DELARANEWS

Ham Radio News

…because we don’t live in a vacuum

Strong Earthquakes Shake Puerto

Rico; Generating Capacity Severely

Compromised

ARRL Puerto Rico Section Manager Oscar Resto, KP4RF, says small tremors continue on the island in the wake of the 6.4 magnitude earthquake that struck the southwestern part of the island on January 7. A magnitude 5.8 quake struck a day earlier. The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) reported widespread power outages after generating plants automatically activated protective shutdown systems following the earthquake. But Resto told ARRL this week that considerable generating capacity was lost due to earthquake damage, and that it will take at least several days before replacement units can be brought back on line. Only about 20% of the island has electric power at this point, he estimated. "We have a shortage of about 1,100 megawatts of power," Resto told ARRL. "We normally need about 2,000 megawatts for the island." Resto cited the largely operational telecommunications network as the reason why no Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) activations have been necessary. "We have cell phones all over the island working," he said. Resto told ARRL that he's been working up a list of ready and resilient amateur radio volunteers who would be able to muster if needed to assist the American Red Cross, with which Puerto Rico ARES has a memorandum of understanding. "We are in continuous communication with the ARC in case we're needed." Resto stressed that he wants to avoid situations where volunteers activate only to be told they're not needed. The worst-impacted cities were Guayanilla, Peñuelas, Yauco, and Guánica. Resto said engineers have determined that 80% of the houses in the earthquake's impact zone are uninhabitable. Residents are sleeping outdoors, Resto said. Puerto Rico Section Public Information Officer Angel Santana, WP3GW, told ARRL that VHF and UHF repeaters with emergency power have carried reports of power and water outages, the continuing aftershocks, and other information on an informal basis. Bottled water and canned food have been in high demand, he said. Santana said the PREMA Emergency Operations Center (EOC) has been activated. Resto earlier this week called the situation "scary, with houses, schools, and roads collapsing." At least one death has resulted from the earthquake. He said the earthquake disaster definitely was a setback for the US territory as it continues its long recovery from severe hurricane damage in 2017. But, he added, the restored telecommunications infrastructure is more robust, to minimize damage in future disasters.

Australian Bushfires Causing Major

Telecommunication Outages, Hams

on Duty

Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA) President Greg Kelly, VK2GPK, says the bushfires in Australia have caused significant disruption of telecommunication services in the states of Victoria and New South Wales. Radio amateurs are supporting relief operations and communication. WICEN (Wireless Institute Civil Emergency Network) in New South Wales reports it has been active assisting in a number of multi-agency activities during the bushfire emergency, in its role as a support squad of the NSW Volunteer Rescue Association (VRA) operations center in Bega. WICEN teams in NSW and in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) have sent a team to Bega to help re-establish radio communication services, disrupted by fire activity. WICEN and other VRA squads continue to support the Rural Fire Service (RFS) at various Fire Control Centers and the Bushfire Information Line. Other WICEN members remain active with the RFS and the State Emergency Service. Kelley has asked radio amateurs in International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 3 to monitor the emergency communications frequencies, per the IARU Region 3 band plan, whenever possible, as well as repeaters. "Amateurs seeking to establish emergency communication should use these EMCOMM frequencies in the first instance, or repeaters if available," he said in a statement posted on the IARU Region 3 website. "Radio amateurs who are volunteers for [WICEN and other emergency communication organizations] should keep themselves updated," Kelley advised. "Emergency communication is one of the main reasons radio amateurs have access to RF spectrum. Please assist if and when you can." The IARU Region 3 emergency "center of activity" frequencies are 3.600, 7.110, 14.300, 18.160, and 21.360 MHz. These are not net frequencies, but they are recommended as starting points for emergency traffic, and activity may extend 5 kHz above or below the designated center frequency. South of NSW in the state of Victoria, WICEN VIC reports that the amateur repeater network is largely off the air, possibly due to a lack of power. "Some sites may have been directly affected by fire," WICEN VIC said on January 4. "It could be some weeks until the sites can be reached for inspection." - ARRL Letter

Radio Amateurs of Canada Announces a

New Section

The number of Sections needed for a clean sweep in the ARRL November Sweepstakes (SS) will rise to 84 in 2020, with the addition of a new Prince Edward Island (PE) Section. Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) has announced that the new Section will become effective on April 1. Prince Edward Island has been in the Maritimes (MAR) Section. RAC said its Prince Edward Island members have been working for some time to create a separate Section for RAC ARES activities there. The provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick will remain in the Maritimes Section. In addition to Field Day and Sweepstakes, the new Section in Canada will affect the ARRL 160-Meter Contest but not the ARRL 10-Meter Contest, which uses individual states/provinces for US and Canadian multipliers. The change will mean that logging software developers will have to update their software to include the PE Section as a valid exchange element for any affected operating events. RAC also announced an adjustment in two of its Ontario Sections. Effective April 1, radio amateurs in the City of Hamilton and in the Regional Municipality of Niagara will shift to the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) Section from the Ontario South (ONS) Section. - ARRL Letter

Who needs a KX3 when you can get an

L3?

Microwaves&RF reports: The U.S. Marine Corps has selected Falcon III AN/PRC-160 high-frequency (HF) portable radios from L3Harris to replace legacy L3Harris HF radios. The $50 million follow-on delivery order is part of the Navy Portable Radio Program five-year IDIQ contract received in 2017 and is part of the Marines’ High Frequency Radio II modernization program. The HF radios provide beyond line-of-sight (LOS) terrestrial communications in environments in which satcom systems are not functional. The data sheet notes: This SWaP-optimized manpack delivers continuous coverage from 1.5 to 60 MHz with a single battery while providing 20 watts HF and 10 watts VHF power. With its high-speed wideband waveform, the AN/PRC-160(V) transmits data in bandwidths from 3 kHz to 24 kHz. Data rates of up to 120 kbps are supported through technology that optimizes channel selection and adapts the selected channel to real-time conditions. In addition to data modes, it can also transmit SSB (J3E), FM (F3E), and yes, even CW (A1A). The datasheet does not, however say if the radio has a built- in keyer. <grin> The built-in antenna tuner can tune the following antennas: OE-505 10-foot (3 m) whip (1.6-60 MHz), RF-1940-AT001/RF-1941 dipole RF-1936 (which is apparently some type of NVIS antenna), RF-1912 (HF fan dipole), random wires, and long wires. To give you some idea of how much these antennas cost, the OE-505 costs $540 new, but it looks like you can get one from a surplus dealer for only $70. That actually might be fun to play around with. Finally, while the fancy backpack is probably included, I’m guessing that the camouflage uniform and cool-looking gloves are extra. - Dan, KB6NU That’s right folks- the US Military has just discovered HF !! Check this out- and chuckle over the claims of communications “without infrastructure”! Hey! We’ve been doing that for years.