succeeds John Meyers, K9QVB, who served as manager for 2 decades and will remain a sorter and letter dispatcher. The Ninth District Bureau handles more than 45,000 DX QSL cards each month.
Effective immediately, send all Ninth District Incoming QSL Bureau correspondence to NIDXA, PO Box 125, Naperville, IL 60566. — Thanks to Central Division Director Kermit Carlson, W9XA
via the RSGB: ITU emergency comms document update
The ITU has updated a key recommendation for cross border usage of Emergency Communications Equipment.
The new 2019 edition of ITU Recommendation M-1637 is clearer regarding countries facilitating the use of radio equipment that may be physically brought by visiting relief personnel into the territory where there is a disaster or emergency.
The recommendation is intended to avoid delays due to customs procedures and type-approvals, etc and facilitate the use of both professional, as well as amateur, radio equipment in such situations.
URL for M1637-1 is itu.int/rec/R-REC-M.1637-1-201901-I.
FCC Announces Career Opportunities
The FCC has announced job openings that may be of interest radio amateurs. The agency is seeking to fill two openings for the position of Electronics Engineer (Field Agent) — one in Boston, Massachusetts, and the other in Los Angeles, California The FCC also is looking to fill a position of Attorney Advisor (Field Counsel) in Washington, DC.
NJ Pirate Enters FCC Consent Decree
For three years, a member of the national association for amateur radio evaded the FCC with illicit broadcasts at 90.9 MHz in a Northern New Jersey city not far from midtown Manhattan, across the Hudson River.
In April 2018, the Commission was finally able to act on the matter by issuing a hefty Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture to the individual determined to be running the pirate radio stations, and followed up with a Forfeiture Order six months later.
Now, the matter is officially resolved by way of a Consent Decree.
On Wednesday (10/31), the Enforcement Bureau moved forward with a Forfeiture Order against Winston Tulloch (QRZ.com lists a callsign for a Winston Tulloch as KC2ALN).
As reported by RBR+TVBR, Tulloch was fined $25,000 fine for his unlicensed radio broadcast activity. The Forfeiture Order from Enforcement Bureau Regional Director Dave Dombrowski was a simple conclusion: Tulloch failed to file a response to the April 2018 NAL.
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