METERS Newsletter - July 2007

A monthly publication of the Middle East Tennessee Emergency Radio Service, Inc.
METERS is a registered non-profit service organization based in Knoxville, serving all the surrounding area.
Club call sign: KG4NLF Website: www.metersinc.org

Meetings are held at 7 PM, the 4th Tuesday every month. Our July 24th meeting will be at the Knox Tennessee Technology Center, 1100 Liberty Street, Knoxville 37919. (See the website for directions, or watch the Net Reminder.).
Licensed Amateur Radio Operators are invited to join METERS and assist in meeting the needs of our served agencies.
Members’ submissions are invited for this newsletter, in plain text formats, subject to space available and editing. Editor: John Randle, K9RSQ; e-mail to john.randle (at) tds.net; Phone (865) 675-1293, or mail to: John Randle, 10625 Summit Mtn Ct, Knoxville, TN 37922.

President's Statement for July 2007

METERS has had a busy summer so far! METERS Field Day at Lakeshore Park was very successful in terms of points but more importantly in terms of experience. We set up our own radio stations in the field and also worked with the TN HS District 2 Command Post Vehicle. It was good experience working with our served agency and its equipment. In addition, we also worked with other served agencies in preparation for our Field Day activities.

We had 30 participants and used three transmitters and one GOTA station. Members gained valuable experience working HF who had not done so in the past and several visitors have expressed interest in METERS. METERS had 57 digital QSOs and 504 phone QSOs for a total score of 2106 points including bonus points. Of course, everyone had fun operating!

If you have missed the last couple of meetings, you have missed really excellent presentations by Tim Berry WB4GBI and LB Cebik W4RNL. This month Benson Smith KA4LBE will be presenting his antenna design program at our July 24th meeting. Next month a HS agency terrorism specialist will talk about Beyond 9/11. I know that summertime can be busy with outdoor activities and vacations but these are two meetings you won't want to miss. The August meeting is especially important because we have our nominations for officers so please try to be there.

Lastly, our METERS net control station operators put a lot of effort into preparing training for their nets and we should support them by checking into and participating in as many nets as possible.

-- Tyra Buczkowski AI4KG METERS President

Vice President's Statement for July 2007

Another Field Day is successfully behind us, and summer is in full swing. Many of you are probably wondering how many points we scored or how many QSO's we made. We at METERS generally don't make a big deal about "running up the score" or competing to see who can make the most QSO's or points. We always try to make Field Day a team effort.

Yes, it is fun to see how many contacts we can make. But our focus is "hands on" practice operating in the field and under difficult circumstances. Tyra has already told you the raw numbers in her article above. I hope to add a little perspective. Please come to the July meeting to see my detailed presentation on just this subject. I'll have charts and all the numbers you'll ever want to see!

I've been taking a look at Field Days past to find the perspective I mentioned above. Unfortunately, I have not yet been able to put my hands on all the information we have, because it has been scattered around a bit. Hopefully I can pull it together before we lose it altogether. What I do have is enough to prove that we consistently do very well indeed. That is really my interest. Beyond the fun, beyond the challenge and the thrill of making contacts, beyond the friendship of an overnight operation, what we end up with is a diverse team that performs consistently above average.

In spite of the careful planning beforehand--and there was a lot of effort weeks and weeks before the event--there are always difficulties and bad surprises. There are frustrations, heat, humidity, and sunburn. There are good laughs, lots and lots of fun, companionship, but not much sleep! There are also pleasant surprises, excitement, a sense of fulfillment, and a deep appreciation for the contributions of fellow members. Throughout it all we persevere, and ride the ups and downs. When it is all over, we feel satisfied with our efforts.

We are very thankful for all the "angels" that appeared out of nowhere to help us set up, or tear down, or to bring us what we forgot or what we didn't realize we needed, even in the middle of the night. Sometimes it was money, sometimes it was gasoline, or food, or a table, or you name it. It is almost magical how such a complex operation comes together. We can only plan and coordinate so much, but in the end, it is the selfless efforts of many people that make it happen.

The "bottom line" is that the folks who operate the radios depend on a large "base" of support from other members. Thanks to you all! Our success depends on each of us doing what we can. I will cover the numbers in some detail at the July meeting, but the real "numbers" that count are all the members, and non-members who in one way or another, contributed to the success of the METERS Field Day team!

-- Gary Buczkowski AG4XO METERS VP

Secretary's Notes - June 2007 and July 2007

--73, Larry O. W8JYQ

Training Topics - June 2007 ... Solar Danger and Solar Support

In our June 12, 2007 RACES Training Net session, I reviewed some solar topics that we probably should all be familiar with. We feel the sun above, but sometimes forget how dangerous, and yet how useful, it can be to us personally.

An article in the July 2004 National Geographic magazine, said sunspot cycles peaks every 11 years, and this also defines the peak of solar surface weather. Along with increased turbulence in the sun's magnetic field at this peak sunspot time comes a peak in coronal mass ejections, known as CMEs. Just for reference, surface temperature in a sunspot is relatively low (!) at about 4,500°C. In the chromosphere further above the sun's surface, as measured by the SOHO satellite, the temperature goes to above 60,000°C. Further up in the sun's corona, temperatures get above 1,000,000°C, and then in the electrified magnetic gas region above that, temperatures rise into the range of 1- to 2-Million°C. CMEs however, occur when the sun's magnetic lines snap, to allow billions of tons of plasma to lift off in a plasma cloud moving at 5-million miles per hour. (.007 X light speed). Along with these clouds come a barrage of radiation including Gamma and UV rays, enough under worst case scenarios to wipe out communication satellites and any space walkers checking the outside of the space station. What does this imply for our increasingly satellite-dependant worldwide technology and economic infrastructure?

On a kinder and more useful solar subject, I then reviewed the solar cell chapter in Michael Bryce's (WB8VGE) Emergency Power book, now available from ARRL. Mr. Bryce points out four basic solar cell types in common public use: Single silicon cells, Polycrystalline cells, Amorphous cells, and Ribbon cells.

Single silicon cells are silicon wafers cut 200 to 300 microns thick with chemical doping applied to the surface of the silicon wafer and a thin metallic grid applied over that. An anti-reflective coating is applied on top to give the cell a shiny dark appearance. Polycrystalline cells are made similarly but with a cheaper grade of silicon, and these have a frosted appearance. (These may be cheaper but are a bit less efficient.) Amorphous cells, also called thin-film cells, are made differently using a very thin plasma coating on a plastic, glass or even metal substrate. This thin-film deposit can be multi layered with each layer sensitive to a different wavelength to increase output efficiency (and cost). Ribbon cells are made by pulling molten silicon through a die, but operate just as Single Silicon or Polycrystalline cells, although they are larger and have higher current output. They may have a prismatic appearance.

All solar cells puts out about 0.5 VDC under good light conditions, but output current may be from .050 to as high as 5 Amps, depending on the size of the cell. Cells are wired in series for higher voltage, and in parallel for higher current, and are then called panels. Multiple panels are called arrays. In some low current applications small panels may be used directly, but Bryce suggests better to use them as battery chargers with charge controllers. He does provide some power regulator circuit diagrams. He also says heat buildup can reduce output voltage so best to mount panels away from other surfaces, for example off the roof not on it. -- The book is full of practical advice and is a useful reference for all of us.

- Larry W8JYQ

Notes from The ARRL Letter

==>RILEY REITERATES RECOMMENDATION TO "LIGHTEN UP" ON HAM BANDS
FCC Special Counsel in the Spectrum Enforcement Division Riley Hollingsworth's main message at the Dayton Hamvention® 2007 FCC Forum may not have been a new one. But it's certainly one he believes bears repeating -- at least until it starts cutting through the QRM and QRN that pervade more communication channels than our Amateur Radio bands.

"Well, you could have gone to the flea market, but you came to church instead," Hollingsworth quipped to his Dayton forum audience. "I've got you now."

Hollingsworth repeated what for many Riley Watchers has become a familiar refrain: That the Amateur Radio community needs to "lighten up" on the air. Acknowledging that he was repeating himself, Hollingsworth urged his audience to take his message more to heart. "All of you can learn from each other," he said, "and you need to work together more and show a little more respect for your diverse interests and for the Amateur Service as a whole. It isn't about you. It isn't about enforcement. It's about Amateur Radio."

As radio amateurs take to the airwaves, he continued, they need to decide what's most important -- the best interests of ham radio or their ego, pride or perceived "rights."

"I realize I may be preaching to the choir here, but on the air you need to be more cooperative and less argumentative -- and I need you to take this message with you when you go home," he continued.

As a "homework assignment," Hollingsworth encouraged his listeners to read the "It Seems to Us . . ." editorial, "Most Effective Use" , by ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, in May 2007 QST. In his commentary, Sumner stressed that interference occurring as a side effect of legitimate Amateur Radio activities in crowded bands "is simply a fact of life" and that it's "unfair to your fellow amateurs to assume that every instance of interference you may encounter is a hostile act."

Hollingsworth offered good news and bad news. "The good news: Nothing is wrong with Amateur Radio," he allowed. "It is a good service that is showing its value to the public on a daily basis."

The bad news, he asserted, making a comparison to "road rage," is "that there is an element of Amateur Radio that too often reflects present society generally."

Hollingsworth urged all radio amateurs to cooperate more and depend less on the FCC to solve their operating issues.

"We live in a rude, discourteous, profane, hotheaded society that loves its rights, prefers not to hear about its responsibilities, and that spills over into the ham bands," he said.

Hollingsworth's bottom line: Be flexible in your frequency selection and make regular use of the "big knob" on the front of your transceiver to shift to any of the "thousands of frequencies and hundreds usable at any given time of day or year" as necessary to avoid problems. "The world is ugly enough -- don't add to it," Hollingsworth advised.

"We can enforce our rules, but we can't enforce kindness and courtesy or common sense," Hollingsworth concluded. "And a very wise person, who happens to be standing to my left [FCC Wireless Telecommunications Bureau staffer Bill Cross, W3TN -- Ed] once told me: 'You can't regulate stupid.' If we could, we'd be working for the United Nations instead of the FCC."

In his comments, Cross singled out the controversy that erupted recently over fears that automatically controlled digital stations would overwhelm the amateur bands, eclipsing most other modes. Cross cited §97.7 of the rules, which requires each amateur station to have a control operator and, in essence, to employ a "listen-before-transmit" protocol."

When a station is under automatic control, regardless of the transmission mode, Cross explained, the control operator need not be at the control point, but must employ station control devices and procedures while transmitting that ensure compliance with the FCC rules and does not cause harmful interference to ongoing communications of other stations.

==> FCC Releases Post-Katrina Order, "Final Rule"
On July 11, the FCC released their Order regarding the recommendations of the independent panel reviewing the impact of Hurricane Katrina on communications networks (the Katrina Panel). It contained their conclusions following a review of the comments filed in response to the FCC's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). The Commission asked for comments a week after the release of the report and recommendations of the Katrina Panel and directed the Public Safety & Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB) to implement several of the recommendations. The FCC also adopted rules requiring some communications providers to have emergency/back-up power and to conduct analyses and submit reports on the redundancy and resiliency of their 911 and E911 networks. The FCC's actions are to go into effect August 10.

The Commission noted that "the amateur radio community played an important role in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and other disasters," and instructed the PSHSB to "include the amateur radio community in its outreach efforts."

The FCC invited comments on the Katrina Panel's recommendation that the FCC "act to enhance the public safety community's awareness of non-traditional emergency alternative technologies that might be of value as back-up communications systems in a crisis." Several commenters suggested that the public safety community be educated about the applicability of Amateur Radio in a crisis. The FCC agreed with these comments, saying that improving the public safety community's knowledge of, and training in, alternative technologies would improve preparedness for future crises. They directed the PSHSB to "develop and implement an awareness program to educate public safety agencies about alternative technologies and to encourage agencies to provide regular training on any alternative technologies to be used," including educating public safety agencies about alternative technologies.

The recommendations said that several Amateur Radio operators recommended changes to Part 97 of the FCC's rules; Part 97 is the section that covers Amateur Radio. Many of the suggestions, the report said, have already been implemented, and as such, require no further action. For example, "the Commission recently eliminated Morse Code proficiency as a license qualification requirement, an action supported by several commenters in this proceeding."

The FCC once again made clear that Part 97 "does not prohibit Amateur Radio operators who are emergency personnel engaged in disaster relief from using their amateur radio bands while in a paid duty status." This changed this past December in WT Docket 04-140, the "Omnibus" Amateur Radio Report and Order (R&O).

The Commission also previously decided to phase out RACES station licenses, "making proposed changes to rules relevant to these licenses moot." ARRL Regulatory Information Specialist Dan Henderson, N1ND, notes that the FCC "is not phasing out the RACES program, just the RACES station licenses."

In his comments to the Katrina Panel, W. Lee McVey requested that the FCC initiate a rulemaking to create a new radio service in the 148-150 MHz band "to facilitate interoperability between different first responders during and following a national emergency." The FCC noted that the 148-149.9 MHz band is allocated on a primary basis for the federal mixed, mobile and mobile satellite (Earth-to-space) service, and the 149-150.05 MHz segment is allocated on a co-primary basis for federal and non-federal mobile satellite (Earth-to-space) and radio navigation.

The FCC's report said "[This] petition does not address this use nor does it explain what rules would be necessary to govern access to this spectrum. Given the potential impact of McVey's proposal to spectrum allocated for federal use, we direct PSHSB, together with the Office of Engineering and Technology (OET), to seek feedback from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on this petition."

The FCC said that when it receives the feedback, they will direct PSHSB and OET to make a determination on the appropriate action to be taken on McVey's petition.

The following ARRL link is provided courtesy of K4KNX who forwarded it to your Editor. From this link you can download an excellent MPEG video on amateur radio that is worth watching. http://www.arrl.org/ARToday/