HF Stock Trading: Blackstone Valley ARC (RI) member quoted in the Wall Street Journal

WSJ article on HF tradingFrom ri-arrl.org:

[Blackstone Valley ARC] member quoted in Wall Street Journal article – “Ham Radio Enthusiasts vs. High-Frequency Traders: A Battle for the Airwaves” (August 5, 2023)

Congrats to (BVARC) Blackstone Valley Amateur Radio Club for this news, shared by Bob Beaudet, W1YRC:

Greetings all:

Our fellow BVARC member and past president, Matt, NA1Q, made a comment to the Wall Street Journal regarding the recent request by investment firms to run up to 20 kW on frequencies close to amateur bands.
 
 
I think this is a first for BVARC. Congrats Matt. 
 
73,
 
Bob Beaudet, W1YRC

Cape Cod & Islands Simulated Emergency Test Results, August 5, 2023

Eastern MA Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator Frank O’Laughlin, WQ1O, writes on Facebook:

We conducted Cape and Islands ARES Exercise 78 on Saturday. We had our big mast up for VHF and it didn’t disappoint. HF had its challenges, but some of our other sites had some better luck. We had great turn out at our Mid Cape field site…..Thanks to all who participated at all our sites and at home/mobile.

ARRL Files Comments Against “Seriously Flawed” HF Rules Petition

From ARRL News:

08/02/2023 – ARRL  The National Association for Amateur Radio®, as part of its mission to protect Amateur Radio, has filed comments against a proposal that would introduce high-power digital communications to the shortwave spectrum that in many instances is immediately adjacent to the Amateur HF bands.

The “Shortwave Modernization Coalition” (SMC), which represents certain high-frequency stock trading interests, filed the petition with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). (Previous coverage can be found on ARRL News.) ARRL responded on behalf of its members and the 760,000 licensees of the Amateur Radio Service in the US.

The ARRL Laboratory performed a detailed technical analysis over several months to determine if the proposed rules would affect operations on the bands allocated to Radio Amateurs that are inter-mixed with the Part 90 bands in the spectrum in question.

ARRL’s analysis determined that, if the proposed rules are adopted, the new operations inevitably will cause significant harmful interference to many users of adjacent and nearby spectrum, including Amateur Radio licensees. Ed Hare, W1RFI, a 37-year veteran of the ARRL Lab and internationally recognized expert on radio frequency interference, was the principal investigator on the study. Hare concluded the petition should not be granted. “This petition seeks to put 50 kHz wide, 20,000-watt signals immediately next to seven different amateur bands with weaker protections against interference than required in other services,” said Hare.

In its formal opposition, ARRL stated, “That destructive interference would result if operations commenced using anything close to the proposed maximum levels.”

ARRL’s filed comments highlight flawed analysis and incomplete data submitted by the petitioners. It noted the petitioners “…significantly understate the harmful interference that is not just likely, but certain, if the rules proposed by SMC are adopted as proposed. It is noteworthy that SMC’s proposed rules would provide less protection than the much-lower power amateur radio transmitters are required to provide Part 90 receivers.” ARRL’s opposition also noted that there was no reported tests conducted with Amateur or other affected stations, but referenced a spectrum capture in the Comments filed with the Dayton Group that showed actual interference into the Amateur 20-meter band from one of the High Frequency Trading experimental stations.

Part 90 HF rules currently authorize a maximum signal bandwidth equal to a voice communications channel, at up to 1000 W peak envelope power (PEP). The petition seeks multiplication of signal width, greater transmitted power, and weaker rules that protect users of adjacent spectrum. ARRL’s comments expose the likely fallout:

“Incredibly, notwithstanding the significant increase in potential interference that would result from using digital schemes with 50 kHz bandwidths and 20,000 watts of power, SMC also proposes to substantially lessen the protections required to protect adjacent and neighboring licensees. SMC proposes [out-of-band emissions] limits that offer less protection than the existing Part 90 limits and would actually permit no attenuation (0 dB) at the edge of adjacent allocations, many of which are bands allocated to and heavily used in the Amateur Radio Service. Consistent with lessening protections while increasing the potential for harmful interference, SMC also proposes a lower limit for spurious emissions. SMC would reduce the existing protection of -73 dB for the applicable 1000-watt power limit to just -50 dB protection for their proposed 20,000-watt limit. Due to the much wider 50 kHz proposed bandwidth, the resulting interference would penetrate deep into the adjacent Amateur bands.”

The proposal has been assigned FCC Docket No. RM-11953. While the period for commenting on the petition has now closed, replies to comments in the record may now be submitted.

Hundreds of licensed Radio Amateurs filed comments in the Docket, expressing overwhelming opposition to the proposal. Those interested may read ARRL’s full comments and the results of the technical analysis, which are included in the filing. “If granted as written, this would be devastating to Amateur operation for many tens of kHz into our bands,” said Hare.

ARRL will continue to advocate for its members and the Amateur Radio Service in this proceeding.

New Tools in Development by RFI Teams to Preview at HamExposition August 26

Recently, Jeff, W4DD (Georgia) demonstrated his software for mapping RFI from power lines while mobile during a training session at Nearfest for three of New England’s RFI teams.  Since then, team members have been building on Jeff’s work to use the team’s IC-705’s and antennas to develop another tool for the team’s RFI toolkit.  Keith, W1KJR, and Jim, N1NK of the RI team have tested this Windows-based software tool for mapping power line and other RFI interference while mobile.  

Keith will be presenting the results at the HamXposition on August 26, at the RFI team forum.

Najm, AB1ZA, of the Western Massachusetts team has developed RFI mapping software that will run on a rasperry-pi, a Linux laptop or a Windows laptop.  Najm will demonstrate this software at another forum.

The mapping software will likely prove a valuable tool for reporting power line RFI issues to utilities.

Thanks to these teams for their excellent work!

Categories All

HamXposition is Less Than 30 Days Away!

HamXposition logo

HamXposition 2023 (a.k.a. ARRL New England Division Convention) is coming August 25-26-27 – less than 30 days away. 

Our forum schedule is now available!    Come visit our website to browse over 100 forums, seminars, and workshops available at the convention.

Two new additions on Friday – an AREDN mesh networking workshop where you will be building your own working MESH node and a NanoVNA seminar – learn to use this small but powerful device to analyze antennas and other RF devices.

Our Friday  DXCC dinner will feature Don Greenbaum, N1DG. Don will present “DXpeditioning with a RIB”. Don will describe the genesis of the “Rig in a Box” (RIB) from the 2018 Baker Island expedition to implementation on C6AGU, FO/N1DG and the recently completed VP6A DXpedition to Ducie Island.

Our Saturday grand banquet features special guest “Chip” Cohen, W1YW, an inventor, scientist, and retired professor. Chip will talk about his amusing background, ‘ham-genuity’, and some the pitfalls and pleasures along that tortuous path of invention.

Come meet some old or new friends and maybe learn something new about our hobby!

Do you know someone who really should get their license?  Bill, WZ1L is back this year with his “Tech-in-a-Day” study course, and as always, VE exams are available.

If you wish to stay overnight, discounted hotel rates are available through August 1st – so there are only a few days left to grab the discounted rate.

Visit our website for all details and to purchase tickets in advance:

https://hamxposition.org

Dinner ticket purchasing closes August 20th.

All online ticketing closes August 23rd.

73,

Bob – K1IW
HamXposition 2023

Forums Fri-Sat-Sun
Flea Market Hours: Fri 12-5, Sat 9-5, Sun 9-1
Exhibit Hall Hours: Sat 9-5, Sun 9-1

Rhode Island W1AW/1 VOTA Week, July 26-August 1, 2023

VOTA logoRhode Island’s W1AW/1 VOTA (Volunteers On The Air) is now active the week of July 26-August 1 (UTC).

Twelve amateurs will be QRV on all bands on multiple modes operating as W1AW/1. Per VOTA rules, each contact will be worth 5 points. The team operators who have field or other volunteer positions may also make an additional contact using their own call signs alongside W1AW/1 for additional points. For example, Rhode Island Section Manager KC1NEK, an authorized W1AW/1 operator, is worth 175 points.  (See <https://www.arrl.org/files/file/VOTA%20-%20Volunteers%20On%20The%20Air/VOTA_2023_Points_v5_3.pdf> for the points table.)

All the points are calculated via Logbook Of The World (LOTW) submissions. There are no paper logs and no physical QSL cards; it’s all done via LOTW.

Watch for the spots being posted for W1AW/1 . We hope that you contact W1AW/1 Rhode Island on the air!

VE Session Announcement, Gardner MA, August 5, 2023

WMA Section logoFrom Western MA ARRL Members List:

The Western Mass Train and Test Team will be having a VE session on Saturday August 5 at 10 AM at the Gardner Police Station, 200 Main St. Please have positive ID, 15 dollars, and FRN number from the FCC. Bring copy of license if upgrading. Please pass this along to those interested in taking the test.

Any questions contact aa1se@arrl.org. Thanks.

——————————————————————–
ARRL Western Massachusetts Section
Section Manager: Raymond P Lajoie, AA1SE
aa1se@arrl.org
——————————————————————–

HABGab and StratoScience Balloon Launch, Natick MA, July 2023

Seth Kendall, KC1PZY, writes on July 22, 2023 at 6:27 AM:

HABGab 2023 is officially on for today.  We will be launching from:

Tantasqua Vocational Regional High School

319 Brookfield Rd, Fiskdale, MA 01518

Frequencies, tracking information, updated countdown, etc:
https://nescitech.org/habgab

We will be starting on site set up at 9am.  Launch scheduled for 1pm.  We’d love to see you there or hear you on the air!

 
 
HABGab banner
 
 
From ema.arrl.org:
 
Seth Kendall, KC1PZY, writes:
 
Enjoy making rare contacts and participating in experimental projects?  The New England Weather Balloon Society, in partnership with the Sci-Tech Amateur Radio Society, is launching a special event high altitude balloon (HAB) repeater this July in Eastern Massachusetts. 
 
We would like to welcome all amateur radio operators in New England to participate in this experimental flight by calling into the repeater as it flies over 30 km high.  We will be issuing QSL cards to all confirmed contacts.
 
This flight will also be transmitting live video from the payload on 1.2 GHz, and live streaming to YouTube from our ground station at New England Sci-Tech.
 

Also traveling onboard will be a number of student projects by members of the StratoScience Lab class at New England Sci-Tech and BFCCPS school in Franklin, MA.

Please be aware that the date of the event is highly dependent on weather and readiness, so make sure to regularly check the HABGab Launch Page for up to date information about the date and instructions for making contact: https://nescitech.org/habgab.