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The ARRL Letter

Published by the American Radio Relay League
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October 5, 2023

John E. Ross, KD8IDJ, Editor <news@arrl.org>

ARRL Home Page <http://www.arrl.org/>ARRL Letter Archive
<http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/>Audio News
<http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> IN THIS ISSUE

- Comment Deadlines Set on Proposed 60 - Meter Band Changes
- ARRL Launches The NTS Letter
- WestFest STEM Event Offers Hands-On Experience
- Amateur Radio in the News
- ARRL Podcasts
- Announcements
- In Brief...
- The K7RA Solar Update
- Just Ahead in Radiosport
- Upcoming Section, State, and Division Conventions

==> COMMENT DEADLINES SET ON PROPOSED 60 - METER BAND CHANGES

A public period is open until October 30, 2023 for radio amateurs to
comment on proposed changes to the 60 Meter band. ARRL
<http://www.arrl.org/> is asking all radio amateurs to join it in
urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to continue the
existing use of the band. ARRL is encouraging expressions of support to
the FCC for the current 100 watt ERP power limit (instead of reducing
the power limit to 15 watts EIRP) and continuing secondary access to
the current channels. An opportunity to reply to comments ends on
November 28, 2023. Comments should be submitted in FCC Docket No. WT
23-120. <https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/search/docket-detail/23-120>

Currently, radio amateurs in the US have use of five discrete channels
on a secondary basis on which they are permitted an effective radiated
power (ERP) of 100 watts ERP. In the Notice of Proposed Rule Making
<https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-23-26A1.pdf> the FCC
solicits comment on reducing the secondary allocation to 15 kHz of
contiguous spectrum between 5351.5 - 5366.5 kHz with a power limit of
15 watts EIRP (equivalent to 9.1 watts ERP). The lesser spectrum and
reduced power limit was adopted by the 2015 World Radiocommunication
Conference (WRC-15).

The federal government is the primary user of the 5 MHz spectrum. The
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the
federal government's spectrum regulator, has argued that the WRC-15
proposals should be implemented as written. Doing so would result in
amateurs losing four of the discrete channels they have been using on a
secondary basis and having the maximum permissible power reduced by
more than 10 dB, from 100 watts ERP to 9.1 watts ERP.

In 2017, ARRL petitioned the FCC
<http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Regulatory/Petition%20for%20Rule%20Making%205%20MHz%20FINAL%20January%2012,%202017.pdf>

to keep four of the current five 60-meter channels -- one would be
within the new band -- as well as the current limit of 100 watts ERP.
"Such implementation will allow radio amateurs engaged in emergency and
disaster relief communications, and especially those between the United
States and the Caribbean basin, to more reliably, more flexibly and
more capably conduct those communications [and preparedness exercises],
before the next hurricane season ... ," ARRL said in its petition.

ARRL said that years of amateur radio experience using the five
discrete 5-MHz channels demonstrated that amateurs coexist well with
the primary users at 5 MHz. "Neither ARRL, nor, apparently, NTIA is
aware of a single reported instance of interference to a federal user
by a radio amateur operating at 5 MHz to date," ARRL said in its 2017
petition.

ARRL will continue to advocate to maintain the 100-watt limit for 60
meters, continued authorization for the four channels outside the WRC
allocation that are being used today, and adoption of the new 15 kHz
allocation with the same 100-watt power limit.

In the NPRM, the FCC recognizes that Canada adopted rules equivalent to
those proposed by the ARRL. "Finally, we note that Canada has
essentially implemented the same rules as ARRL has requested," the
Commission wrote.

The FCC seeks comment on the proposed 15 kHz of contiguous spectrum,
but also on whether the existing channels should remain allocated to
amateur radio on a secondary basis, and whether the maximum power
limitations should be reduced from 100 to 9.1 watts ERP. The FCC also
requested comments on whether the power limitation should be expressed
as EIRP as the WRC-15 recommends or as ERP as in the current rules.

==> ARRL LAUNCHES THE NTS LETTER

There's a new newsletter in the ARRL repertoire as of this week. The
first issue of The NTS Letter
<https://www.arrl.org/nts-letter?issue=2023-10-03> was published on
October 3, 2023. The NTS Letter is a monthly digest of all things
related to the ARRL National Traffic System®. It is edited by Marcia
Forde, KW1U, who is a veteran traffic handler and serves as the Section
Traffic Manager for the ARRL Eastern and Western Massachusetts and
Rhode Island Sections.

The NTS is network that allows for rapid movement of messages, referred
to as "traffic," from origin to destination, and for training amateur
operators to handle written traffic and to participate in directed
nets. The network consists of the layering and sequencing of both voice
and CW traffic nets, as well as a digital system that operates 24/7.
This nationwide system operates 365 days a year, generally relaying
routine message traffic for training purposes and for maintaining
readiness if called upon in an emergency. If called upon, these
operators stand ready to assist emergency communications personnel and
served-agency partners in relaying welfare and other messages. It is
the modern continuation of the historic "radio relay" from ARRL's
founding in 1914.

Director of the ARRL New England Division, Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC, said
the NTS is a great way to get involved in emergency communications.
"Newly licensed and experienced amateurs alike who participate in NTS
find satisfaction and enjoyment in learning the skills of sending and
receiving concise written voice and CW traffic in an organized, on-air
network. It's a natural complement to the skills and training one needs
to become an effective emergency communicator and Amateur Radio
Emergency Service® volunteer. Plus, it's an opportunity to meet new
friends, and it's fun!" said Kemmerer.

The NTS Letter <https://www.arrl.org/nts-letter> is published monthly
and is free of charge to ARRL members. Members can subscribe at
arrl.org/opt-in-out <http://www.arrl.org/opt-in-out> by selecting
"edit" to view all of their subscription preferences (members need to
be logged in to their ARRL website account to do this).

==> WESTFEST STEM EVENT OFFERS HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE

Amateur radio was represented at the seventh annual WestFest event at
The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday, September 30,
2023. WestFest is a public engagement event that highlights science,
technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) research, sustainability
initiatives, and outreach programs at The Ohio State University. The
event featured three behind-the-scenes tours and 39 activity booths.

The Amateur Radio and RF Club at The Ohio State University, W8LT
<https://u.osu.edu/w8lt/>,

Members from W8LT and W8ATR outside the ATARA STEM trailer. [John Ross,
KD8IDJ, photo.]

and the All Things Amateur Radio Association
<https://atara-w8atr.fun/>, W8ATR, provided information and hands-on
STEM experiences for nearly 400 attendees. The W8ATR Mobile STEM
Trailer, funded by a grant from the ARRL Foundation, included a CW
oscillator, a display about the history of Morse code, and signage
explaining the history of wireless technology and radios. Three Snap
Circuits® stations were set up for visitors to build an FM radio, and
there was a working replica of a spark-gap transmitter. The trailer
also featured a complete amateur

Griffin, Eve, and Celeste try out some hands-on STEM activities at the
ATARA trailer. [ATARA photo.]

station with a telescoping mast and a quarter-wave vertical
ground-plane antenna.

"It's important to have amateur radio [be] a part of the STEM
experience," said Lawrence L. Feth, PhD, Professor Emeritus and Faculty
Advisor to W8LT.

ATARA Activities Director Diane Warner, KE8HLD, said throughout the day
the STEM trailer hosted 52 adults and 80 children. "Watching the
children's faces as they experience the sounds and sights of amateur
radio technology is aways rewarding," she said.

Additional information about WestFest is available at The Ohio State
University <https://u.osu.edu/stemimpact/westfest/> website.

==> AMATEUR RADIO IN THE NEWS

ARRL Public Information Officers, Coordinators, and many other
member-volunteers help keep amateur radio and ARRL in the news
<http://www.arrl.org/media-hits>.

"Ham radio more than a hobby for Hoosier Energy employees
<https://www.hoosierenergy.com/news-resources/ham-radio-more-than-a-hobby-for-hoosier-energy-employees/>"

/ Hoosier Energy (Indiana) August 7, 2023 -- Hoosier Energy amateur
radio operators.

- "How to get started with a ham radio license
<https://rjionline.org/news/how-to-get-started-with-a-ham-radio-license>"
/ Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute (Missouri) October 5, 2023 --
Missouri School of Journalism.