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ARISS Packet Radio System Expected to be Back Late this Year

Posted on by VA3DBJ

ARRL – The currently silent packet radio system on the International Space Station could be back on the air by year’s end.

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) hardware team members have located an original duplicate of the packet module that had been in use on the International Space Station (ISS) before failing more than a year ago after 17 years of service. With a new battery installed, the unit was tested and found to be functioning. The ARISS packet system in the space station’s Columbus module, operating on 145.825 MHz, quit last July after first experiencing some problems. All necessary paperwork has been completed to manifest the packet module on the Progress 71P spacecraft launch now set for Halloween, with docking on November 2.

“Installation date will depend on the crew’s busy schedule, but ARISS hopes packet can be online again by the end of November 2018,” ARISS said this week in a news release. ARISS said it’s heard from “many hams” who have been asking when the packet system will be back on the air.

When the ARISS packet module aboard ISS died in last year, the ARISS hardware team already was overburdened with the design and safety certification of the new interoperable radio system ARISS has been developing that’s set for launch next year. The team did attempt some basic troubleshooting of the old packet module but was unable to revive it and decided instead to dedicate all of its time to the new replacement radio system, including packet capability.

ARISS Packet Radio System Expected to be Back Late this Year

Early this year, thermal testing of the first flight-identical power supply for the new comprehensive radio system showed that some changes to air flow were needed. This change would delay launch of the new radio equipment from late 2018 to early 2019.

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VA3DBJ.ca – ISS page

HAARP to Use WSPR on 80 Meters

Posted on by VA3DBJ

ARRL – Alaska’s super-power High-Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) transmitters in Gakona, Alaska, will take advantage of the WSPR digital protocol and the Weak Signal Propagation Reporter Network (WSPRnet) during a short experimental campaign, July 30 through August 1. University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Space Physics Group researcher and HAARP Chief Scientist Chris Fallen, KL3WX, told ARRL that he’ll be conducting research into ionospheric irregularities, but hardly with a weak signal.

“I am conducting a dual-use experiment to create field-aligned — plasma density — irregularities while also modulating the HF beam for a WSPR beacon test,” he said. Specifically, Fallen will be looking at plasma density irregularities in the F-layer of the ionosphere.

Fallen said the WSPR experimental periods are tentatively planned to last about 30 minutes per day and occur between approximately 2300 and 2400 hours UTC on all 3 days, which would put the operations during daylight hours in US time zones. Most transmissions will be at the WSPR 80-meter default frequency of 3.592.6 MHz, Fallen said. HAARP will use full-carrier AM, since it’s not equipped to transmit SSB. The call sign will be WI2XFX. The HAARP transmitters can generate megawatts of RF.

“One irregularity is that the actual transmit power will be higher than what is reported since it is out of range of what the software allows to be encoded,” Fallen told ARRL.

“These daytime 80-meter conditions are not ideal for a propagation test, but are the result of a compromise with other science objectives and operational constraints,” Fallen said. “I hope that this will be a useful trial for future propagation tests that utilize beacon networks maintained by hams. If I have a little bit of time remaining in my budget, I will try to accommodate a 40-meter test as well.”

Fallen said he’s using WSPRnet to retrieve signal reports automatically, rather than by soliciting listener reports, which often do not include the location and signal strength information his research requires.

“We will conduct a short test each day — admittedly not QRP, but the test will be short — transmitting on even numbered minutes, and then later collecting from the database the spots reported by each station that received HAARP,” Fallen explained. “This will demonstrate the concept of using a large and incredibly variable — in terms of frequency, power, and direction — HF transmitter such as HAARP, in conjunction with WSPRnet, to generate snapshots of HF propagation conditions from a point source in the subarctic.”

Fallen said hams have been requesting something like this, although with far more asking for FT8 than for WSPR transmissions. “But, I am having trouble figuring out specifically how FT8 would work with HAARP,” Fallen said.

Fallen said the Amateur Radio bands are not included in HAARP’s permanent Part 5 Experimental license authorization, but UAF routinely seeks a Special Temporary Authorization (STA, attached) that permits access to some amateur frequencies.

FCC Proposes $18,000 Fine in Louisiana

Posted on by VA3DBJ
FCC Proposes $18,000 Fine in Louisiana Amateur Radio Interference Case

ARRL – The FCC has issued a Notice of Apparent Liability (NAL) proposing to fine Jerry W. Materne, KC5CSG, of Lake Charles, Louisiana, $18,000 “for apparently causing intentional interference and for apparently failing to provide station identification on amateur radio frequencies,” the FCC said.

“Mr. Materne was previously warned regarding this behavior in writing by the Enforcement Bureau and, given his history as a repeat offender, these apparent violations warrant a significant penalty,” the FCC said in the NAL, released on July 25.

In 2017, the FCC received numerous complaints alleging that Materne was causing interference to the W5BII repeater, preventing other amateur licensees from using it. In March 2017, the repeater trustee banned Materne from using the repeater.

Responding to some of the complaints, the Enforcement Bureau issued a Letter of Inquiry (LOI), advising Materne of the allegations and directing him to address them. Materne denied causing interference but admitted to operating simplex on the repeater’s output frequency. In June 2017, the FCC received an additional complaint alleging that Materne had repeatedly interfered with an attempted emergency net that was called up as Tropical Storm Cindy was about to make landfall. The complaint maintained that Materne “repeatedly transmitted on the repeater’s input frequency, hindering the local emergency net’s ability to coordinate weather warnings and alerts on behalf of the National Weather Service,” the FCC said in the NAL.

Local amateurs were able to track the interfering signal to Materne’s residence and confirmed their findings to the FCC, prompting a Warning Letter advising Materne of the complaint and pointing out that his behavior “as described in the complaint would be a violation of Section 97.101(d) of the Commission’s rules.” Materne responded to the Warning Letter to argue that it was legal to transmit on the repeater’s output frequency, further stating that “he was tired of this trash harassing me,” the FCC said.

In the wake of further complaints, FCC agents visited Lake Charles, tracked transmissions on 146.130 MHz to Materne’s residence, and monitored them for up to 7 hours. The agent reported hearing Materne “playing music on 146.130 MHz and warning other amateur operators that the local Amateur Radio club would not be able to conduct their net later that day.”

That evening, the agent watched as Materne drove to a location near the W5BII repeater, where, the agent said, Materne “began transmitting an amateur digital radio signal from a hand-held radio in his vehicle,” disrupting the net and failing to identify. Subsequently, the agent, accompanied by a deputy from the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office, approached Materne’s vehicle and confirmed that he possessed a radio capable of operating on 146.130 MHz. “Audio recordings captured by the agent demonstrate that the intentional interference ceased as the agent and the Sheriff’s deputy approached Mr. Materne’s vehicle,” the FCC said in the NAL.

The FCC said that based on the evidence before it, Materne “apparently willfully violated Section 333 of the Act and Section 97.101(d) of the Commission’s rules by intentionally interfering with other licensed amateur communications,” and that he “apparently willfully violated Section 97.119(a) of the Commission’s rules by failing to transmit his assigned call sign.”

“[W]e find that Mr. Materne’s apparent repeated, intentional, and egregious apparent violations of Section 333 of the Act and Section 97.101(d) of the Commission’s rules warrant an upward adjustment of $10,000 to the proposed forfeiture,” the FCC said. “In applying the applicable statutory factors, we also consider whether there is any basis for a downward adjustment of the proposed forfeiture. Here, we find none.”

World JOTA-JOTI Registration Now Open

Posted on by VA3DBJ

ARRL – Registration is open worldwide for Scouting’s Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) and Jamboree on the Internet. JOTA-JOTI take place October 19 – 21 — always the third weekend of October. JOTA Coordinator Jim Wilson, K5ND, encourages JOTA groups to register as soon as possible.

“The sign-up system this year is much simpler,” Wilson told ARRL. “There is no need to first register an account at scout.org before signing in.” Wilson said JOTA-JOTI will generate “an explosion of communication across the Amateur Radio airwaves and the internet.”

He anticipates that more than 1 million Scouts and Guides will take part in more than 150 countries. A JOTA-JOTI Participant’s Guide is available. “JOTA began in 1957 following the World Jamboree that year, when the ham radio operators gathered over coffee and thought about doing the on-the-air part of Jamboree every year,” Wilson recounted.

This year will mark the 61st JOTA (and the 22nd year of JOTI). “Many JOTA Amateur Radio stations are also starting to use JOTI channels, like ScoutLink, to more readily connect with Scouts around the world,” Wilson told ARRL. “Other channels include Skype, YouTube, and social media.”

Wilson said once groups have registered, other locations around the world will know to look for them. “Likewise, you’ll be able to see at a glance all the rest of the locations from across town to the other side of the Earth,” he added.

More information: https://www.jotajoti.info/what-is-jota-joti/
Registration : https://www.jotajoti.info/sign-up-jota-joti-2018/

Field Day 2018: June 23-24

Posted on by VA3DBJ

ARRL – ARRL Field Day is the single most popular on-the-air event held annually in the US and Canada.

On the fourth weekend of June of each year, more than 40,000 Radio Amateurs gather with their clubs, groups or simply with friends to operate from remote locations.

Field Day is a picnic, a campout, practice for emergencies, an informal contest and, most of all, FUN! It is a time where many aspects of Amateur Radio come together to highlight our many roles.

While some will treat it as a contest, other groups use the opportunity to practice their emergency response capabilities. It is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate Amateur Radio to the organizations that Amateur Radio might serve in an emergency, as well as the general public. For many clubs, ARRL Field Day is one of the highlights of their annual calendar.

The contest part is simply to contact as many other stations as possible and to learn to operate our radio gear in abnormal situations and less than optimal conditions. We use these same skills when we help with events such as marathons and bike-a-thons; fundraisers such as walk-a-thons; celebrations such as parades; and exhibits at fairs, malls and museums – these are all large, preplanned, non-emergency activities.

For more information, click here.