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This NEWS page contains stories pertaining mostly to Idaho hams.

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IMPORTANT: Please check to see if your Idaho repeaters are listed correctly. 12/8/2018

https://www.idahoarrl.info/new/repeaters2.html

Dan Marler K7REX is Idaho SM Elect 12/8/2018

ARRL election polls for Idaho's ARRL Section Manager (SM) are now closed; Dan Marler, K7REX is now Idaho's ARRL Section Manager elect. Ed Stuckey, AI7H, will be stepping down after serving ten (10) years as Idaho's ARRL SM and passing the hat over to Dan April 1, 2019.

Idaho Section ARRL Introduces New Idaho ARRL Website 12/8/2018

It's a new look for the Idaho Section ARRL website. The new site launched officially at midnight December 8, 2018. The new site has many resources for Idaho hams that were not previously available including a forum page. There are several forums that you can now participate in and new ones can be created on the fly. The statewide repeater list has also been updated and there is an online form that you can fill out and send with corrections you may have to the current list. There is a COMING EVENTS page where you can list upcoming events and activities for your local ham radio club. This is also a work in progress so new features will be added along the way. If you have ideas for features please email K7SU @arrl.net. If you are reading this then you already have the link for the new site but for the record it is www.idahoarrl.info. Be sure to pass it along to others who may not know.

Idaho SM Ed Stuckey Announces Two Team Changes and One New Appointment 12/5/2018

Idaho ARRL Section Manager Ed Stuckey AI7H, has announced two appointment changes and one new appointment to the Idaho ARRL team.

Richard Dees W7BOI, has been appointed the Section Emergency Coordinator for the Idaho Section. Dees will oversee County Emergency Coordinators (EC's), District Emergency Coordinators (DEC's), and Assistant Section Emergency Coordinators (ASEC's) from around Idaho.

Marty Edwards AK7ME, formerly Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC), has been appointed Assistant Section Manager (ASM). Edwards will assist the Idaho Section Manager in duties from his eastern Idaho section.

Terry Fletcher, K7THF, has been appointed to the position of ARES Emergency Coordinator for Twin Falls County. Fletcher's ongoing work in organizing emergency communications in Twin Falls County is being formally recognized through this appointment as EC for Twin Falls County.

Idaho Hams Monitor New Satellites for AMSAT 12/4/18

AMSAT's latest Fox series cubesat was successfully launch yesterday. It is currently in SAFE mode being evaluated by the AMSAT team. No user operation, PLEASE.
Veronica, the Fox series voice, announces every two minutes and simultaneously transmits data (DUV). Both Lisa, AK7WS, and Stephen, N7DJX, our local ground stations in the Boise area, are copying the data and relaying it to AMSAT.
This is four successes for four Fox tries by AMSAT, a truly remarkable accomplishment. The fifth, and final, Fox cubesat will be launch soon. All bets say that will make it 5/5!
73
Gene W4IMT

Some Ham Radios Modes Under Scrutiny as National Security Risk 11/24/18

Click this link for the full story

Science Community Reports Interesting Phenomenon..."Dead" Bands with Many Contacts! 11/18/2018

Click this link for the full story.

PNW ARRL Director and Vice Director Elected 11/17/2018

ARRL Northwestern Division Director

Mike Ritz, W7VO 1,589
Bonnie Altus, AB7ZQ 1,308
Horace Hamby, N7DRW 495
Mr. Ritz was declared elected.

ARRL Northwestern Division Vice Director

Mark Tharp, KB7HDX 1,368
Daniel Stevens, KL7WM 1,228
Delvin Bunton, NS7U 767
Mr. Tharp was declared elected.

VHF Interference in Boise area found and corrected 11/15/2018

From Amos Kirk, KT7WW

Final cause of VHF interference: 11/14/18 11:20 local time I followed up with the St. Lukes IT department complaint ticket that I initiated Friday 11/9/2018. When I finally got past the press this button press that button game, I stated that I was following up on an existing ticket, and gave them the ticket number to their tech. The tech gave me the status of the problem. The complaint ticket had been forwarded to the appropriate department, and had been updated. The IT department tech read the report on the problem ticket to me. Final problem was a power amplifier in one of their paging systems on the rooftop. The power amplifier was self oscillating.

At that point in time, I told them that I would like to confirm that our source of interference is gone, and on behalf of the local Amateur radio community, we greatly appreciate their quick response and resolution to the problem. I requested that the IT department tech forward our confirmation and appreciation in how they handled the problem to the appropriate department, which he said he would

I also updated my complaint ticket with the FCC this morning to let them know the problem has been resolved.
My thoughts on the what's and why's and how's.... A failed piece of equipment such as an amplifier when self oscillating may not lock onto one particular frequency. As a result, it could very easily walk across a frequency range with no predictable pattern. As I demonstrated in a previous post, the pager frequency could be observed transmitting just like it should, so they would never have any reason to go looking for a problem. However, when observed alongside our interference problem, you could start to clearly see what was happening. Every time the pager unkeyed, our problem would appear, and last until the pager keyed up again, and be gone until it unkeyed.

Since there is no predictable pattern to when a page, goes out, or how many pages go out at one time, we would see some very strange patterns of when this thing would transmit spurious emissions on our frequencies.. Couple up that with the self oscillating factor, and there you have it.

Now... even if that amplifier was only oscillating at a 1 watt output, you could still have a very strong signal that could be heard over many miles. Couple that signal source to (for example) a 9 DB gain antenna on a rooftop, and now you have an 8 watt effective radiated power signal. Even if it only put out 1/2 a watt, you STILL would get 4 watts ERP assuming minimum loss in any feed between the transmitter and antenna.

Again, a great big THANK YOU to all who participated in helping find it. I really enjoyed the chance to discuss the possibilities of what it could be, how we might find it, and how we might fix it. I was very happy to see other hams willing to take some time to go look for it. Thanks to all who provided observations from around the city. Everyone handled this situation in a way that represented who we are as Amateur Radio operators very well. This was truly a great collaborative effort. I'm happy we could get this problem solved before the upcoming Fox 1C satellite launch. The best part of my day yesterday was right at the end of it. I opened up an email from H. Stephen Nipper N7DJX reporting to me that the frame rate from last night's AO-92 pass was back where it should be.

Radio Direction Finding Assistance Needed 11/9/2018

H. Stephen Nipper (N7DJX) and Amos Kirk (KT7WW) have identified a signal radiating from the downtown Boise area around 145.72 MHz. This signal is interfering with satellite operators in the area.

They need as much help as possible trying to pinpoint the exact source of this noise to work with the owner and possibly the FCC to resolve this issue and remove this source of interference.
The following information has been compiled from various sources including the Idaho Ham Radio Operators facebook page and email from the affected parties.
Issue Description from KT7WW
Over the last several months, there has been a strong but intermittent signal radiating from the direction of downtown Boise in the range of 145.660 to 145.760. KT7WW, N7DJX and others have been working to compile an understanding of the characteristics and source of the signal in order to eliminate it and the interference caused by the signal in the satellite portion of the 2 meter amateur radio band. The signal can has been observed at all hours of the day, and all days of the week, but has not yet been observed to have a consistent time interval that it is transmitted. Below are some recent observations.
Best results have been with an SDR where the signal can be observed as it changes frequency. An attenuator has also been very useful in areas where the signal strength is high to get a more accurate reading on direction. 2 or more radios tuned across the range of the transmitted signal have also been useful for a reference point.
On 11/5/2018 with a 3 element beam and an SDR receiver, KT7WW and N7DJX were able to get an approximate heading of 310 degrees from the Armory on Reserve Street. KT7WW and N7DJX also observed in the downtown Boise area several places that the signal required over 30 dB of attenuation before it would stop breaking the squelch on a handheld radio.
Other recent observations of signal strength from different locations around Boise indicate also that the downtown area appears to be the most likely location of the source.
On 11/6/Tom WA9WSJ observed that on his vertical, the signal strength was full scale from his home in Garden City. Tom’s best estimate of a heading from his location was 97 degrees, and it took 26 dB of attenuation to bring his S meter down to an S2 level.
On the evening of 11/7/2018 Rob KW2E observed the signal on his SDR near St. Luke's Hospital using a small vertical antenna. Rob was able to observe on his SDR a carrier starting around 145.660 and drifting up in frequency slightly that was sustained for about 20 seconds. Then, the carrier would pause, then skip up to a higher frequency, and then sweep back to the lower frequency over 5 seconds. The sweep from low to high happened twice, and then he observed that the pattern started again as described above from the beginning.

How you can help
If you have direction finding gear, please try to find the heading of the strongest signal from your location. You will probably need to attenuate the signal to get a good heading. Document everything the best you can. KT7WW is consolidating all provided information from all operators on a map to try to locate the source.
Due to urgency of this issue they would like to reduce the amount of time spent following up on wild goose chases. Please collect information as accurately as possible.
Please include date and time, GPS coordinates, the heading of the strongest signal you measured, and the frequency or frequencies of the signal.
This information can be submitted directly to Amos and Stephen at the following email addresses
KT7WW - amkirk@cableone.net
N7DJX - stephennipper@gmail.com

Why this Interference needs to be cleared (from W4IMT)
There is some urgency associated with clearing this problem because in about 10+ days there will be a launch of Fox-1C, the fourth in the very successful AMSAT series of cubesats. Because N7DJX is the westernmost location of continental US ground stations, satellite control operators depend upon us for particularly vital vital satellite data during the early stages of operation over the Pacific Ocean region.
Reminder
The OSCAR sub bands as listed in ARRL band plans are dedicated to satellite use only. Please limit use of these frequency allocations to satellite operation only. If you are operating a digital hotspot, or sending any other transmission in these frequency ranges, you may be causing interference to satellite communication without knowing it.
The allocations are

Band Frequency Range
2 meter 144.300 MHz -144.500 MHz (except APRS on 144.390 MHz)
2 meter 145.800 MHz - 146.000 MHz
70 centimeter 435.000 MHz - 438.000 MHz

Please note that the ISRA is sending this out to our members to assist the affected parties. Due to the critical timing of this issue, please contact KT7WW and N7DJX directly with your data.

Thank you
-Matt N7DFL
Secretary ISRA.
http://www.israboise.org

11/3/2018

Video link of first meeting/planning session for a new Idaho State Convention

A meeting was held in Boise November 1st among representatives from various Idaho ham radio clubs. The purpose of the meeting was to see if there is enough support to revive the Idaho State Convention. The meeting was recorded and can be viewed in its entirety from THIS LINK. After viewing the video please email any comments you may have to ARRL Asst. Section Manager Dan Marler. dan . marler @ gmail . com
Or you can use the "Suggestion Box" located HERE.

10/13/2018

Rumors of the death of the Idaho State Convention may be exagerated.

Idaho ARRL Asst. Section Manager Dan Marler told the members of the Magic Valley Amateur Radio Club Saturday that he is working to bring back the Idaho State Convention. He said the convention was a great thing for Idaho hams and he would like to help the various clubs around the state work together to bring it back. He said with several clubs working on it there is a better chance of long-term success. He will be forming a work group soon with representatives of the various clubs around the state to start working toward that goal. The meeting will be announced later but will probably be held in the Boise area. The Idaho State Convention was started in 2009 by the Voice of Idaho ARC. The last year it was held was 2017.

10/4/2018

2018 Scouting BSA Jamboree On The Air (JOTA) Coming Up (From ARRL)

Scouting organizations are still registering to participate in the 2018 Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) over the October 19 - 21 weekend. With about 1 month to go, JOTA Coordinator Jim Wilson, K5ND, told ARRL that registration is "probably on target" at this point. US registrations stood at 235 as of the end of last week. Right after JOTA 2017, 489 US locations had signed up, although that included both Jamboree on the Air and Jamboree on the Internet (JOTI) participants, which, Wilson said, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) have "remained steadfast" in considering JOTA and JOTI as separate events, although, he noted, this is not the case at the world level. "Our goals are primarily to grow participation," Wilson told ARRL. "The World JOTA-JOTI Team has set a goal of 3 million participants by 2021; 2017 saw 1.5 million worldwide. Sign-ups at the world level right now are at 1,428 locations. Wilson said that, in the US, many locations wait until the last minute to register their participation. In 2017, some 7,900 Scouts took part in JOTA, down by nearly 10,800 participants from 2016, but topping participation for 2014 and 2015. Total radio contact numbers were down from 2016 and 2015. "We've also put in place a number of aids to help people improve their on-the-air experience, which will be challenging without sunspots," Wilson pointed out. "We've provided a video of how to work HF for JOTA. We've also provided a quick reference card to help Scouts during the QSO." Recommended JOTA frequencies are listed on the K2BSA website. "Operators should note that these frequencies are starting points to find QSOs," Wilson added. "They can also turn the dial to find other stations on the air. It's not like a repeater." A list of Girl Scout activities supported by JOTA-JOTI has also been posted.
Held each year on the third full weekend in October, JOTA is the world's largest Scouting event. JOTA uses Amateur Radio to link Scouts and hams around the world. Scouts of any age and gender can participate, from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts and Venturers. Radio amateurs at the local level are encouraged to work with a scout council or unit to set up a JOTA station or arrange to have Scouts visit their shacks. "You can also participate just by making QSOs with the many JOTA stations that will be on the air," Wilson said.

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10/3/2018

ARRL Foundation Announces Scholarships

The ARRL Foundation announces the period for scholarship application submission begins Monday, October 1, 2018 and ends January 31, 2019. Remember, there are a few scholarships where Northwestern Division applicants are given some preference:
Mary Lou Brown Scholarship
Wilse Morgan Memorial Scholarship
Joel and Martha Miller STEM Scholarship
William Bennett Memorial Scholarship
Lois Manley and Randall Pitchford Scholarship
Spread the word; let's help some of these students along. More information can be found at:
http://www.arrl.org/scholarship-descriptions
ARRL Northwestern Division
Director: James D Pace, K7CEX
k7cex@arrl.org
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10/03/2018

ARRL Elections Northwest Division

In the Northwestern Division, both the Director’s and Vice Director’s chairs are up for grabs, as incumbent Jim Pace, K7CEX, has opted not to seek a new term on the Board. Incumbent Vice Director Bonnie Altus, AB7ZQ, is in a three-way race for the Director’s seat. The other two candidates are Horace Hamby, N7DRW, and Mike Ritz, W7VO. A three-way race also exists for the Vice Director’s seat that Altus is vacating in order to run for Director. The candidates are Delvin Bunton, NS7U; Daniel Stevens, KL7WM, and Mark Tharp, KB7HDX.

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9/26/2018

ARES Volunteers Help In South Carolina

Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers from several South Carolina counties are pitching in to help support emergency communication, as the state deals with the aftereffects of Hurricane Florence. The storm, now a tropical depression, continues to generate heavy rainfall in the Carolinas. “Amateur Radio operators are far from ‘amateurs’ when it comes to providing communication in an emergency,” ARES Richland County Emergency Coordinator Ronnie Livingston, W4RWL, said. “Our volunteers here in Richland County have been staffing stations at the Richland County Emergency Operations Center (EOC), as well as at the Red Cross, since the requests were first received.” ARES District Emergency Coordinator EMEA Area 3 Earl Dean, W4ESD, said operators at the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) have been keeping in contact with field volunteers in Marion and Dillon counties, after conventional telecommunications failed there. “We were able to deploy assets and personnel, thanks to our volunteers who managed communications between these areas and coordinated with the appropriate agencies,” Dean said. “South Carolina ARES is fully activated,” ARRL South Carolina Section Emergency Coordinator Billy Irwin, K9OH, told ARRL in advance of the storm, adding that he’s been coordinating regularly with the SC Emergency Management Division.” ARRL South Carolina ARES needs additional Amateur Radio volunteers to assist with the response effort and is in discussion with the ARRL Alabama Section to fulfill this need through a mutual aid agreement. Gordon Mooneyhan, W4EGM, Public Information Officer (PIO) for the Grand Strand Amateur Radio Club (GSARC), said radio amateurs set up and managed organized communication networks to assist local government
and emergency agencies, as well as non-commercial health-and-welfare messaging for residents affected by the disaster, to let family members outside the affected area know they are okay. On-air operations for National Hurricane Center station WX4NHC, the Hurricane Watch Net, the VoIP Hurricane Net, and SATERN have concluded. — Thanks to ARRL South Carolina Section PIC Tammy A. Livingston, N4TAL