DELARANEWS

Ham Radio News

…because we don’t live in a vacuum

ARRL HF Band Planning

Committee Seeks Comments on

Recommendations

The ARRL HF Band Planning Committee is seeking comments and suggestions from the amateur radio community on its report to the ARRL Board of Directors. At the Board's January meeting, the committee presented its specific recommendations in graphical form for each HF band and each US license class, with the goal of increasing harmony on the HF bands, particularly between CW and digital users. "In general, the committee is of the opinion that there is justification for additional space to become available for digital modes, as well as for the operation of digital stations under automatic control," the committee told the Board. "The very changes in spectrum usage that have required our committee's resurgence indicate that digital modes of communication are already increasing in popularity, and the trend is expected to continue or even accelerate. To this end, we have tried to ensure that digital allocations are sufficient for at least a modicum of growth." The committee also anticipates an increase in automatically controlled digital stations (ACDS). The report further points to "significant use" of modern data modes in emergency communication and said its recommendations provide significant support for the evolution and continued relevance of amateur radio. "Our failure to adapt to these needs could consign amateur radio to the technological scrap heap," the report said. The committee was revived last summer to consider conflicts between FT and JT modes and other modes. The panel's approach has been to designate distinct assignments for CW, narrowband (NB) data <500 Hz, wideband (WB) data <2800 Hz, and ACDS. For its work, the committee presumed approval of three ARRL petitions to the FCC: RM-11708 (WT Docket WT 16- 239 -- "symbol rate" proceeding), RM-11759 (80/75 meter allocations), and RM-11828 (enhanced Technician privileges). The committee also assumed that users can agree to sharing arrangements within a given allocation -- narrowband versus wideband sharing within the ACDS allocation, for example. It also took into consideration how mode usage is regulated or planned elsewhere in the world. In terms of mode classes, the committee agreed on CW, NB data, WB data, NB with ACDS, and WB with ACDS. The committee said it considered these mode classes incompatible and that they should not have overlapping allocations, with the exception of CW, which is authorized within any amateur radio allocation. The committee's approach would maintain the existing low-end 25 kHz CW-only sub-bands for exclusive use by Amateur Extra-class licensees. The panel encouraged CW identification and a listen-before- transmitting protocol for ACDS, if feasible. It also decided that a single allocation for ACDS without regard to bandwidth would be the best approach. "We note that this will put responsibility on the digital community to hold an effective dialog on the issue and to then self-regulate the users of this segment to adhere to the eventual agreement." A need for flexibility in allocations is desirable, the committee said, and considered whether allocations might be time-of-day or time-of-week dependent, for example. "Modern amateurs must expect to adapt to this kind of fluid assignment of spectrum to incompatible uses, using time-based sharing, rather than only a single assignment," the committee said, expressing the hope that as band plan/sharing agreements are reached that they consider the advantage of "non-simultaneous sharing possibilities." Reiterating the position ARRL has taken in recent FCC filings, the committee said it sees encryption and open-source enforcement matters as being outside the scope of the Band Planning Committee. -ARRL letter

Skywarn Spotter Training Postponed

Due to another staffing shortage, the National Weather Service Cleveland Office will not be holding any in person Skywarn Spotter Training sessions during spring 2020. They are currently exploring the possibility of other training options. Please stay tuned to their website for updates. https://www.weather.gov/cle/SKYWARN_schedule If you would like to learn more about the role amateur radio plays in Skywarn in the Cleveland area, please consider attending the February LEARA meeting on Tuesday, February 25. Dinner is served at 6:30 PM and the meeting begins at 7:30 PM. Please visit leara.org/meetings-and-events for more information and to make the required dinner reservation. -Ohio Section Journal Please note- this is for the Cleveland office. We have heard no information to this effect from Wilmington, which covers Delaware County.

Undersea Expedition Planned to Retrieve

Titanic's Radio Gear

The company with sole rights to salvage artifacts from the RMS Titanic has gone to

court to gain permission to carry out a "surgical removal and retrieval" of the

Marconi radio equipment on the ship, a Washington Post article reports. The Titanic

sank in 1912 on its maiden voyage after striking an iceberg in the North Atlantic. As

the radio room filled with water, radio operator Jack Phillips transmitted, "Come at

once. We have struck a berg. It's a CQD, old man," and other frantic messages for

help, using the spark transmitter on board. CQD was ultimately replaced with SOS -

- which Phillips also used -- as the universal distress call. The passenger liner RMS

Carpathia responded and rescued 705 of the passengers.

A recreation of the Titanic radio room.

As might be expected, the deteriorating Marconi equipment is in poor shape after

more than a century under water. The undersea retrieval would mark the first time

an artifact was collected from within the Titanic, which many believe should remain

undisturbed as the final resting place of some 1,500 victims of the maritime

disaster, including Phillips. The wreck sits on the ocean floor some 2 1/2 miles

beneath the surface, remaining undiscovered until 1985.

A just-signed treaty between the UK and the US grants both countries authority to

allow or deny access to the wreck and to remove items found outside the vessel.

"This momentous agreement with the United States to preserve the wreck means it

will be treated with the sensitivity and respect owed to the final resting place of

more than 1,500 lives," British Transport and Maritime Minister Nusrat Ghani said

in a statement.

The request to enter the rapidly disintegrating wreck was filed in US District Court

in Eastern Virginia by RMS Titanic, Inc. of Atlanta, Georgia, which said that it hopes

to restore the Titanic radio transmitter to operating condition, if it is allowed to go

forward.

The company plans to use a manned submarine to reach the wreck and then

deploy a remotely controlled sub that would perforate the hull and retrieve the

radio equipment.

-ARRL Letter

ARRL Expands its Roster of Online Discussion Groups

ARRL’s Committee on Communication with Members has launched three new online discussion forums as part of its ongoing efforts to enhance and improve communication between ARRL leadership and members or prospective members. The new forums, which focus on antenna law, regulatory issues, and support for new amateur radio licensees, will go live on Thursday, January 30, at 0400 UTC. The committee launched the three new discussion groups on the basis of requests from the amateur radio community, to support ARRL’s efforts to provide more resources for beginner-to-intermediate operators. The online discussion program launched last fall with three forums — contesting, awards, and the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) — all open to the amateur radio community. The program was based on the success of the online ARRL-LoTW Group, which, for the past several years, has served to answer questions and generate discussions about ways to improve the service. • ARRL New England Division Director and attorney Fred Hopengarten, K1VR, will moderate the Antenna Law and Policy Forum. Hopengarten is the author of Antenna Zoning for the Radio Amateur. • ARRL Regulatory Affairs Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, will moderate the Regulatory Affairs forum. • The New Hams forum will be moderated by QST Editor and ARRL Publications Manager Steve Ford, WB8IMY; QST columnist Joel Hallas, W1ZR, and Contributing Editor Ward Silver, N0AX. ARRL IT Manager Michael Keane, K1MK, worked with Groups.io to set up the new groups. Those wishing to subscribe must use a Groups.io username and password, if they have one, or create a Groups.io account if they don’t. The new groups join an ARRL discussion forum lineup that already includes: • ARRL-Contesting, moderated by ARRL Contest Advisory Committee Chairman Dennis Egan, W1UE. • ARRL-Awards, moderated by ARRL Radiosport and Field Services Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ. • ARRL-IARU, moderated by IARU Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ. • ARRL-LOTW, moderated by ARRL IT Manager Michael Keane, K1MK. Everyone who subscribes to an ARRL Group is automatically subscribed to “ARRL Groups,” an administrative feature that allows ARRL to convey routine announcements to subscribers of all ARRL groups, such as planned system outages. ARRL expects to create additional online groups that focus on other areas of interest to radio amateurs, including ARRL activities, services, initiatives, and policies. ARRL currently hosts some “members-only” online forums that include the topics of Awards and Contesting. While these forums will continue to operate, participants are being encouraged to post new topics in the new Groups. All questions will be welcome, no matter how many times they have already been asked and answered, or how obvious the answers might be. Neither personal attacks nor foul language will be tolerated. Violators will immediately be placed on “moderated” status, meaning their subsequent posts will require Moderator approval. Civility and courtesy are expected, even when disagreeing. The Committee believes that providing more opportunities for two-way discussion between the organization’s leaders and the entire ham radio community will assist ARRL in truly serving the needs of this community. — Thanks to ARRL Communications Manager Dave Isgur, N1RSN

DELARANews

Ham Radio News

…because we don’t live in a vacuum

ARRL HF Band Planning

Committee Seeks Comments on

Recommendations

The ARRL HF Band Planning Committee is seeking comments and suggestions from the amateur radio community on its report to the ARRL Board of Directors. At the Board's January meeting, the committee presented its specific recommendations in graphical form for each HF band and each US license class, with the goal of increasing harmony on the HF bands, particularly between CW and digital users. "In general, the committee is of the opinion that there is justification for additional space to become available for digital modes, as well as for the operation of digital stations under automatic control," the committee told the Board. "The very changes in spectrum usage that have required our committee's resurgence indicate that digital modes of communication are already increasing in popularity, and the trend is expected to continue or even accelerate. To this end, we have tried to ensure that digital allocations are sufficient for at least a modicum of growth." The committee also anticipates an increase in automatically controlled digital stations (ACDS). The report further points to "significant use" of modern data modes in emergency communication and said its recommendations provide significant support for the evolution and continued relevance of amateur radio. "Our failure to adapt to these needs could consign amateur radio to the technological scrap heap," the report said. The committee was revived last summer to consider conflicts between FT and JT modes and other modes. The panel's approach has been to designate distinct assignments for CW, narrowband (NB) data <500 Hz, wideband (WB) data <2800 Hz, and ACDS. For its work, the committee presumed approval of three ARRL petitions to the FCC: RM-11708 (WT Docket WT 16-239 -- "symbol rate" proceeding), RM- 11759 (80/75 meter allocations), and RM-11828 (enhanced Technician privileges). The committee also assumed that users can agree to sharing arrangements within a given allocation -- narrowband versus wideband sharing within the ACDS allocation, for example. It also took into consideration how mode usage is regulated or planned elsewhere in the world. In terms of mode classes, the committee agreed on CW, NB data, WB data, NB with ACDS, and WB with ACDS. The committee said it considered these mode classes incompatible and that they should not have overlapping allocations, with the exception of CW, which is authorized within any amateur radio allocation. The committee's approach would maintain the existing low-end 25 kHz CW-only sub- bands for exclusive use by Amateur Extra-class licensees. The panel encouraged CW identification and a listen-before-transmitting protocol for ACDS, if feasible. It also decided that a single allocation for ACDS without regard to bandwidth would be the best approach. "We note that this will put responsibility on the digital community to hold an effective dialog on the issue and to then self- regulate the users of this segment to adhere to the eventual agreement." A need for flexibility in allocations is desirable, the committee said, and considered whether allocations might be time-of- day or time-of-week dependent, for example. "Modern amateurs must expect to adapt to this kind of fluid assignment of spectrum to incompatible uses, using time-based sharing, rather than only a single assignment," the committee said, expressing the hope that as band plan/sharing agreements are reached that they consider the advantage of "non- simultaneous sharing possibilities." Reiterating the position ARRL has taken in recent FCC filings, the committee said it sees encryption and open-source enforcement matters as being outside the scope of the Band Planning Committee. -ARRL letter

Skywarn Spotter Training Postponed