European Space Agency Issues Challenge to Hams

OPS-SAT satellite (European Space Agency photo)

The European Space Agency (ESA) is asking hams to help it track a new satellite right after launch and is offering an incentive for taking part. The satellite is called OPS-SAT and it's scheduled for launch on December 17. According to ESA, "OPS-SAT is a first-of-its-kind CubeSat dedicated purely to experimentation. It carries a wide variety of advanced payloads allowing ‘Experimenters’ to deploy and test their software and apps in space." You must apply to become an experimenter, but there's a form on the OPS-SAT website.
 

ESA is offering hams an incentive: "The first three radio amateurs to receive at least five correctly decoded frames and submit them to ESA get an exclusive invite to the OPS-SAT Experimenter day in March 2020, as well as a tour of the control facilities and ground stations at ESA in Darmstadt, and of course a certificate."

\

Details on launch time, frequencies, etc., as well as a link to the experimenter application form, are at <https://tinyurl.com/sojt6yb>. (Tnx Billy Bloom)

ARRL Committee Drafting New Antenna Bill

Members of the ARRL board of directors' Legislative Advocacy Committee are working on the wording of a new bill to give amateurs greater antenna rights in communities subject to private land-use restrictions. This would be the successor to the Amateur Radio Parity Act, which did not see final action in Congress amid complaints from many hams that it offered too little protection and might actually make some antenna installations more difficult than the already are. The ARRL Letter reports that committee members have met several times with members of Congress and their staffs as they work on drafting the new bill.

Hams Lose Special Exemptions on RF Exposure Rules

The first major revision of the FCC's RF exposure rules in more than 20 years will result in changes in the way that hams must apply the rules. The ARRL Letter reports that the basic limits remain unchanged, but that amateurs will now be subject to the same standards for evaluating RF exposure as other FCC licensees. The current rules provide a framework specific to amateurs that exempts certain transmitters from the need to conduct evaluations based on their power and operating frequencies [see Section 97.13(c)(1) of the rules]. 

The new rules will replace that framework with a general statement that "amateur licensees may evaluate their operation with respect to members of his or her immediate family using the occupational/controlled exposure limits" already in the rules while potential RF exposure to other people "must be evaluated with respect to the general population/uncontrolled exposure limits." 

The practical impact on most amateurs, according to the FCC, will be negligible, noting that a transmitter that had been categorically excluded from evalution in the past most likely will remain exempt. The ARRL is asking the FCC to provide an online calculator with which to make determinations about RF exposure measurements.

ARRL Executive Committee Meets With FCC

ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR; Washington Counsel Dave Siddall, K3ZJ, and several members of the League's Executive Committee met with various FCC officials in Washington in early November. According to the ARRL Letter, topics discussed included the RF exposure rule changes described above, the digital date symbol rate proceeding, expansion of the 60-meter band in accordance with international provisions adopted at the 2015 World Radiocommunication Conference, and the ongoing problem of insufficient enforcement in the amateur bands and the startup of the ARRL's new Volunteer Monitor program.

ARRL and AMSAT to Oppose 3.3 GHz Proposal

The FCC adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking at its December 12

 meeting to provide more spectrum for wireless broadband by removing non-federal users from the 3.1 to 3.55 GHz band. This includes the 9-centimeter amateur band at 3.3-3.5 GHz (allocated to hams on a secondary basis).

In a separate proceeding, the ARRL Letter reports, the Commission also decided to "take a fresh and comprehensive look" at current allocations in the 5.9-GHz band, including a secondary amateur allocation at 5650-5925 MHz. Both the ARRL and AMSAT say they will file comments in opposition to removing any amateur allocations in these bands.

Updated Forecast for Solar Cycle 25 Predicts Solar Minimum This Spring, Maximum in 2025

Updated forecast for Solar Cycle 25 (far right)
in comparison with Cycles 23 and 24.
(NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center image)

An international panel of solar experts has released an updated prediction for Cycle 25. The group is chaired by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA.

The December 9 forecast update continues the previous prediction that Cycle 25 will be of average intensity and similar to currently-ending Cycle 24. A more specific timing prediction forecasts that official solar minimum between Cycles 24 and 25 will come this April (+/- 6 months) and that Cycle 25 will peak in July, 2025 (+/- 8 months) with a maximum smoothed sunspot number of 115.

The update notes that, if the April 2020 forecast minimum is correct, Cycle 24 will have lasted 11.4 years and will be the 7th-longest on record.

WRC-19: Hams Gain Worldwide Allocation at 6 Meters; New Threat to 10 GHz

The 2019 World Radiocom- munication Conference (WRC-19) in Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt, has concluded with a win for hams who enjoy six meters. The band is now designated for amateur radio use in all three ITU regions, opening the door for future amateur allocations on 50 MHz in additional countries, especially in ITU Region 1 (Europe, the Middle East and Africa). [See previous story below for more details]

However, a new threat emerged at the conference as the delegates agreed on agenda items to work on for the next WRC, in 2023. Among those items is a proposal to study the possible use of several microwave bands for future cellphone use, including 10-10.5 GHz, the 3-centimeter amateur band. The "VHF-Plus" column in the February issue of CQ will discuss these issues affecting amateur microwave bands in more detail.

ARRL Calls on FCC to Dismiss NYU Petition on Encoded Messages

The ARRL says a petition for declaratory ruling about encoded messages on the ham bands should be dismissed. As we reported last month, New York University asked the FCC to issue a declaratory ruling clarifying that its rule prohibiting hams from transmitting "messages in codes or ciphers intended to obscure the meaning thereof" also applies to "effectively encrypted or encoded messages" that "cannot be readily decoded over the air for true meaning." The focus of the petition is Winlink, along with PACTOR and similar modes, in which transmissions can only be decoded by a single linked station. NYU says this makes it difficult for amateurs to self-police.
 

The ARRL response, according to the ARRL Letter, is that the requested ruling would make clear language vague and could actually weaken the current prohibition on "messages encoded for the purpose of obscuring their meaning." The League pointed out that Morse code transmissions are "effectively encoded" even though there is no intent to obscure the meaning of the message, and argues that adopting the proposed changes would hobble "vibrant experimentation with digital techniques."

More Countries Grant Hams Access to 5 MHz Band

A growing list of countries is permitting amateur use of the 5 MHz band, in accordance with a decision made at the 2015 World Radiocommunication Conference. The ARRL Letter reports that Kuwait has opened 60 meters to ham use, Israel has extended a temporary authorization through the end of 2023, and access is under consideration in Australia. Nearly 80 countries now permit some level of amateur access to the 5-MHz band.
 

Here in the US, the ARRL reports that an FCC Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is expected soon on adding the frequency range adopted at WRC-15 to the current five permitted channels. The League has asked that current US power levels (which are higher than the WRC-15 recommendations) be retained, while also keeping current US frequencies in addition to the allocation approved at WRC-15.

Melissa Pore, KM4CZN, Named 2020 Educator of the Year

Melissa Pore, KM4CZN
(Photo from KM4CZN's QRZ.com page)

Melissa Pore, KM4CZN, has been selected as the Orlando Hamcation's Carole Perry Educator of the Year for 2020. The award honors both professional and non-professional educators for outstanding contributions toward educating and advancing youth in amateur radio. Pore is a  high school teacher in Virginia who is also heavily involved in the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program.

Pore teaches engineering and technology at Bishop O'Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia, and is involved with the school's amateur radio and engineering clubs. She also led the effort that resulted in the launch of STMSat-1, the first satellite ever built by elementary school students. Pore has made presentations, often with her students, at various conferences of space educators and is a member of the ARISS U.S. Education Team that evaluates applications for school contacts via amateur radio with astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

The Carole Perry Educator of the Year Award is sponsored by the Orlando Amateur Radio Club, and is named in honor of legendary ham educator Carole Perry. WB2MGP. Pore will receive her award at the Orlando HamCation in February.

Hamvention® Looks to the (More Expensive) Future

The Dayton Hamvention® has adopted a theme of "Amateur Radio, The Future" for its 2020 show, along with what it describes as a "modest increase" in ticket and booth prices. Citing "the economic pressures to present a show like Hamvention," the Dayton Amateur Radio Association said 2020 ticket prices will increase by $4; flea market spaces will each cost $5 more and inside booths will see a price hike of $30 each. 
 

The "future" theme appears to embrace the past as well, with General Chairman Jack Gerbs, WB8SCT, noting that "as we move to the future, we still enjoy the technologies of the past, from tubes to transistors to chips and, now, microprocessors, ASICS and SOCs." Amateur radio, says DARA, has always played a role in communication developments and will continue to do so in the future.

India's Vice President Introduces News Ham Radio Book

S. Suri, VU2MY, founder and Chairman Emeritus of India's National Institute of Amateur Radio (NIAR), has received some high-powered help in promoting his new introductory book about amateur radio in India, All About Amateur Radio / Ham Radio. Suri presented a copy of the book to Indian Vice President Shri. M. Venkaiah Naidu, who promptly put out a tweet with a photo and commented that the book "highlights the importance of ham radio…" Suri added that the Vice President spent a considerable amount of time with the group of hams, said he had been aware for several years of NIAR and the good work that it has done. The book may be ordered online from Flipkart at <https://tinyurl.com/qkt3jsp>.

IARU Looks to Its Own Future

The president of the International Amateur Radio Union is challenging member societies to make changes needed to keep them, the IARU and amateur radio itself, relevant in the future. According to the ARRL Letter, IARU President Tim Ellam, VE6SH/G4HUA, told the group's administrative council last fall that amateur radio is changing but that the IARU and its member societies are not.

After a lengthy discussion, the participants agreed to work on four major challenges:

• What is amateur radio?
• The roles of the IARU and its members
• Recruitment into amateur radio, and
• IARU finances

The group also agreed to try to identify and involve younger people who "could take ownership of these topics" in addressing these challenges.

Hams in California Support Terrorist Response Drill

Ham radio played a significant role in a major terrorist response drill in southern California in early November. The ARRL Letter reports that some 70 ham volunteers were deployed to 30 hospitals, clinics and emergency operations centers during the drill, which simulated a coordinated attack at two locations 50 miles apart. The hams relayed hundreds of messages via voice nets and Winlink.

A New Model for Amateur Satellites

HuskySat-1 in University of Washington
lab prior to launch (University of
Washington photo)

AMSAT says the recently-launched HuskySat-1 satellite provides a new model for cooperation between the amateur satellite organization and educational institutions. According to the AMSAT News Service, this is the first instance of an AMSAT radio (a linear transponder in the ham bands) flying on a non-AMSAT satellite, the University of Washington's HuskySat-1. 

Under a split licensing arrangement with the FCC, HuskySat-1 will perform its scientific experiments under the supervision of the university and use a Part 5 experimental license to transmit its results back to Earth. When the experiments are completed later this year, UW will turn control of the satellite over to AMSAT, which will then activate the Part 97 amateur transponder. AMSAT says this opens the door for amateur radio payloads on future cubesat missions which (like this one) do not qualify for Part 97's so-called educational exemption. Details on HuskySat-1's mission are at <https://tinyurl.com/sehbfxy>.

AMSAT-South Africa Shifts Focus to Digital

South Africa's amateur satellite organization, AMSAT-SA, is shifting its cubesat development focus away from traditional analog transponders and toward digital SDR (software-defined radio) model. The group is currently working on two projects - the analog KLETSKous transponder which has already flown and performed well on a high-altitude balloon flight - and the SDR-based AfriCUBE. 

The South African Radio League reports that the AfriCUBE transponder development has reached a point at which it will soon be ready for field testing. The KLETSKous project is not being abandoned, says AMSAT-SA, but is being put on hold while a new lead developer is recruited, as the previous leader has had to step aside due to personal commitments.

Flocks of Woodpeckers?

Waterfall display of Russian over-the-horizon radar signal on 20 meters.
(From IARU Region 1 Monitoring System website)

The International Amateur Radio Union's Region 1 Monitoring System is reporting that Russian over-the-horizon radar signals have been picked up on the 40, 30, 20 and 17-meter ham bands, along with Russian military communica- tions on 40, 30, 20 and 15 meters. 

The ARRL Letter reports that the radar signals are 12 kHz wide, making 40 sweeps per second and using FM on pulse. An additional over-the-horizon radar was reported in northern Iran, operating between 6.078 and 7.022 MHz, with 81 sweeps per second and AM on pulse over a 44-kHz bandwidth. 

(For those of you too young to remember it, the woodpecker reference in the title refers to early Russian OTH radar, back in the 1970s, which sounded like a woodpecker as it swept through the HF bands.)

 

Good News/Bad News for Jamboree on the Air

Overall participation in the scouting movement's 2019 Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) was down slightly compared with 2018, according to Newsline, with reports received from 201 stations at which over 9100 Scouts and nearly 4700 visitors participated. However, it was noted that even though fewer stations took part in the October event, those stations that did participate hosted more people than in past years, with an average increase of 24% at each station. 

More information is available on the K2BSA website at <https://k2bsa.net/>.

Newsline Introduces "International Newsmaker of the Year" Award

Amateur Radio Newsline has announced the winner of its first "International Newsmaker of the Year" award - India's West Bengal Radio Club. 

The group has 285 active members and goes beyond ham radio in providing community service. In addition to providing critical communications during natural disasters, the West Bengal club transmits election results from rural polling stations and teaches farmers how to protect themselves from lightning while working in the fields. According to Newsline, nearly all of the group's communications are done via simplex, as it has no budget for a repeater and sometimes borrows equipment from the National Institute of Amateur Radio in Hyderabad.
 

The Newsline "International Newsmaker of the Year" award honors amateur radio groups that have consistently shown leadership and commitment to the ham radio community.

WRC-19 Wraps Up; Hams Gain Worldwide 6-Meter Allocation

The 2019 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-19) in Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt, has concluded with a win for hams who enjoy six meters.

Key achievements overall, according to top International Telecommunication Union (ITU) officials at a wrapup news conference, included identifying new orbital slots for broadcast satellites; setting new rules for non-geostationary satellites, with a focus on "mega-constellations" of small interconnected satellites to provide 5G broadband coverage worldwide; rules for Earth stations in motion to provide greater connectivity for people aboard planes, ships and trains; global harmonization of millimeter bands for 5G while protecting incumbent services; and identifying frequency bands for HAPS - High Altitude Platform Services - which would provide internet access to remote locations via floating platforms roughly 30 miles above the Earth's surface.

The major interest for hams was a proposal to provide worldwide harmonization of amateur allocations at 6 meters, which is not currently designated as an amateur band in ITU Region 1 (Europe, the Middle East and Africa).

Responding to a question from CQ, ITU Terrestrial Services Chief Nikolai Vassiliev reported that the conference had reached final agreement on a worldwide 50-MHz allocation, noting that "this is a very interesting band" capable of supporting communications over several thousand kilometers when conditions are right.

In addition, ITU Space Services Chief Alexandre Vallet assured CQ that the new rules on non-geostationary satellites will apply only to commercial satellites and will have no impact on the Amateur Satellite Service.

We will have more details, particularly on the 6-meter agreement, as they are released.

YOTA Camp Coming to North America

Following in the footsteps of successful Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) camps in Europe and Africa in recent years, a group of young hams and their supporters in the United States will be bringing the YOTA camp concept to North America in 2020.

The first Youth on the Air Camp to be held in the Americas is scheduled for June 21-26 at the National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting in West Chester, Ohio, near Cincinnati. According to a news release, attendance will be open to licensed hams between the ages of 15 and 25 living in North, Central or South America. The program will feature activities related to contesting, kit-building, satellite communication, D-STAR, APRS, antenna building and radio direction-finding/orienteering. It is hoped that the 2020 event will serve as a pilot for future YOTA camps in different parts of the Americas (Region 2 of the International Amateur Radio Union).

The Region 2 YOTA camp is sponsored by Electronic Applications Radio Service (EARS), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to wireless technologies and activities. Donations to EARS are tax deductible in the US as permitted by law. Current sponsors of YOTA Camp include ICOM America, Heil Sound, X-Tronic, R&L Electronics, the YASME Foundation, World Wide Radio Operators Foundation, the Northern California DX Foundation, the Orlando HamCation and Orlando Amateur Radio Club, the Dayton Hamvention and the Dayton Amateur Radio Association, the Huntsville Hamfest, the Southwest Ohio DX Association, the ARRL Foundation and the Radio Amateurs of Canada. For more information about making a donation or attending the 2020 YOTA camp, visit <https://yotaregion2.org>.

Nominations Open for 2020 Hamvention Awards

The Dayton Amateur Radio Association has announced that nominations are open for the 2020 Hamvention awards. Nomination deadline is February 15, 2020. There are four categories: Technical Achievement, Special Achievement, Amateur of the Year and Club of the Year.

The Technical Achievement Award will be given to a selected amateur radio operator who has achieved technical excellence in the world of amateur radio. Examples are inventions, processes, discoveries, experiments and other technical accomplishments or any other outstanding technical achievement that contributed to amateur radio.

The Special Achievement Award will be given to a deserving amateur that made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of the radio art and or science. This award is usually given to a respected amateur who spearheaded a single significant project.

The Amateur of the Year Award is given to a ham that has made a long-term commitment to the advancement to amateur radio. This individual will have a history of ham radio contributions and has had a dedication to service, professionalism and the advancement of the avocation of amateur radio.

The Club of the Year will be honored for clearly demonstrating their involvement in varied aspects of Amateur Radio for the greater good of their community and/or their nation.

Nomination forms, available at https://hamvention.org/event-details/awards/, are dedicated to the appropriate award nomination. At a minimum, each form should be completed with the information indicated. Please make sure that the nominating person is identified with a method to reach-back to them in the case of questions from the nominating committee.

Forms may be submitted using the following methods:

Email: awards@hamvention.org

 US Postal Mail:
Hamvention
Attn: Awards Committee
Box 964
Dayton, OH 45401-0964

 The nomination process will close on 15 February. Soon after, the committee selection will take place, and an announcement will be made through selected media outlets. The winners will be posted with details on their accomplishments in the Hamvention program as well as this website.  An honors convocation and award presentation will be held on Saturday evening of Hamvention. at a location yet to be announced. Presentations of the award winners will also be made at the general Hamvention audience on Sunday afternoon prior to the prize award activity.
Please address any questions to awards@hamvention.org

WRC-19 Under Way; Early Progress Reported

The 2019 World Radiocommuni- cation Conference (WRC-19) us currently under way in Egypt. This quadrennial conference of the International Telecommunica- tion Union sets worldwide policies and frequency allocations within the radio spectrum. 

The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU), which is an observer at the conference, reported that the first week's sessions resulted in "no change" decisions relating to amateur allocations at 47.0-47.2 GHz and 5.850-5.925 GHz. Both of these spectrum areas are of interest to commercial interests. The delegates also voted to defer any decision on spectrum allocations for wireless power transmission (WPT) for electric vehicles.
 

Still to come as this is written - decisions on greater amateur access to the 6-meter band in Europe and Africa, and what issues to include on the agenda for the next WRC, scheduled for 2023. The conference is due to continue through November 22.

Just before the conference began, a special issue of ITU News magazine included an article by IARU Secretary (and former ARRL CEO) Dave Sumner, K1ZZ, on "Views of the International Amateur Radio Union on WRC-19 Agenda Items." According to the ARRL Letter, the article focused on the need for a worldwide amateur allocation at 6 meters, preservation of current bands and stronger protections against RF interference from a growing number of sources.

ICON Satellite to Study Ionosphere

Stargazer L-1011 jet carrying a Pegasus rocket takes off
from Cape Canaveral. The rocket was dropped from the
plane and then launched the ICON satellite into orbit.
(NASA photo by Frank Michaux)

The newest satellite designed to study the ionosphere was successfully launched October 10 by a Pegasus rocket dropped from a Stargazer L-1011 air- craft. Sky and Telescope magazine reports that the Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, satellite will study the interaction between the ionos- phere and the thermosphere, as well as measuring airglow, a phenomenon caused by charged particles floating in the upper atmosphere. 
 

Phil Erickson, W1PJE, an astronomer at MIT's Haystack Observatory who is not connected with the mission, wrote on the HamSCI reflector that ICON's observations will need to be combined with ground-based ones to paint a complete picture of space-atmosphere interactions. He said he expected the satellite's first science data to be transmitted in early December, following a period of commissioning.

W2NAF Awarded NSF Grant for Personal Space Weather Station Program

University of Scranton Professor and HamSCI coordinator Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, has been awarded a $1.3 million grant from the National Science Foundation to support HamSCI's personal space weather station program. According to a university news release, grants from the NSF Aeronomy program are extremely competitive. The three-year experiment, for which Frissell will be principal investigator, will develop and deploy ground-based space science observation equipment at two levels of sophistication - a low-cost, easy-to-use, version for hams and more complex stations for use by university partners. 

Dr. Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF (W2VU photo)

The project is formally known as Distributed Arrays of Small Instruments, or DASI. The goal is to use many personal space weather stations to make simultaneous observations in many locations of conditions in the ionosphere at any given time. (See the Propagation column in CQ's November and December issues for more on the basics of space weather and its importance to hams.)

Rep. Greg Walden, W7EQI, to Retire

Rep. Greg Walden, W7EQI
(Photo from Rep. Walden's website)

Representative Greg Walden of Oregon, who is also W7EQI and a champion of amateur radio in Congress, has announced that he will not seek re-election to a 12th term in 2020. Walden is the highest-ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and chaired the panel in 2017-18, when Republicans held a majority in the House of Representatives.
 

According to the ARRL Letter, Walden has been a strong supporter of amateur radio throughout his two-decade tenure as a Congressman, and was awarded the ARRL's first Barry Goldwater, K7UGA, Achievement Award in 2014. Walden told Politico "the time has come to pursue new challenges and opportunities … I will close the public service chapter of my life, thankful for the friends I’ve made and the successful work we’ve done together."

NYU Asks FCC to Clarify Rules on Encryption by Hams

New York University has asked the FCC to issue a declaratory ruling clarifying that its rule prohibiting hams from transmitting "messages in codes or ciphers intended to obscure the meaning thereof" also applies to "effectively encrypted or encoded messages" that "cannot be readily decoded over the air for true meaning." 

The focus of the petition is Winlink, along with PACTOR and similar modes, in which transmissions can only be decoded by a single linked station. NYU says this makes it difficult for amateurs to self-police. According to the ARRL, NYU says its interest is borne from its long-standing commitment to fostering innovation in science, technology, engineering and math, and that "transparency and openness in amateur radio" are important elements of that goal.
 

SCS, the company that developed PACTOR, recently unveiled new software, called PMON, which it says can be used to monitor PACTOR-1/-2/-3 transmissions without a specialized modem, but the NYU petition says it isn't clear whether the software can successfully decode transmissions in which elements may be missing due to fading. Comments are due by December 2, with reply comments due by December 17.

W1AW Celebrating 98 Years of DXing

The Maxim Memorial Station, W1AW, at ARRL
Headquarters in Connecticut. (Wikimedia Commons photo)

Ninety-eight years ago, the ARRL-sponsored "Trans- atlantic Tests" succeeded in bridging the Atlantic Ocean via amateur radio for the first time. To commemorate the anniversary, ARRL headquar- ters station W1AW will be on the air all day on Tuesday, December 11, the day of the first contact, with teams of guest operators taking turns at the mic, key and keyboard. According to the ARRL, the station will be on the air from 1300 to 2359 UTC, with the primary goal of encouraging contacts between stations in the U.S. and Europe, replicating the signal paths of 1921. Additional information is available at <https://tinyurl.com/yyfvk5xd>.

Club Log Getting Foundation Support

DXers and DXpeditions have come to rely on the online services provided by Club Log (<www.clublog.org>) and its founder, Michael Wells, G7VJR. In order to accommodate greatly expanded usage, Wells is in the process of making major hardware upgrades, and he is getting significant financial help from two DX foundations. 

The ARRL reports that the YASME Foundation has approved a grant of $4,000 to Club Log, and that CDXC - the UK DX Foundation is making a $2600 donation to the upgrade. This is over and above the $650 annual donation CDXC makes to support everyday Club Log operations. The site currently has some 70,000 active users and has records of nearly 600 million contacts.

Milestones: Longtime CQ Author Paul Carr, N4PC, SK

If you were a reader of CQ in the 1980s and '90s, you likely remember the many articles on antennas and other subjects by Paul Carr, N4PC, a talented engineer with the gift of being able to explain complex subjects in an easy-to-understand manner. While never formally a columnist, Paul was a frequent enough contributor that we had a CQ nametag made for him to wear at hamfests and other events. Paul became a Silent Key in September at age 80. The following tribute and photo were provided by his son-in-law, Bruce Cardwell, KI4BC: - W2VU

 

Paul Carr, N4PC (SK)
(Photo courtesy KI4BC)

Many of you may recall some of the articles that Paul wrote in this very publication reviewing amateur radio equipment, high frequency (HF) antennas (one of Paul's true loves and areas of focus), circuits and software.  Perusing the CQ back issue website, Paul's articles and reviews span topics ranging from the “80 Meter Loop Revisited” and “The 40 Meter Fun Machine”, to linear amplifiers and many other topics.  Paul was a ham's ham, with a keen intellect and a great sense of humor. 

Paul Carr was first licensed as a Novice Class operator, KN4OKY, in March of 1957.  His interest in radio would serve him and our nation well.  Paul served with distinction as a United States Army Signal Corps officer.  In 1963, he was given a letter of appreciation for arranging communications from Europe to the United States for then-President John F. Kennedy so that he could speak with his family via the U.S. Army's HF network.

After the Signal Corps, Paul worked for the then Lockheed Corporation and the Bell System, earning his Amateur Extra class license and his Professional Engineer's license (P.E.) along the way. Several years after divestiture of the Bell system, Paul became an educator, teaching mathematics at Alabama Technical Institute in Gadsden, and earning his master's degree in mathematics from Jacksonville State University, with an emphasis on Boolean Algebra. 

Paul was a consummate ham, whose QSLs truly spanned the globe many times over. In later years, he was a dedicated low power (QRP) operator. Paul maintained essentially two ham shacks at his house in Jacksonville, Alabama.  The main shack, located in the basement and, I am quite certain, borrowing from his phone company networking experience, another, smaller “shack” located near his easy chair in the den, all accessible at the flip of a switch!

Paul never stood still in amateur radio.  He was my amateur radio Elmer, friend and father in-law.  Many of our fellow hams who knew Paul will miss him very much, as will my family and I.