The ARRL Letter December 19, 2019 Rick Lindquist, WW1ME, Editor [Note: Clicking on the story links below will take you to the news article as it appears in The ARRL Letter on the ARRL website.] · ARRL Reshapes Podcast Offerings for 2020 · FCC Formally Adopts Proposals to Remove Amateur 3 GHz Band, Invites Comments · FCC Proposes Largest-Ever Fine for Unlicensed Broadcasting · The Doctor Will See You Now! · AztechSat-1 CubeSat to Demonstrate Intra-Satellite Communication · The K7RA Solar Update · Just Ahead in Radiosport · Volunteers Celebrate 98th Anniversary of ARRL Transatlantic Tests at W1AW · NTIA Spectrum Manager Stephen Veader, N4DXS, SK · Bar Code Lead Developer George Laurer, K4HZE, SK · In Brief... · Getting It Right! · Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions To Our Readers: This is the final edition of The ARRL Letter for 2019. The newsletter will be on a holiday hiatus until January 9, 2020. ARRL Audio News will be on break until January 10, 2020. ARRL Headquarters will be closed on December 25 and on January 1, and there will be no W1AW bulletin or code practice transmissions on those days. A reminder that Straight Key Night (SKN) is January 1, 2020 (UTC) — starting on New Year’s Eve in North American time zones. We wish everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday season. ARRL Reshapes Podcast Offerings for 2020 In conjunction with the launch of its new On the Air magazine, which is aimed at those just beginning their journey in amateur radio, ARRL is reconfiguring its podcast lineup. Heading up the new schedule will be a free companion podcast to the bimonthly On the Air magazine. The monthly On the Air podcast will take a deeper look into select features and projects from the magazine. Each month, host and On the Air Editorial Director Becky Schoenfeld, W1BXY, will offer additional resources, techniques, and hints to help less-experienced radio amateurs to get the most from the magazine’s content. In addition to the podcast, ARRL Product Development Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, will curate a free On the Air blog featuring content from the communicators and makers who are the driving force of amateur radio today. The blog will highlight opportunities and activities available to new licensees. The On the Air blog is intended as an entry point into the world of amateur radio for those seeking original voices and perspectives. Readers will be invited to take part in the conversation by sharing their stories and experiences. ARRL’s current So Now What? podcast will cease production in January, as the full complement of On the Air content is rolled out. The catalog of So Now What? episodes is available for listening or downloading. In addition, The Doctor is In podcast, which has served more-experienced amateurs since 2016, will conclude its 4-year run with its December 19 episode. Eclectic Tech, a new biweekly podcast designed to appeal to experienced amateurs, will launch in February. Hosted by QST Editor Steve Ford, WB8IMY, Eclectic Tech will highlight technical topics involving amateur and non-amateur technology, offer brief interviews with individuals involved in projects of interest to amateurs, and include practical information of immediate benefit to today’s hams. The Doctor is In co-host Joel Hallas, W1ZR, is selecting some of his favorite podcast episodes for re-broadcast in the interim between the end of production for The Doctor is In and the debut of Eclectic Tech. The complete The Doctor is In archive is available on the ARRL website. Hallas will continue to answer questions about amateur radio in QST’s “The Doctor is In” column. The ARRL Audio News podcast will continue to provide a weekly summary of news and activities within the amateur radio community. FCC Formally Adopts Proposals to Remove Amateur 3 GHz Band, Invites Comments The FCC’s plan to remove “existing non-federal secondary radiolocation and amateur allocations” in the 3.3 – 3.55 GHz band and relocate incumbent non-federal operations already has begun drawing fire. The Commission formally adopted the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in WT Docket 19-348 on December 12 and invited comments on appropriate “transition mechanisms” to make the spectrum available for mobile and fixed wireless broadband use. ARRL plans to oppose the move. The amateur 9-centimeter allocation is 3.3 – 3.5 GHz. “By proposing to delete the existing non-federal secondary allocations from the 3.3 – 3.55 GHz band, we are taking an important initial step towards satisfying Congress’s directives and making as much as 250 megahertz of spectrum potentially available for advanced wireless services, including 5G,” the FCC said in the Introduction to its NPRM. Some comments arrived before formal adoption of the NPRM, which was circulated ahead of the December meeting. Kevin Milner, KD0MA, the secretary/treasurer of the Ski Country Amateur Radio Club in Colorado, argued that the club’s equipment cannot be re-channeled below 3.4 GHz, and the club is seeking relocation costs. Devin Ulibarri, W7ND, told the FCC that amateur networks in the current band cannot move easily into other amateur allocations because there is no readily available commercial equipment to support the bandwidth, the FCC said in a footnote. Currently, the entire 3.1 – 3.55 GHz band is allocated for both federal and non-federal radiolocation services, with non-federal users operating on a secondary basis to federal radiolocation services. With respect to amateur operations, the FCC invited comments on whether sufficient amateur spectrum exists in other bands that can support the operations currently conducted at 3.3 – 3.5 GHz. The 3.40 – 3.41 GHz segment is earmarked for amateur satellite communication. The FCC said if non-federal licensees are relocated to the 3.1 – 3.3 GHz band, it proposes to have them continue to operate on a secondary basis to federal operations, consistent with current band allocations. Also at its December 12 meeting, the FCC considered another NPRM in WT Docket 19-138 that would “take a fresh and comprehensive look” at the rules for the 5.9 GHz band and propose, among other things, to make the lower 45 MHz of the band available for unlicensed operations and to permit “cellular vehicle-to-everything” (C-V2X) operations in the upper 20 MHz of the band. The FCC is not proposing to delete or otherwise amend the 5-centimeter amateur 5.650 – 5.925 GHz allocation, which would continue as secondary. The NPRM, if approved, would address the top 75 MHz of that amateur secondary band. Although no changes are proposed to the amateur allocation, an anticipated increase in primary use could restrict secondary amateur use. The Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network (AREDN) has offered its voice in challenging the FCC proposals on both 9 and 5 centimeters, saying their adoption would “eliminate our use of the most-effective resource hams have to build its networks.” “The AREDN Project is able to leverage low-cost commercial devices solely because they are designed to operate on adjacent allocations,” AREDN said on its website. “Moving to other allocations would be difficult if not impossible without a complete redesign, manufacture, purchase, and installation of new custom amateur hardware and software...raising the price out of reach for the typical ham.” FCC Proposes Largest-Ever Fine for Unlicensed Broadcasting The FCC has proposed fining an alleged pirate broadcaster in the Boston, Massachusetts area more than $450,000. According to the FCC, Gerlens Cesar, who operated Radio TeleBoston, used three separate transmitters for his broadcasting enterprise, resulting in three separate violations of the law. “The Commission proposed imposing the statutory maximum forfeiture amount for each of these three apparent violations,” the FCC said in a Notice of Apparent Liability (NAL) released on December 12. Under the Communications Act, it is illegal to transmit above certain low-power levels, defined within FCC Part 15 rules, without an FCC license. “Such pirate radio broadcasting can interfere with licensed communications including public safety transmissions,” the FCC said. The FCC said Cesar apparently simulcasts Radio TeleBoston on three unauthorized transmitters on two different frequencies. “His operation thus had the potential to cause interference in various locations in and around Boston and at different channels on the FM dial,” the FCC said. “As a result of the scale of this operation, its potential impacts, and its continuous nature, the Commission proposed the maximum penalty for all three transmitters.” The FCC reported receiving complaints from Boston-area residents of an illegal station operating at both 90.1 and 92.1 MHz. One complaint identified Cesar as the operator of Radio TeleBoston. The FCC said it had issued multiple warnings. — FCC Media Release The Doctor Will See You Now! The Doctor will open the mailbag for the last time in the final (December 19) episode of the ARRL The Doctor is In podcast. “Best of The Doctor is In” episodes will be released every other week until a new podcast, Electic Tech,” debuts in February. Sponsored by DX Engineering, ARRL The Doctor is In is an informative discussion of all things technical. Listen on your computer, tablet, or smartphone — whenever and wherever you like! Every 2 weeks since 2016, your host, QST Editor-in-Chief Steve Ford, WB8IMY, and the Doctor himself, Joel Hallas, W1ZR, have discussed a broad range of technical topics and answered listeners’ questions. Enjoy ARRL The Doctor is In on Apple iTunes, or by using your iPhone or iPad podcast app (just search for ARRL The Doctor is In). You can also listen online at Blubrry, or at Stitcher (free registration required, or browse the site as a guest) and through the free Stitcher app for iOS, Kindle, or Android devices. If you’ve never listened to a podcast before, download our beginner’s guide. AztechSat-1 CubeSat to Demonstrate Intra-Satellite Communication The AztechSat-1 CubeSat, which traveled to the International Space Station (ISS) earlier this month on the 19th Space-X Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-19) mission for NASA, will listen for emergency messages in the 439 MHz range and retransmit them for amateur radio operators to copy on its 437.300 MHz downlink using the Winlink protocol, once the CubeSat has been placed into orbit. The satellite is a project of Mexico’s Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla (UPAEP). Aztechsat-1 is set for deployment from the ISS in late January. “The primary objective of the project is to establish communication with the commercial GlobalStar satellites in order to improve data transmission to Earth,” a UPAEP news release said. AztechSat-1 will create a saturation map of 435 – 438 MHz by listening for the whole orbit and returning captured data to the ground station on the 437.300 MHz amateur radio downlink (9k6 GMSK or FSK) plus a 1600 MHz GlobalStar link. Emergency messages received via Globalstar to the AztechSat-1 ground station will be shared on the project’s website. A certificate will be available for amateur stations receiving the emergency message(s) and reporting these for confirmation by the AztechSat-1 team. Details are on the AztechSat-1 website and on the IARU Amateur Radio Satellite Communication page. The project is part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative, which offers universities, high schools, and nonprofit organizations the opportunity to fly small satellites. “Innovative technology partnerships keep down the cost, providing students a way to obtain hands-on experience developing flight hardware,” a NASA report said. NASA explained, “The investigation demonstrates communication within a satellite network in low-Earth orbit. Such intra-satellite communication could reduce the need for ground stations, lowering the cost and increasing the number of data downloads possible for satellite applications.” The K7RA Solar Update Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: It’s been 36 consecutive days with no sunspots. Geomagnetic conditions were quiet until a minor solar wind stream hit on December 18, driving the planetary A index to 13 from the low single digits earlier in the week. The average planetary A index for December 12 – 18 rose to 4.6, from 3.7 over the previous 7 days, while mid-latitude A index increased from 1.9 to 4. Predicted solar flux over the next 45 days is 70. The predicted planetary A index is 10, 8, and 8 on December 19 – 21; 5 on December 22 – January 4; 8 on January 5; 5 on January 6 – 8; 8 on January 9 – 10; 5 on January 11 – 13; 12 on January 14; 10 on January 15 – 17; 5 on January 18 – 31, and 8 on February 1. Because of weak solar activity, the ARRL 10 Meter Contest last weekend was rather slow. QST’s “The World Above 50 MHz” editor Jon Jones, N0JK, in Kansas said he encountered a strong opening to Argentina and Chile on Sunday. He said the propagation mechanism appeared to be sporadic E. More details in the weekly bulletin on December 20. Sunspot numbers for December 12 – 18 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, and 0, with a mean of 0. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 70.5, 68.9, 70.3, 71, 70, 70.5, and 70.2, with a mean of 70.2. Estimated planetary A indices were 4, 4, 3, 5, 1, 2, and 13, with a mean of 4.6. Middle latitude A index was 3, 3, 2, 5, 1, 2, and 12, with a mean of 4. A comprehensive K7RA Solar Update is posted Fridays on the ARRL website. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information Service, read ”What the Numbers Mean...,” and check out K9LA’s Propagation Page. A propagation bulletin archive is available. Monthly charts offer propagation projections between the US and a dozen DX locations. Share your reports and observations. Just Ahead in Radiosport · December 20 — AGB-Party Contest (CW, phone, digital) · December 20 — Russian 160-Meter Contest (CW, phone) · December 21 — Feld Hell Sprint · December 21 — OK DX RTTY Contest · December 21 – 22 — Padang DX Contest (Phone) · December 21 – 22 — Gedebage CW Contest · December 21 – 22 — Croatian CW Contest · December 22 — RAEM Contest (CW) · December 22 — ARRL Rookie Roundup, CW · December 25 — SKCC Sprint (CW) · December 26 — DARC Christmas Contest (CW, phone) · December 28 — RAC Winter Contest (CW, phone) · December 28 – 29 — 1.8 Stew Perry Topband Challenge (CW) · December 28 – 29 — Original QRP Contest (CW) · December 30 – 31 — QCX Challenge (CW) · December 31 — Bogor Old and New Contest (Phone) ___________________________________________ · January 1 — Straight Key Night · January 1 — AGB New Year Snowball Contest (CW, phone, digital) · January 1 — SARTG New Year RTTY Contest · January 1 — AGCW Happy New Year Contest (CW) · January 1 — AGCW VHF/UHF Contest (CW) · January 1 — QRP ARCI New Year’s Sprint (CW) · January 1 — 3.5 UKEICC 80-Meter Contest (Phone) · January 2 — NRAU 10-Meter Activity Contest (CW, phone, digital) · January 2 — SKCC Sprint Europe (CW) · January 4 — ARRL Kids Day (Phone) · January 4 — PODXS 070 Club PSKFest (Digital) · January 4 — RSGB AFS Contest, CW · January 4 – 5 — WW PMC Contest (CW, phone) · January 4 – 5 — ARRL RTTY Roundup · January 4 – 5 — EUCW 160-Meter Contest (CW) · January 6 – 12 — All IQRP Quarterly Marathon (CW, phone, digital) · January 7 — ARS Spartan Sprint (CW) · January 8 – 12 — AWA Linc Cundall Memorial CW Contest See the ARRL Contest Calendar for more information. For in-depth reporting on amateur radio contesting, subscribe to The ARRL Contest Update via your ARRL member profile email preferences. Volunteers Celebrate 98th Anniversary of ARRL Transatlantic Tests at W1AW A group of radio amateurs gathered on December 11 at W1AW to mark the 98th anniversary of the successful ARRL Transatlantic Tests. On December 11, 1921, a message transmitted by a group of Radio Club of America members at 1BCG in Greenwich, Connecticut, was copied by Paul Godley, 2ZE, in Scotland. Reporting on the accomplishment, ARRL Secretary Kenneth B. Warner, 1EH, declared “Excelsior!” Clark Burgard, N1BCG — who lives in Greenwich and styles his call sign as “n1BCG” to honor the original 1BCG — was among those on hand at the Maxim Memorial Station. “We completed a successful special event yesterday at W1AW commemorating the 98th anniversary of the Transatlantic Tests,” Burgard recounted. “This was particularly important historically to amateur radio as it was originally organized by ARRL in 1921 to determine if low-power amateur radio stations using shortwave frequencies could actually be heard in Europe. Until then, it was thought impossible.” Burgard pointed out that the 1921 event changed radio history, was covered in three issues of QST, and opened the door to the first two-way transatlantic tests a couple of years later. The 1921 transatlantic success marked the beginning of what would become routine communication between US radio amateurs and those in other parts of the world — literally the birth of DX. Those pitching in to take part in the day-long anniversary celebration included (L-R) Michael Pfaeffle, K3FEF; Lisa Kress; Brian Kress, KB3WFV; Bob Allison, WB1GCM; Blaine Morin, N1GTU, and Clark Burgard, N1BCG; Chris Codella, W2PA; Glenn Cooper, W2BK, and Greg Fiozzo, KD2HRD. NTIA Spectrum Manager Stephen Veader, N4DXS, SK Stephen Veader, N4DXS, of Dale City, Virginia, a major behind-the-scenes player in the effort that led to creation of amateur radio’s 60-meter band in the US, died on November 5. An ARRL Life Member, he was 67. As a spectrum manager for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Veader was deeply involved on the behalf of NTIA in the effort to secure a new amateur band at 5 MHz. According to Ross Merlin, WA2WDT, when it became clear that a proposal for a 15 kHz band would not be approved, Veader was instrumental in fashioning the compromise that led to the authorization of the five discrete secondary channels radio amateurs have today, and other countries copied that template for their 5 MHz amateur allocations. Today, these spot frequencies serve as “interoperability channels” for federal and amateur stations to share in emergencies and exercises. Veader was active within the SHARES HF radio community as the representative for NTIA. A native of Boston, Veader was a US Air Force veteran. During his years at NTIA, he also provided regulatory guidance on the use of SHARES for federal and non-federal radio users. “Steve was a good friend to SHARES and to amateur radio,” Merlin said. Veader was also an avid RTTY enthusiast and was active in many contests throughout the year. A service was held on November 15. — Thanks to Ross Merlin, WA2WDT Bar Code Lead Developer George Laurer, K4HZE, SK The lead developer of the bar code system that became the now-ubiquitous Universal Product Code (UPC), George Laurer, K4HZE, of Wendell, North Carolina, died on December 5. He was 94. While an electrical engineer with IBM in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park in the early 1970s, Laurer led the effort to develop the bar code system. The UPC, composed of 30 unique black bars and a 12-digit number, allows retailers to identify products and prices as they are scanned. It was used for the first time in a retail setting in 1974. Laurer also later patented one of the first handheld UPC scanners, according to his obituary. As The Washington Post reported, “The bar-code concept had originated in the 1940s, when N. Joseph Woodland designed a bull’s eye-shaped system of concentric circles, inspired by the dots and dashes of Morse code.” Woodland became a colleague of Laurer’s at IBM, and Laurer considered him “the father of the supermarket scanning system.” A native of New York, Laurer served in the US Army during World War II after being drafted while he was still a junior in high school. He graduated from the University of Maryland in 1951 and spent 3 decades working for IBM. Accounts describe Laurer as an inveterate tinkerer, even up to his final years. IBM never patented the bar code system, but made it publicly available in order to sell the associated hardware. In Brief... Kids Day is Saturday, January 4 The first Saturday in January is Kids Day — the time to get youngsters on the air to share in the joy and fun that amateur radio can provide. Kids Day gets under way on Saturday, January 4, at 1800 UTC and concludes at 2359 UTC. Sponsored by the Boring (Oregon) Amateur Radio Club, this event has a simple exchange, suitable for younger operators: First name, age, location, and favorite color. After that, the contact can be as long or as short as each participant prefers. Kids Day is the perfect opportunity to open your shack door and invite kids over to see what amateur radio has to offer. Details are on the ARRL website. ARRL Lifelong Learning Manager to Keynote Ham Radio University 2020 in January ARRL Lifelong Learning Manager Kris Bickell, K1BIC, will be the keynote speaker at Ham Radio University 2020 (HRU 2020). The annual event, now in its 21st year, will take place on Saturday, January 4, in the Hillwood Commons Student Center at Long Island University-Post, 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville, New York. HRU 2020 is billed as, “A day of education to share ideas, experiences, knowledge, and fellowship among amateur radio operators.” Doors open at 7:30 AM. A Newcomer’s Meeting and HRU Orientation, geared toward first-time visitors, gets under way at 8:30 AM. Thirty forums are on the schedule, with topics such as typical HF antennas, ham radio logging programs, satellite operation, and more. Hands-on workshops will cover such topics as cables and connectors and electronic test equipment. Admission is free, although a $5 donation is suggested. Special event station W2HRU will be on the air. Amateur radio license examinations will be given starting at 1:30 PM. Food and refreshments will be available. SAQ, Sweden’s Alexanderson Alternator, Announces Scheduled Christmas Eve Transmission SAQ, the call sign of the 1920s vintage Alexanderson transmitter in Grimeton, Sweden, is set to be on the air for its annual Christmas Eve transmission. SAQ transmits CW with up to 200 kW on 17.2 kHz. Tune-up is scheduled to begin at around 0730 UTC, with the holiday message transmitted at 0800 UTC. SAQ will livestream the event. SAQ has introduced a new reception report form for listeners and has asked listeners not to send SAQ reception reports via email. The SK6SAQ amateur radio station will be active on 7.035 kHz and 14.035 MHz CW or 3.755 MHz SSB, with two stations on the air most of the time. Given its age, the Alexanderson alternator does not always function as intended. The transmitter experienced a failure during its scheduled UN Day transmission on October 24. FCC Invites Comments on Digital AM Broadcasting Proposal The FCC has invited comments on a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), that would allow AM broadcasters to transmit an all-digital signal using the HD Radio in-band on-channel (IBOC) mode, known as MA3.1. “We tentatively conclude that a voluntary transition to all-digital broadcasting has the potential to benefit AM stations and provide improved AM service to the listening public,” the FCC said. “We seek comments on proposed operating standards for all-digital stations and the impact of such operations on existing analog stations and listeners.” The proceeding was initiated by a March 2019 Petition for Rulemaking (Petition) filed by Bryan Broadcasting Corporation. “This proceeding continues the Commission’s efforts to improve and update the AM radio service to provide a better listening experience for consumers and enhanced service offerings, as part of our continuing effort to revitalize AM broadcasting,” the FCC said in the introduction to the NPRM. Comments are due 60 days after the NPRM appears in The Federal Register. Getting It Right! In the article, “Collegiate QSO Party 2018 and 2019 Plaque Recipients Announced,” the 2018 second-place alumni low-power winner was incorrect. The winner was Frank J. Maynard, NF8M. Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions · January 4 — New York City-Long Island Section Convention, Brookville, New York · January 17 – 18 — North Texas Section Convention, Forest Hill, Texas · January 19 – 25 — Quartzfest, Quartzsite, Arizona · January 24 – 26 — Puerto Rico State Convention, Hatillo, Puerto Rico · January 25 — ARRL Midwest Conference, Collinsville, Illinois Find conventions and hamfests in your area. __________________________________________ The ARRL Letter appreciates the support of these advertisers: Debco Electronics FlexRadio Icom KF7P Metalwerks Low Loss PWRgate MFJ Nex-Gen Hot Spot Rigol __________________________________________ ARRL — Your One-Stop Resource for Amateur Radio News and Information Join or Renew Today! ARRL membership includes QST, Amateur Radio’s most popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox each month. Listen to ARRL Audio News, available every Friday. Subscribe to... NCJ — National Contest Journal. Published bi-monthly, features articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO Parties. QEX — A Forum for Communications Experimenters. Published bi-monthly, features technical articles, construction projects, columns and other items of interest to radio amateurs and communications professionals. Free of charge to ARRL members: Subscribe to the ARES E-Letter (monthly public service and emergency communications news), the ARRL Contest Update (bi-weekly contest newsletter), Division and Section news alerts — and much more! Find ARRL on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram! __________________________________________ The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 48 times each year. ARRL members and registered guests may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing their profile. Copyright © 2018 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved
On December 16, NYU filed its comments in reply to ARRL with regard to RM-11831, RM-11828, Docket 16-239, and NYUs PDR: "So many technical experts in the record have explained, time and again to both the ARRL and FCC that Winlink uses decades-old technology that could easily be made to conform to the basic tenets of amateur radio – through the use of unobscured transmissions that can be readily monitored by others over the air – by simply abolishing its use of a dynamic compression table and issuing a software update and the use of a published static compression scheme. Simple clarification of 97.113(a)4 would not hamper further digital communication progress in amateur radio nor would it decrease capabilities in amateur radio in any way.Rather, adoption of the NYU petition for declaratory ruling and adoption of RM-11831 would comply with the six key points mandated by vote for Item 31 in the July 2019 ARRL Board of Directors meeting, would comply with the basic tenets of the hobby, and would fix the “toothless” language and “no intent to obscure – wink wink” loophole that prevents self-policing that some at ARRL and ARSFI/Winlink continue to seek, despite long-standing and well documented opposition over the past two decades." "NYU asks the Commission to carefully review the record and consider the wisdom and technical acumen of so many engineering leaders, experts, educators, and pioneers who have provided analysis, opinions, and expertise that directly counter ARRL’s, ARSFI’s and RRI’s claims regarding the NYU PDR, WT Docket No. 16-239, and RM-11828. Please follow the advice of so many who have made important technical contributions and who were inspired by amateur radio to lead our country in so many fields, and consider the hopes expressed by young amateur radio operators who represent the future of our hobby and our country. Preserve the virtue of the amateur radio service by clarifying its stated purpose for our country. Enact NYU’s petition for declaratory ruling, Enact RM-11831, and reject RM-11828 and WT Docket No. 16-239 in their entirety." https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/12171957124241/NYU Reply to comments Dec 16 2019.pdf Re: FCC Proposes Largest-Ever Fine for Unlicensed Broadcasting H. R. 1625—750: Public Law No. 115-141 SEC. 511. DISCLAIMER FOR PRESS RELEASES REGARDING NOTICES OF APPARENT LIABILITY. The Commission shall include in any press release regarding the issuance of a notice of apparent liability under section 503(b)(4) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 503(b)(4)) a disclaimer informing consumers that— (1) the issuance of a notice of apparent liability should be treated only as allegations; and (2) the amount of any forfeiture penalty proposed in a notice of apparent liability represents the maximum penalty that the Commission may impose for the violations alleged in the notice of apparent liability. https://tinyurl.com/PL115-141 https://tinyurl.com/Ray-Baum-s-Act Commissioner's Remarks: Geoffrey Starks, former Assistant Bureau Chief in the Enforcement Bureau, said the NALs represent a “disheartening realization” of the impact of not enough focus being put on diversity at the FCC. Apparently referring to the fact that recent, impoverished immigrants have no hope of obtaining licenses to address their growing inner city populations, he continued, “I cannot help but think about what impact the Commission’s long-standing abdication of our diversity obligations has had on the development of unlicensed stations serving immigrant communities,” said Starks. He noted that many of the pirate stations are programing for Haitians and other Caribbean communities in cities like Miami, New York and Boston. “Representatives of the communities have largely turned to pirate radio,” said Starks. “Opportunities to obtain licenses are few and far between, and even when they open up opportunities remain severely limited in the highly-urban populated centers.” But FCC Chair Ajit Pai stated, “Those eager to get on the air have other legal avenues, such as collaborating with existing stations,” said Pai. “Internet streaming has become a very popular and accessible platform distributing audio programming without an FM license. We could have the best of both worlds, the rule of law and diverse programming on the air.” FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly said, "Today, we consider two NALs affecting the greater Boston radio market that have been several years in the making – yes, years in the making." While apparently admitting the actions represent a costly investigation and long process, without hope of culmination in a trial, and without ultimate payment, he vowed to continue to persevere, "While we may never see one dollar from these illegal operators under future forfeiture actions if we go that far, our goal must be to use our enforcement authority to help shut down the perpetrators, those aiding and abetting, and any landlord willing to house such activities." https://www.fcc.gov/about/leadership/geoffrey-starks https://www.fcc.gov/about/leadership/jessica-rosenworcel https://www.fcc.gov/about/leadership/mike-orielly https://www.fcc.gov/about/leadership/ajit-pai
NYU professors of science have a track-record of deliberately manipulating trusting and unsuspecting lesser technically informed authorities to achieve their personal agenda through submitting official yet flawed propositions. Ironically the most famous example was from the son of a well known and respected engineer and FCC licensed radio amateur. Transgressing the Boundaries: Towards a Transformative Hermeneutics of Quantum Gravity by Alan Sokal - Professor Emeritus of Physics, New York University Commentary - (NYU) "Scientist takes academia for a ride with parody"
Substitute ARRL for NYU and you have RM-11306, RM-11708, and WT 16-239. Now there's a multi-layer track record of misrepresentation and manipulation to benefit a small minority of the amateur community. What does NYU have to gain?
NYU attempts to project control, simply through ego and clout, over licensed wireless messaging techniques for which as an org they have little legitimate standing and plenty conflict of interest, but lose integrity and credibility by sponsoring obviously technically flawed and deceptive arguments. What opposition to their stated position did or does is irrelevant to that. Ends do not justify means in respect to academic institutions with a mission to be taken seriously.
Merry Christmas everyone! ARRL is so far behind the curve, they can't even see the bend in the road. I thought Mike Marcus, Tedd Rappaport, and NYU, et al, made it clear what their interest is: 1. Open comms for security and enforcement. 2. Clarification of rules. 3. Ending petty fiefdoms, balkanization, and 'served agency' BS and propaganda. 4. Promotion of STEM and coding -- For example: If you can't copy it, you're not going to be interested, and if you're 12 years old, you're not going to buy an expensive modem. E.E. Prof. and founding director of NYU WIRELESS, Dr. Ted Rappaport, with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. The Godfather of wifi, Dr. Marcus won the inaugural IEEE Electrotechnology Transfer Award for "his pioneering work in the conception, drafting, and enactment of the Federal regulations that legalized commercial spread spectrum radio under FCC Part 15, the rules governing unlicensed devices." https://www.rfvenue.com/blog/2014/12/15/leasing-spectrum The following might inform the STEM philosophy in the NYU position: Courses @ CIMS-NYU CSCI-UA.0480 Special Topics: Open Source Software Development (OSSD) s20 (tentative), s19, s18 This course prepares students to become active participants in open source projects. It begins with an overview of the philosophy and brief history of open source development, followed by an in-depth look at different types of open source projects and the study of various tools involved in open source development. In particular, it covers the collaborative nature of open source projects, community structure, version control systems, licensing, intellectual property, types of contributions (programming and non-programming) and the tool-chains that enable such contributions. The students are expected to contribute to existing open source projects. CSCI-UA.0480 Special Topics: Algorithmic Problem Solving (APS) s20 (tentative), s19 Many of the top firms in the technological and financial sectors are using algorithmic problems as interview questions for assessing candidate skill. In this course we take this idea one step further and use algorithmic problem solving as way to hone programming skills. Students will use the material covered in the data structures and algorithms courses and learn new algorithmic techniques to solve challenging problems quickly. Each week will be devoted to a particular type of algorithm. Weekly problem sets will reinforce the lecture, and require students to implement their solutions in Java or C++. CSCI-UA.0201 Computer Systems Organization s20 (tentative), s19, s18, s17, s16, s15 Covers the internal structure of computers, machine (assembly) language programming, and the use of pointers in high-level languages. Topics include the logical design of computers, computer architecture, the internal representation of data, instruction sets, and addressing logic, as well as pointers, structures, and other features of high-level languages that relate to assembly language. Programming assignments are in both assembly language and other languages. CSCI-UA.0102 Data Structures f19, f18, s18, f17, s17 f16, s16, f15, s15, f14, s14 The course is intended primarily as a second course for computer science majors but also suitable for students of other scientific disciplines. The students learn how to use and design data structures which organize information in computer memory. Data structures covered: stacks, queues, linked lists, trees (how to implement them in a high-level language, how to analyze their effect on algorithm efficiency, and how to modify them). CSCI-UA.0101 Intro To Computer Science s16, f15, s15, f14, s14, f13 The course is intended primarily as a first course for computer science majors but also suitable for students of other scientific disciplines. The students learn how to design algorithms to solve problems and how to translate these algorithms into working computer programs. Experience is acquired through programming projects in a high-level programming language. CORE-UA.0109 Quantitative Reasoning: Math and Computing f19, f18, f17, f16 This course teaches key mathematical concepts using the new Python programming language. The first part of the course teaches students how to use the basic features of Python: operations with numbers and strings, variables, Boolean logic, control structures, loops and functions. The second part of the course focuses on the phenomena of growth and decay: geometric progressions, compound interest, exponentials and logarithms. The third part of the course introduces three key mathematical concepts: trigonometry, counting problems and probability. Students use Python to explore the mathematical concepts in labs and homework assignments. No prior knowledge of programming is required. Independent Study Projects Wearable Electronics, f19 Contributing to Humanitarian Open Source Software Projects, f18 Free Open Source Software, f15 Joanna Klukowska Clinical Assistant Professor Computer Science Department, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University http://foss2serve.org/index.php/Open_Source_Software_Development,_NYU,_Klukowska BROOKLYN, New York, Wednesday, December 18, 2019 – The Update Framework (TUF), an open-source technology that secures software update systems, has become the first specification project to graduate from the Linux Foundation’s Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF). TUF has become the industry standard for securing software update systems, and is now utilized by the leading providers of cloud-based services, including Amazon — which recently released a customized open-source version of TUF — Microsoft, Google, Cloudflare, Datadog, DigitalOcean, Docker, IBM, RedHat, VMware, and many others. https://engineering.nyu.edu/news/op...ates-graduates-protect-leading-cloud-services OSS in Education Open source in education — Colleges and organizations use software predominantly online to educate their students. Open-source technology is being adopted by many institutions because it can save these institutions from paying companies to provide them with these administrative software systems. One of the first major colleges to adopt an open-source system was Colorado State University in 2009 with many others following after that. Colorado State Universities system was produced by the Kuali Foundation who has become a major player in open-source administrative systems. The Kuali Foundation defines itself as a group of organizations that aims to "build and sustain open-source software for higher education, by higher education." There are many other examples of open-source instruments being used in education other than the Kuali Foundation as well. "For educators, The Open Source Movement allowed access to software that could be used in teaching students how to apply the theories they were learning". With open networks and software, teachers are able to share lessons, lectures, and other course materials within a community. OpenTechComm is a program that is dedicated to "open access, open use, and open edits- text book or pedagogical resource that teachers of technical and professional communication courses at every level can rely on to craft free offerings to their students." As stated earlier, access to programs like this would be much more cost efficient for educational departments. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source-software_movement#Evidence_of_open-source_adoption Adoption of free and open-source software by public institutions: The use of free software instead of proprietary software can give institutions better control over information technology. Therefore, a growing number of public institutions started a transition to free-software solutions. This does not only grant independence but can address the often argued need for public access to publicly funded developments. In addition, this is the only way that public services can ensure that citizen data is handled in a trustworthy manner since non-free software wouldn't allow total control (or even knowledge) over the employed functions of the needed programs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adoption_of_free_and_open-source_software_by_public_institutions FOSS Movement "Free and open-source software" (FOSS) is an umbrella term for software that is simultaneously considered both Free software and open-source software. FOSS (free and open-source software) allows the user to inspect the source code and provides a high level of control of the software's functions compared to proprietary software. The term "free software" does not refer to the monetary cost of the software at all, but rather whether the license maintains the software user's civil liberties ("free” as in “free speech,” not as in “free beer”). There are a number of related terms and abbreviations for free and open-source software (FOSS or F/OSS), or free/libre and open-source software (FLOSS or F/LOSS—FLOSS is the FSF-preferred term). Four essential freedoms of Free Software: To meet the definition of "free software", the FSF requires the software's licensing respect the civil liberties / human rights of what the FSF calls the software user's "Four Essential Freedoms". 0. The freedom to run the program as you wish, for any purpose. 1. The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your computing as you wish. Access to the source code is a precondition for this. 2. The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help others. 3. The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others. By doing this you can give the whole community a chance to benefit from your changes. Access to the source code is a precondition for this. Open Source Initiative Open source: The open-source-software definition is used by the Open Source Initiative (OSI) to determine whether a software license qualifies for the organization's insignia for Open-source software. The definition was based on the Debian Free Software Guidelines, written and adapted primarily by Bruce Perens. (incidentally, did K6BP comment?) In 2005, Bruce Perens represented Open Source at the United Nations World Summit on the Information Society, at the invitation of the United Nations Development Programme. He has appeared before national legislatures and is often quoted in the press, advocating for open source and the reform of national and international technology policy. Perens is also an amateur radio operator, with call sign K6BP. He promotes open radio communications standards and open-source hardware. In 2016 Perens, along with Boalt Hall (Berkeley Law) professor Lothar Determann, co-authored "Open Cars" which appeared in the Berkeley Technology Law Journal. In 2018 Perens founded the Open Research Institute (ORI), a non-profit research and development organization to address technologies involving Open Source, Open Hardware, Open Standards, Open Content, and Open Access to Research. ORI facilitate worldwide collaboration in the development of technology that would otherwise be restricted under national laws like ITAR and EAR. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Perens https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_and_open-source_software#Adoption https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adoption_of_free_and_open-source_software_by_public_institutions
