Subj : The Weekly ARRL Letter To : All From : Sean Dennis Date : Fri Apr 17 2020 09:05 am The ARRL Letter April 16, 2020 * Remotely ministered Amateur Exam Systems Showing Promise * New Volunteer Monitor Program is Up and Running * Greater LoTW Database Accuracy is the Goal of TQSL Update(s) * ARRL Announces New Benefits for Members * ARRL Podcasts Schedule * The K7RA Solar Update * Just Ahead in Radiosport * ARRL Rookie Roundup SSB Edition Considers Social Distancing * HAM RADIO in Friedrichshafen, Germany, Announces Cancellation of 2020 Show * ARISS Altering its Approach in Light of COVID-19 Pandemic * In Brief... * Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions ------------------------------------------------------------------- COVID-19 Impact & News Find the latest news and information on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic to ARRL members and our global amateur radio community. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Remotely ministered Amateur Exam Systems Showing Promise Facing a growing demand for amateur radio exam sessions in a time of social distancing and stay-at-home orders, sponsors of some Volunteer Examiner (VE) teams have risen to the challenge and are developing systems to remotely proctor test sessions. "Many of our VEs and VE Teams have been working on remotely proctored exam session ideas, employing both video and in-person components -- following social distancing protocols," ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM, said. "We have been receiving interesting and innovative suggestions, and we appreciate the dedication and ingenuity our examiners have shown." The Spalding County Amateur Radio Club in Georgia is among those that have come up with plans to remotely administer amateur exams while complying with ARRL VEC testing standards during COVID-19 stay-home mandates and social distancing guidelines. Current systems leverage Zoom video-teleconferencing technology, the "Fill & Sign" feature of obe PDFs, reliable email, appropriate computer equipment and internet connection, and no volunteer examiners (VEs) present at individual remote test sites. The Georgia club collaborated and shared ideas with the Emergency Amateur Radio Club (EARC) in Hawaii, which has successfully conducted sessions since 2011 with its own remote testing system, initially with paper exams with a proctor on site and now with fillable PDFs, with no on-site proctor. The Georgia club obtained ARRL VEC approval to administer video-supervised exams. "We have started with testing just one candidate at a time, but are planning to ramp up to multiple candidates -- probably two or three -- simultaneously," club member David Robinson, K4WVZ, told ARRL. "Before we do that, we want a few more single sessions under our belt and a few more Video VEs trained." The club's procedures entail a pre-exam video interview with candidates to ensure they understand all the requirements and procedures. Following the exam, the VEs score the test and sign off on the paperwork, with the VE Team Leader submitting the application online and by mail, per ARRL VEC instructions. New England Amateur Radio Inc (NE1AR), an affiliate of New England Sci-Tech, (NESciTech), has taken it one step further, Somma said. It got the approval of ARRL VEC to begin trials of what it describes as "completely online testing with strict rules and protocols for maintaining the integrity of the testing environment." NE1AR is limiting candidates to one exam per session, due to the current candidate backlog and the "difficulty of administering exams online." Candidates must agree to a list of protocols, which include a cell-phone camera scan of the entire room and exam area "to show that there are no materials or people [in the room] that could aid in taking the exam." "We began a series of trials on April 1 under ARRL VEC review and have now been asked to help train more VE teams on the process," NE1AR President Bob Phinney, K5TEC, told ARRL. "We have now tested 12 applicants and are still working on streamlining the process. We are working with the software developer of the exam delivery system to help them adapt the system for video-supervised testing." With pressure continuing to build to provide testing compatible with COVID-19 guidelines and stay-home orders, ARRL VEC Manager Maria Somma has asked the amateur radio community to be patient. "Please remember that with the introduction of significant new processes such as these, that there should be proof of concept, establishment of protocols and procedures, and beta testing, before expanding to a larger audience," she said this week. Somma said video-supervised exam sessions require a different skillset than in-person exam administration, and not all teams will be equipped to deliver video exams right away. "ARRL is pleased to be one of the leaders in providing an opportunity, although limited initially, for video-supervised exams in this time of social distancing and isolation required by the current health situation," Somma said. Read more. New Volunteer Monitor Program is Up and Running After kicking off on January 1, the new Volunteer Monitor Program has ramped up to operational status. A "soft rollout" of the program began on February 1, designed to familiarize Volunteer Monitors (VMs) with issues on the bands and to put into practice what to report -- and what to ignore, based on their training. The VMs will not only be looking for operating discrepancies, but for examples of good operating. The VM program has, at least for the moment, put Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, back in the center of amateur radio enforcement as the Volunteer Monitor Coordinator (VMC). He was brought aboard to get the program up and running, and ARRL will eventually take over the VMC function. Hollingsworth is using a system called VMTRAC -- developed by a VM -- to measure the work of VMs and determine instances that qualify for good operator or discrepancy notices, referral to the FCC, or follow-up with FCC requests to the VM program. Hollingsworth reported that during March, the 165 active VMs logged upward of 2,300 hours of monitoring on HF, and nearly 2,000 hours on VHF-UHF and other frequencies. "I am extremely pleased with the number of hours devoted to monitoring this early in the program," Hollingsworth said. No stone is being left unturned. Two VMs constantly monitor FT8 watering holes and have developed programs that alert them if a licensee is operating outside of privileges accorded to that license class or if a license has expired. "We have 30 open cases, five of which are good operator cases," Hollingsworth said. "Regarding open cases relating to rule violations, none have yet had to be referred to the FCC." He said he's experimented with letters, telephone calls, or emails to the subjects of Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH. discrepancy reports where they could be identified. While he's still waiting for replies to his written correspondence, he has received responses to his calls and emails, and the violations have either stopped or were explained. "They were violations such as expired licenses, Technicians operating on General frequencies, unauthorized use of a call sign, and deliberate interference," he said. One case "being groomed for FCC referral," he said, involves long-standing interference to a repeater in the Philadelphia area by someone using an unauthorized call sign. Hollingsworth said he worked with net control operators of nets on 75 and 40 meters that had been suffering serious interference, and so far the solutions are working. "It is becoming apparent that if informal contact can be made by the VMC with a known offender, the problem can sometimes be stopped," Hollingsworth said. "We do not want to call upon the FCC unless absolutely necessary." Read more. Greater LoTW Database Accuracy is the Goal of TQSL Update(s) The recently released TQSL version 2.5.2 application for uploading logs to Logbook of The World (LoTW) tightens requirements for data consistency, with the goal of improving the integrity of the LoTW database. Starting with TQSL version 2.5.2, discrepancies in submitted logs are now flagged, especially when it comes to the Amateur Data Interchange Format (ADIF) files frequently uploaded to LoTW. This has prompted questions and concerns, however, when the system fails to accept a user's uploaded contact or log. ADIF exists precisely to help ensure the accuracy of "data interchange" among amateur radio applications -- different logging programs, for example. TQSL uses ADIF file data for cross-checks that help to keep inaccurate or incomplete information from contaminating the LoTW database, and that's where some user issues have arisen. For example, the OPERATOR field, which should be a call sign, sometimes shows up as a name. Occasionally, operators have reversed their ITU and CQ zones. Another issue is in the MY_STATE field, which should show a US Postal Service two-letter state abbreviation. Anything else is a problem. "The value of the checks added to TQSL is that it lets operators know when the data they're handling in their computer-based logs is correct," said TQSL Developer Rick Murphy, K1MU. "It's important to make sure that when a ham submits a log to LoTW that the content of that log accurately captures the details." Some help is on the way. Murphy will soon release TQSL version 2.5.3, which, among other things, skips over the OPERATOR field check. "We have found that some of the checking performed for TQSL 2.5.2 was incomplete in some cases -- for example, allowing incorrect zone information to pass, and overly strict in other cases -- for example, the STATION_OWNER tag," Murphy said. "We've made great strides in improving the way logs are checked to ensure that checking is more complete while not raising false alarms." The problem is not always with the user. The initial implementation of cross-checks in TQSL 2.5.2 revealed that not all logging applications conform to the ADIF standard. TQSL 2.5.2 has offered support for operations from several locations, as well as the ability to detect uploads that contain incorrect location data. "Operators have a right to insist that the logging applications they use conform to the standards agreed upon by the ADIF collective," said Greg Widin, K0GW, the chair of the ARRL LoTW Committee. "Those who find that their logger is out of conformance should demand an update." Read more. ARRL Announces New Benefits for Members ARRL members will now receive digital access to four ARRL magazines beginning with their May/June issues. Joining QST and On the Air magazines on a digital platform will be the bimonthly editions of QEX -- The Forum for Communications Experimenters and NCJ -- National Contest Journal. QEX includes articles, columns, and other features ranging from construction projects to more advanced technical information in radio theory and practice. NCJ, published since 1973, targets radio amateurs active in radiosport. NCJ includes scores, technical articles, contributions from top contesters, and advice for beginners and seasoned radiosport enthusiasts alike. "Feedback from ARRL members and our readership surveys has shown that our magazines are one of the most valued member benefits," said ARRL Publications Manager Steve Ford, WB8IMY. "Our investment in digital access provides another channel through which we can deliver content to our members across the expanse of interests and activities in amateur radio. All members can enjoy specialized content and a high-quality reading experience whether at their desk or on the go. Offering this suite of digital magazines is an opportunity for us to give members more of what they want while adding value to ARRL membership." ARRL's digital magazine editions provide replicas of the printed editions with added functionality, allowing users to fully search issues, enlarge pages, share articles, and more. The free ARRL Magazines app also supports downloading complete issues onto your mobile device or tablet for offline reading. Members who have elected to receive a printed QST or On the Air as part of their membership benefits will continue to have this service. Members may not substitute a print subscription of QEX or NCJ as their delivered magazine member benefit. Print subscriptions of QEX and NCJ will continue to be available at additional cost for those who want to receive them. All four magazines are easily accessed through any web browser from members-only links. The free ARRL Magazines app is available for iOS and Android in the Apple App Store and Google Play. If you're already an ARRL member and previously created an arrl.org website account, your username and password will provide you access to the digital editions, whether online or in the app. Members who have not previously registered will need to create a new account. If you've forgotten your --- SendMsg/2 --- Squish/386 v1.11 * Origin: Outpost BBS * Limestone, TN, USA (1:18/200) .