Radio amateurs provide a pool of technically competent personnel that contribute to information engineering and communications and other technical professions in countries in which it is an established hobby; countries such as Japan and the USA. In the Asia-Pacific region, while Japan has more radio amateurs than any other country, governments of the lesser developed countries tend to ignore amateur radio as a source of the indigenous personnel needed to help provide the benefits of 21st century technology. This paper first addresses the problem of educating good systems engineers by suggesting that potential students be preselected from pools of candidates who show characteristics deemed desirable in systems engineers. The paper then shows that one source of partially trained personnel maybe found among the technical members of the amateur radio community and similar technical hobbies. The paper then discusses some of the technical achievements of amateur radio followed by the twelve engineering roles of amateur radio in the manner of (Sheard 1996) and proposes that there is enough similarity between amateur radio’s technical activities and the role of systems engineering so that amateur radio can provide a source for students with experience in systems engineering activities. The last section of the paper then mentions some amateur radio failures that systems engineering should have prevented and concludes with a discussion on recruiting young systems engineers via amateur radio clubs, some synergy between INCOSE and amateur radio clubs and suggestions for future research

1. How synergy between amateur radio,
systems and other engineering can raise
the technical quotient of a nation
Joseph Kasser, CM, CEng, CMALT (9V1CZ, G3ZCZ and VK5WU)
Visiting Associate Professor
National University of Singapore
Email joseph.kasser@incose.org
1

2. Outline of the Presentation
1 Situational context
2 The problem
3 Amateur radio as one solution
Use of amateur radio to teach models and
4 simulations
5 Solutions to problem
2

3. Situational context
 Need for good systems engineers is greater than supply
 Education process has drop outs
 Students who do not complete the degree
 Can we minimize drop outs?
 Can we pre-screen students for characteristics of
systems engineers?
 Literature review
 Characteristics and traits
• Five types of systems engineers
 CEST
• See next slide
3

4. Capacity for Engineering Systems
Thinking (CEST)
 A proposed set of high order thinking skills that
enable individuals to successfully perform
systems engineering tasks
 38 characteristics
 14 cognitive characteristics,
 12 capabilities,
 9 behavioural competences
 3 knowledge and experience
characteristics
4

5. The problem
 Recommend a way to pre-screen students
applying to systems engineering programs to
minimize drop out rates and maximize probability
of producing good systems engineers
3
1 2 5 6 7 8
4
* Tasks 2-7 from Hitchins, D. K., Systems Engineering. A 21st Century
Systems Methodology, John Wiley & Sons Ltd., Chichester, England,
2007., Figure 6.2
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6. Identify possible solutions
Think out of the box (Generic STP)
 Question
 Is there anything similar to systems engineering that
can be used to pre-select students?
 Answer – “Yes”
 Educational modules that incorporate systems
engineering
• Racing cars
• Others
 Technically inclined hobbies
• Model rockets and aircraft
• Amateur radio
• Others
6

7. Amateur radio
 Technical hobby
 Many users of equipment, some developers/pioneers
Number of amateur Year of
Country Source
radio operators Report
Japan 1,296,059 1999 IARU
United States 733,748 2010 FCC
Thailand 141,241 1999 IARU
South Korea 141,000 2000 IARU
Republic of China 68,692 1999 IARU
People's Republic of
20,000 2008 CRSA
China
7

8. 12 systems engineering roles (Sheard, 1996)
1. Requirements owner
2. System designer
3. Systems analysts
4. Validation and verification
5. Logistics and operations
6. Glue
7. Customer interface
8. Technical manager
9. Information manager
10. Process engineer
11. Coordinator
12. Classified Ads systems engineering
8

9. Common chararacteristics
Ability to find High Problem Innovators
similarities among solvers (III) (V)
objects which seem
to be different Low Imitators, Problem
Doers (II) formulators
(IV)
“Ability to find” Low High
comes from Ability to find differences
application of among objects which seem to
be similar
holistic thinking
* Gordon G. et al. “A Contingency Model for the Design of Problem Solving Research Program”, Milbank Memorial Fund
Quarterly, p 184-220, 1974 cited by Gharajedaghi, System Thinking: Managing chaos and Complexity, Butterworth-
9
Heinemann, 1999

10. Radio amateur achievements
 Discovered and pioneered the long distance
communications potential of short waves
 in the early years of the 20th century
 Pioneered many of the techniques now used for the
vhf/uhf personal communications services
 Constructed and communicated via the world's first
multiple access communications satellite
 (OSCAR 3) in 1965
 Pioneered the Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT)
System now used to locate downed aircraft
 via AMSAT-OSCAR 6 in the mid 1970’s
 Often provide communications capabilities for the public
services immediately following a natural disaster
10

11. Aspects of amateur radio*
* Yeo, Nai Kwang Jeff, 29 Oct 2010
11

12. LEO Satellite communications terminal
(1974)
System
integration
12

13. Systems engineering situation
 International cooperation building the spacecraft
 Arranging for a launch
 Multiple communications users with different
ground stations
 Receivers, transmitters
 Keeping track of communications windows
 Telemetry, tracking and control
 Morse code, digital, speech
13

14. AMSAT-OSCAR-10
 Elliptical orbit
 DX - 25,000kM
 Beams and low power
 2-TV rotator AZ-EL mount
 Reliable propagation
 Time delay on signals
14

15. Models and simulations
 Can also be used in teaching
examples
 Case studies
 Needed to develop learning
component in MDTS systems
engineering course
 Shows need for, and
 Students had been taught relationship between,
about simulations and models systems engineering and
and how to use them, but not domain knowledge
how to develop them or how  Communications at HF
they related  Digital computer hardware
 Example was available and software
 1984 – Reuse after 26 years • Pushing state of art
15

16. ARRL Sweepstakes contest [1977]
 Contact (work) as many other stations as
possible within 48 hour period
 Weekends in November
 Exchange simulated emergency message
 Use different frequency bands with different
propagation characteristics
 Score = number of contacts * multiplier
 Multiplier is number of ARRL Sections contacted
• Section only counts once irrespective of frequency band
16

17. Definition of the problem
 The time was 1980
 Understand the factors
involved in the ARRL
sweepstakes contest
well enough to enable
an operator in Silver
Spring, MD to contact
all the Sections given
the constraints of low
radiated power
17

18. ARRL Sections in 1977
Numbers are assigned for this project not by the ARRL
18

19. Issues
 Operational
 Located in Silver Spring, Maryland
 Want to contact all sections in a contest
 Want to make as high as score as possible
 Will be using low radiated power
 Have no way of knowing when a section is active
other than by hearing it on the air
 Operating at home, family and other interruptions
possible
19

20. CONOPS of Model
 Use before contest
 to plan when to operate on which bands
• To contact sections when propagation is possible
 Use during contest
 to see which sections are still needed so as to re-
plan when to operate on which bands
• Go for section multiplier
• Go for higher contact rate
• Go for both Interface to
“knowledge”
needed
20

21. Functions – sample listing
 Call CQ (F_CQ)
 Receive a call from another station (F_RX)
 Check for duplicate (F_CK)
 Exchange message (F_QSO)
 Send message (F_TXM)
 Receive message (F_RXM)
 Log contact (F_LOG)
 Tune band (F_QSY)
 Hear another station (F_QRV)
 In QSO
 Calling CQ
 Not in contest
 Time outs (F_QRX)
 Etc.
21

22. Partial functional N2 chart
F_CQ o o o3
o F_RX o o1 o2 o o4
o F_CK o o o
o F_B4 o
o F_TXM o o o
o o F_RXM o o
o F_LOG o
o F_QSY o
o o o F_QRV
outputs – horizontal squares, inputs – vertical squares
22

23. F_QSO
Partial functional N2 chart
Single input, candidate
F_CQ o for aggregation o o3
o F_RX o o1 o2 o
o F_CK o o o
o F_B4 o
o F_TXM o o o
o o F_RXM o o
o F_LOG o
o F_QSY o
o o Candidate for o F_QRV
aggregation with F_QSO
outputs – horizontal squares, inputs – vertical squares
23

24. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cohesion_(computer_science), accessed 21 September 2010
Types of aggregation/cohesion*
 Coincidental cohesion (worst)
 arbitrary
 Logical cohesion
 logically are categorized to do the same thing, even if they are
different by nature
 Temporal cohesion
 are processed at a particular time in program execution
 Procedural cohesion
 always follow a certain sequence of execution
 Communicational cohesion
 operate on the same data
 Sequential cohesion
 output from one part is the input to another part like an assembly
line
 Functional cohesion (best)
 all contribute to a single well-defined task of the module
24

25. How do you determine system functions?
 Top down?
 Bottom up?
 Middle out?
 All of the above?
25

26. Operational factors affecting probability of
radio communication between two locations
P = ∑( p1, p2, p3, p4, p5)
1. Probability of someone being at other location
(Section) Apply knowledge by stating
• Number of amateurs at location (assumption) that since this is a
• Time of day contest, there will be people
active at all times of the day
– Working hours, sleeping hours
2. Probability that frequency band is open allowing
communication
3. Received signal levels at each end of link
• Radiated power, receiving parameters
4. Probability and amount of interference from other
amateur stations in contest at each end of link
5. Electrical power at sending station
26

27. Testing Section calculation model*
Monte Carlo runs of model Numbers from published results
Individual runs (6) Average
Conclusion:
Approach is feasible, if used, numbers would need to be tweaked in realization phase
27

28. Radio amateurs in space
 NASA
 Many Space Shuttle flights
 STS-35 December 1990
• Mission specialist Dr Ron Parise, WA4SIR
 International Space Station
 Russia (Soviet Union)
 MIR
 Educational uses
 Contacts with schools
 Hobby uses to combat boredom of long duration flights
 Technical experiments
 Automated communications/command and control software
development
28

29. IRLP: Internet Radio Linking Project
 Links > 4000 VHF/UHF
repeaters worldwide
 VOIP
 Evolving radio
equipment
 Multiple manufacturers
 They don’t know it is a  Dial-up tone control
“systems of systems” access
problem, so they are  http://www.irlp.net/
just getting on and
doing it.
29

30. http://www.irlp.net/typical_node.html
30

31. Big picture – roles exist in Layers 1 - 4
31

32. AUD $20,000 Yagi*
* Kasser J.E., The $20,000 Yagi, Radcom, August 2007
32

33. Left over wood – matter of perspective
33

34. Path to Type V systems engineer
Systems thinking
applied here
Attraction of Systems
Communications thinking
developed &
applied here
Hardware Software
Antenna Data processing
Receivers Spacecraft orbit predictions,
Transmitters telemetry processing
VHF, QRP Communications terminals
Modeling and simulations
Radio communication systems
34

35. Radio amateurs – in summary
 Systems engineering
 Communications
 Engineering
 Researchers
 Scientists
• Nobel prize winners
 A trained, motivated and volunteer resource to
be tapped in times of emergency
 Natural disasters
 Wartime and terrorist attacks
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36. Solutions to problem
 Amateur radio is but one domain in which to find
candidate systems engineers
 All potential domains could be used
 Interesting to compare results years from now
 Typical interview questions
 Have candidates done any experimenting?
 What did they learn from the experiments?
• Do they think systems?
• Do their eyes glint with passion when they talk about their
experiences?
36

37. Summary
1 Situational context
2 The problem
3 Amateur radio as one solution
Use of amateur radio to teach models and
4 simulations
5 Solutions to problem
Roles
37

38. 38