XPost: rec.radio.amateur.moderated, rec.radio.amateur.policy, rec.radio.info

********************************************
The ARRL Letter

Published by the American Radio Relay League ********************************************

May 12, 2022

John E. Ross, KD8IDJ, Editor <news@arrl.org>

ARRL Home Page <http://www.arrl.org/>ARRL Letter Archive <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/>Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/> IN THIS ISSUE

- Annual Armed Forces Day Cross-Band Exercise Set for May 14
- Get To 2022 Dayton Hamvention® -- May 20-22
- ARES® Activated in Oklahoma for Tornado Clean-Up Communications
- National Hurricane Center Annual Communications Test to be Held on
May 28
- ARRL Podcasts Schedule
- Amateur Radio in the News
- Announcements
- In Brief...
- The K7RA Solar Update
- Just Ahead in Radiosport
- Upcoming Section, State, and Division Conventions

ANNUAL ARMED FORCES DAY CROSS-BAND EXERCISE SET FOR MAY 14

The US Department of Defense will host this year's Armed Forces Day
(AFD) Cross-Band Test on Saturday, May 14. While Armed Forces Day is
May 21, the AFD cross-band military-amateur radio event traditionally
takes place 1 week earlier to avoid any conflict with the Dayton
Hamvention®. The event is open to all radio amateurs.

The AFD Cross-Band Test is two-way communications exercise between
military and amateur radio stations, as authorized under FCC Part 97
rules (47 CFR § 97.111), and Department of Defense Instruction 4650.02
which establishes the Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS). During
the exercise, radio amateurs listen for stations on military operating frequencies and transmit on frequencies in adjacent amateur bands.

ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio <http://www.arrl.org>®
has promoted the participation of military and amateur radio stations
in the AFD event for more than 50 years. In the August 1950 issue of
ARRL's membership journal, QST <http://www.arrl.org/qst>, it was noted
that "232 persons made perfect copy of the 'Greeting to Amateurs'
broadcast at 25 w.p.m. over 13 military frequencies and have received a Certificate of Merit signed by the Secretary of Defense, the Honorable
Louis Johnson."

There are 24 military stations registered across the United States,
including Alaska and Hawaii, that will be participating in the 2022
event. Several of those stations will be using the 60-meter
interoperative channels during this exercise. All operations will be on
a not-to-interfere basis, in case there are real-world missions being
supported during the event timeframe.

An AFD Secretary of Defense message will also be sent in CW and RTTY,
and an AFD message will also be transmitted utilizing the Military
Standard (MIL-STD) serial PSK waveform (M110), followed by MIL-STD Wide
Shift FSK (850 Hz RTTY), as described in MIL-STD 188-110A/B.

A detailed list of modes and frequencies for military/government
stations taking part in the Armed Forces Day Cross-Band Test and
information on the AFD message is available at www.dodmars.org <https://www.dodmars.org/mars-comex-information-website/armed-forces-day>.
In the upper right corner is a dropdown with all the information.

Complete the request form to obtain a QSL card at www.usarmymars.org/armed-forces-day-qsl-card-request <https://www.usarmymars.org/armed-forces-day-qsl-card-request>.

GET TO 2022 DAYTON HAMVENTION® -- MAY 20-22

The 2022 Dayton Hamvention <https://hamvention.org/>®, among the
world's largest annual amateur radio gatherings, is ready to celebrate
its 70th Anniversary event, May 20 - 22, at the Greene County
Fairgrounds and Expo Center in Xenia, Ohio. Organizers report that
brisk advance sales of tickets and reservations for inside exhibit
booths and flea market spaces are an indication that Hamvention 2022 is
headed for success.

At the final planning meeting held on May 10, committee members learned
that 94 percent of the inside exhibits were already sold, and more than
450 vendors had already claimed over 85 percent of the flea market
spots.

Adding to the interest this year is the largest prize ever offered in
the history of Hamvention, an amateur radio dream station package worth
almost $20,000. General Chairman Rick Allnutt, WS8G, thanked DX
Engineering and Icom America for the prize, which made them Platinum
Prize Sponsors for Hamvention 2022. The prize package includes an Icom
IC-7851 HF/50MHz Transceiver and an extensive list of station
accessories. Allnutt also acknowledged all the other donors who
contributed the many hourly prizes given out during Hamvention.

Other points made during the planning meeting included urging the use
of the free ARRL Events app for smartphones and tablets to help
attendees navigate the large schedule of forums and meeting locations,
the sprawling fairgrounds, multiple buildings that house hundreds of
exhibits, and related activities. While a printed program will be
available, the app provides an easier way to access information. Visit
your app store to download the app (search "ARRL Events"), or via the
following link: www.tripbuildermedia.com/apps/arrl <https://www.tripbuildermedia.com/apps/arrl>. A web version <https://www.tripbuilder.net/html5/arrl> is also available. The ARRL
app is offered in partnership with Hamvention.

The use of the Hamvention web pages was promoted to help locate parking
areas, gates, and other relevant materials. It was also recommended
that committee members and those attending also have an In Case of
Emergency Card on their person, preferably on a lanyard around their
neck.

Hamvention will continue the policy of having free admission on
Sunday. However, tickets are still required for entrance on Sunday, and
can be obtained at no cost at the ticket booth. Those tickets are for
admission only and do not include a prize drawing stub.

Allnutt thanked all committee members and asked them to pass on his
thanks to all their volunteers. Dayton Hamvention includes hundreds of volunteers and is sponsored by the Dayton Amateur Radio Association.

For its part, ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio <http://www.arrl.org/expo>® will host over a dozen booths in its large
exhibit area, located in building 2 (see PDF-format map <http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Hamfest/Dayton%20Hamvention%202022/2022%20ARRL%20EXPO%20at%20Dayton%20Hamvention%20floorplan.pdf>).

The booths will be supported by an 80-person team comprised of ARRL
Board members, Section Managers, Field Organization volunteers, program representatives, and ARRL Headquarters staff. Included are exhibits
supporting radio clubs, the ARRL Great Lakes Division (including the
ARRL Sections of Kentucky, Michigan, and Ohio), the Amateur Radio
Emergency Service® (ARES®), ARRL Development and ARRL Foundation, ARRL
Learning Center, ARRL Teachers Institute, ARRL Collegiate Amateur Radio Program, ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator, ARRL Volunteer Monitor
Program, ARRL Radiosport and DXCC, and the ARRL Laboratory. The ARRL
exhibit area is also host to a booth for the International Amateur
Radio Union (IARU <https://www.iaru.org/>). Visit www.arrl.org/expo <http://www.arrl.org/expo> for a complete summary of ARRL's
participation at 2022 Hamvention.

ARES® ACTIVATED IN OKLAHOMA FOR TORNADO CLEAN-UP COMMUNICATIONS

To help with emergency communications support following an outbreak of tornadoes that hit this past week, the Oklahoma Department of Emergency
of Management and Homeland Security requested support from the Oklahoma
Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®).

During the first week of May, 12 tornadoes touched down in the central
and eastern parts of Oklahoma. The tornado that struck Seminole,
Oklahoma, on Wednesday, May 4, left EF2 damage, according to the
National Weather Service. That tornado was a mile wide, and its path
totaled 31 miles.

The request for amateur radio emergency communications support from
the Oklahoma ARES was made on Thursday, May 5, 2022. ARES was activated
on Saturday May 7, 2022. Seven amateur radio operators were active,
providing voice communications between chainsaw and debris removal
teams from their base at Seminole State College's volunteer center.

ARRL Oklahoma Section Emergency Coordinator Mark Conklin, N7XYO, said
the clean-up crews worked quickly, and ARES was needed for 8 hours
until cellular and wired communications were restored.

There were no deaths or injuries during the tornado outbreak, but
clean up continues.

NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER ANNUAL COMMUNICATIONS TEST TO BE HELD ON

MAY 28

WX4NHC, the amateur radio station at the National Hurricane Center
(NHC) in Miami, Florida, will hold its annual communications test on
Saturday, May 28, 2022, from 9 AM to 5 PM EDT (1300 - 2100 UTC).

The event is designed to evaluate WX4NHC's amateur radio equipment and
antennas at the headquarters in Florida, and to give operators an
opportunity to evaluate their home equipment prior to this year's
Atlantic hurricane season, which starts on June 1 and runs through
November 30. This event allows ham radio operators worldwide to hone
their amateur radio communications skills for times of severe weather.

Brief contacts will be available on many frequencies and modes, as well
as the exchange of signal reports and basic weather data with any
station in any location.

WX4NHC will be on the air on HF, VHF, UHF, 2- and 30-meter APRS, and
Winlink at wx4nhc@winlink.org (subject must contain "//WL2K").

The Hurricane Watch Net 14.325 MHz frequency will be active for most of
the test, as will 7.268 MHz, depending on propagation. Depending on
man-made noise, the net may move to different frequencies, and
participants can locate the net using one of the DX spotting networks,
such as the DX Summit website at www.dxsummit.fi
<http://www.dxsummit.fi>.

There will also be a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Hurricane Net <http://voipwx.net/> from 4 - 5 PM EDT, or 2000 - 2100 UTC (IRLP Node 9219/EchoLink WX-TALK Conference Node 7203).

WX4NHC will make a few contacts on local VHF and UHF repeaters, as well
as on Florida's Statewide Amateur Radio Network (SARnet).

QSL cards will be available via Julio Ripoll, WD4R.

For more information about WX4NHC, visit their website at
www.wx4nhc.org <http://www.wx4nhc.org/>.

ARRL PODCASTS SCHEDULE

The latest episode of the ARRL On the Air
<https://blubrry.com/arrlontheair/> podcast (Episode 29) features a
discussion about the nature of frequency modulation (FM) and how it
differs from AM.

The latest edition (Episode 59) of the ARRL Eclectic Tech <https://blubrry.com/eclectictech/> podcast features a discussion with
ARRL Radiosport Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, about the upcoming ARRL International Digital Contest.

The On the Air and Eclectic Tech podcasts are sponsored by Icom. Both
podcasts are available on iTunes (iOS) and Stitcher (Android), as well
as on Blubrry -- On the Air <https://blubrry.com/arrlontheair/> |
Eclectic Tech <https://blubrry.com/eclectictech/>.

AMATEUR RADIO IN THE NEWS

ARRL Public Information Officers, Coordinators, and many other member-volunteers help keep amateur radio and ARRL in the news <http://www.arrl.org/media-hits>.

- "An 18-year-old prodigy is exploring the depths of space with radio <https://interestingengineering.com/18-year-old-explores-space-radio>"
/ Interesting Engineering, May 11, 2022. Featuring ARRL member Dhruv
Rebba, KC9ZJX.

- "Students HAM it up on Roof of Old Engineering <https://news.engineering.arizona.edu/news/students-ham-it-roof-old-engineering>"

/ University of Arizona, College of Engineering News, May 5, 2022.
Featuring the University of Arizona Amateur Radio Club, K7UAZ

- "Ashe County Amateur Radio Club assisting with New River Marathon on
May 14 <https://www.ashepostandtimes.com/ashe/ashe-county-amateur-radio-club-assisting-with-new-river-marathon-on-may-14/article_7634c5a3-032a-5062-a7f3-2a446ee76ec7.html>"

/ Ashe Post & Times (North Carolina), May 5, 2022. Ashe County ARC is
an ARRL Affiliated Club.

Share <newsmedia@arrl.org> any amateur radio media hits you spot with
us.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

- Pete Varounis, NL7XM, Wins the April 2022 QST Cover Plaque Award. The
winning article for the April 2022 QST Cover Plaque award is "The
Better Antenna: Copper Versus Aluminum," by Pete Varounis, NL7XM. (The
QST staff hopes you enjoyed this "highly scientific" April Fool's
article.) The QST Cover Plaque Award -- given to the author or authors
of the most popular article in each issue -- is determined by a vote of
ARRL members on the QST <http://www.arrl.org/cover-plaque-poll> Cover
Plaque Poll web page <http://www.arrl.org/cover-plaque-poll>. Cast a
ballot for your favorite article today.

- The 2022 Europe Day On the Air (EUDOTA) was held this past weekend,
beginning Friday, May 6. The numbers are still being tabulated, but
currently 1,507 contacts were made with special event station A0#EU
including contracts in 68 countries. The contacts were made on 6-, 10-,
15-, 17-, 20-, 30-, 40-, and 80-meter bands, as well as the
70-centimeter band using modes CF4M, CW, FT8, MFSK, SSB. Europe Day,
held annually on May 9, celebrates peace and unity in Europe. The date
marks the anniversary of the historic Schuman Declaration <https://european-union.europa.eu/principles-countries-history/history-eu/1945-59/schuman-declaration-may-1950_en>

that set out French foreign minister Robert Schuman's idea for a new
form of political cooperation in Europe, which would make war between
Europe's nations unthinkable. Schuman's proposal is the beginning of
what is now the European Union. The official event for the celebration
is for only a day, but EUDOTA began their event on Friday, May 6, to
celebrate with additional contacts.

IN BRIEF...

More Ham Families. ARRL News Editor John Ross, KD8IDJ, continues to
hear from readers about family trees that include amateur radio
licensees spanning three or more generations. For example, Mike
Olbrisch, KD5KC, and his wife, Monika, N5NHC, in El Paso, Texas, have
two children who are hams. Their son James' call sign is KC0WKY, his mother-in-law, Elsa Price, was KB5YMQ (SK), and his step-father-in-law,
Ron Price, holds the call sign WA5IVX. Mike's daughter, Heidi Wilden,
is KE5BHT, and her husband, Keith, K9DHC, took his father's call sign
when he passed away. Their son, Bobby, holds the call sign KI5DYU.
Monika's family, including her sister, Gerda Ludolph, DL1NLG;
brother-in-law, Helmut Ludolph, DG7NFV, and their oldest nephew, Andi
Ludolph, DO5AL, are also on the air. Mike also had surrogate
grandparents who were hams -- Frank Rourke, WD8EFB, and Reba Anne
Rourke, WD8EFC (both are now Silent Keys). Mike said that family
gatherings can be fun. When someone calls out a name, "QRZ" is a common response, and there's always plenty of RFI, or "Related Family
Interference."

On May 10, 2022, radio amateurs in Puerto Rico celebrated 25 years of
Día del Radioaficionado (Puerto Rico Amateur Radio Operator Day). The
day was designated the second Tuesday in May by Law 50 of June 7, 1996.
The Governor of Puerto Rico, Pedro Pierluisi, issued a proclamation to
honor the event. Radio amateurs took to social media and the airwaves
to celebrate and send good wishes. A special message was sent to
amateurs by the Puerto Rico Broadcasters Association. This year, 2022,
is also the Centennial of Radio station WKAQ which went on the air on
December 3, 1922. Radio amateurs were among the radio pioneers who
helped get the station on the air. The Federación de Radio Aficionados
de Puerto Rico (FRA) developed a special event Net to celebrate the day offering an electronic certificate of participation. Many stations from
other countries connected by Echolink to participate in the event.

THE K7RA SOLAR UPDATE

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports:

There was some evidence of sporadic-E propagation this week on 6 and
10 meters, which is always surprising and exciting.

Solar activity was the same as last week, at least going by the
numbers.

Average daily sunspot numbers rose slightly from 68.6 to 74.4, while
average daily solar flux only budged from 120 to 120.3.

Geomagnetic indicators were quieter, with average daily planetary A
index shifting from 10.7 to 5, and average middle latitude numbers from
9.3 to 4.6. We listed the middle latitude A index on May 6 as 2, but
that number is an estimate. At the end of that day, the last K index
reading was not reported, and since the A index for the day is
calculated from all the K index readings, there was not any official
middle latitude A index reported and was estimated on available data.

Thursday's outlook for solar flux is more optimistic than last week's prediction, with no values below 100. Expected flux values are 124 on
May 12 - 13; 126 on May 14 - 16; 124 on May 17 - 18; 118 on May 19 -
21; 120, 124, and 121 on May 22 - 24; 118 on May 25 - 27; 116 on May 28
- 31; 118 on June 1 - 5; 116 and 118 on June 6 -7; 120 on June 8 - 9;
122 on June 10 - 14, and 118 on June 15 - 17.

Planetary A index is predicted at 6, 8, 12, 8, 14, and 8 on May 12 -
17; 5 on May 18 -19; 12 and 8 on May 20 - 21; 5 on May 22 - 23; 18 on
May 24; 15 on May 25 - 27; 8 on May 28, and 5 on May 29 through June
15. There will be a nice long quiet spell of more than 2 weeks.

Wednesday's forecast was prepared by the US Air Force personnel.

Sunspot numbers for May 5 through 11 were 85, 64, 66, 89, 71, 62, and
84, with a mean of 74.4. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 119.9, 119.2,
118.1, 119.2, 117, 115.8, and 132.9, with a mean of 120.3. Estimated
planetary A indices were 4, 5, 3, 6, 8, 3, and 6, with a mean of 5.
Middle latitude A index was 4, 2, 4, 7, 8, 2, and 5, with a mean of
4.6.

A comprehensive K7RA Solar Update is posted Fridays on the ARRL
website. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit <http://arrl.org/propagation-of-rf-signals> the ARRL Technical
Information Service, read
<http://arrl.org/the-sun-the-earth-the-ionosphere> "What the Numbers
Mean...," and check out <http://k9la.us/> the Propagation Page of Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA.

A propagation bulletin archive <http://arrl.org/w1aw-bulletins-archive-propagation> is available. For customizable propagation charts, visit the VOACAP Online for Ham Radio <https://www.voacap.com/hf/> website.

Share <k7ra@arrl.net> your reports and observations.

A weekly, full report is posted on ARRL News
<http://www.arrl.org/news>.

JUST AHEAD IN RADIOSPORT

- May 14 - 15 -- CQ-M International DX Contest (CW, phone)

- May 14 - 15 -- VOLTA WW RTTY Contest (digital)

- May 14 - 15 -- Canadian Prairies QSO Party (CW, phone)

- May 14 - 15 -- 50 MHz Spring Sprint

- May 15 - 16 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW)

- May 18 -- VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest

- May 18 -- RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship, Data

- May 19 - 20 -- Walk for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW)

- May 19 -- NAQCC CW Sprint (CW)

- May 19 -- NTC QSO Party (CW)

Visit the ARRL Contest Calendar <http://www.arrl.org/contest-calendar>
for more events and information.

UPCOMING SECTION, STATE, AND DIVISION CONVENTIONS

- May 20 - 22 | Dayton Hamvention <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/dayton-hamvention-7>® and featuring ARRL
EXPO, Xenia, Ohio

- June 3 - 5 | SEA-PAC <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/sea-pac-arrl-northwestern-division-convention>, hosting the ARRL Northwestern Division Convention, Seaside, Oregon

- June 4 | Atlanta Hamfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/atlanta-hamfest-arrl-georgia-state-convention>, hosting the ARRL Georgia State Convention, Marietta, Georgia

- June 18 | Knoxville Hamfest and Electronics Convention <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/knoxville-hamfest-and-electronics-convention-arrl-tennessee-state-convention>,

hosting the ARRL Tennessee State Convention, Knoxville, Tennessee

- June 24 - 26 | HAM RADIO <https://www.hamradio-friedrichshafen.com/>,
the International Amateur Radio Exhibition, Friedrichshafen, Germany

- July 2 | Firecracker Hamfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/firecracker-hamfest-arrl-pennsylvania-state-convention-1>,

hosting the ARRL Pennsylvania State Convention, Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania

- July 22 - 23 | Ham Holiday 2022 <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/ham-holiday-2022-arrl-oklahoma-section-convention>,

hosting the ARRL Oklahoma Section Convention, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

- July 30 - 31 | ARRL West Virginia State Convention <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/arrl-west-virginia-state-convention-and-ham-fest>,

Sutton, West Virginia

- August 6 - 7 | Cedar Valley ARC Techfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/cedar-valley-arc-techfest-arrl-iowa-state-convention-1>,

hosting the ARRL Iowa State Convention, Central City, Iowa

- August 13 | Tidewater Hamfest and Swap Meet <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/tidewater-hamfest-and-swap-meet-arrl-virginia-state-convention>,

hosting the ARRL Virginia State Convention, Portsmouth, Virginia

- August 20 - 21 | Huntsville Hamfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/huntsville-hamfest-arrl-southeastern-division-convention-1>,

hosting the ARRL Southeastern Division Convention, Huntsville, Alabama

- August 26 - 28 | Northeast HamXposition <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/northeast-hamxposition-arrl-new-england-and-hudson-division-convention>,

hosting the ARRL New England and Hudson Division Conventions,
Marlborough, Massachusetts

Search the ARRL Hamfest and Convention Database
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests> to find events in your area.

HAVE NEWS FOR ARRL?

Submissions for the ARRL Letter and ARRL News can be sent to
news@arrl.org. -- John E. Ross, KD8IDJ, ARRL News Editor
<news@arrl.org>

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