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The ARRL Letter
June 2, 2022
John E. Ross, KD8IDJ, Editor
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2022 ARRL Field Day is June 25-26

ARRL Field Day is ham radio's open house. Every June, more than 40,000 hams throughout North America set up temporary transmitting stations in public places to demonstrate ham radio's science, skill and service to our communities and our nation. It combines public service, emergency preparedness, community outreach, and technical skills all in a single event. Field Day has been an annual event since 1933, and remains the most popular event in ham radio. Plan your participation now. Visit www.arrl.org/FieldDay for rules and resources.


Connecticut Radio Amateur Endows ARRL Affiliated Club Initiative

Dr. Ed Snyder, W1YSM, of Wallingford, Connecticut, who provided funding for an endowment to support the ARRL Collegiate Amateur Radio Initiative in 2017, has generously donated additional funding to expand the endowment to include ARRL Affiliated Clubs. The endowment, formerly known as the W1YSM Snyder Family Collegiate Amateur Radio Endowment Fund, has been renamed and will now be known as the W1YSM Snyder Family Collegiate & ARRL Affiliated Club Endowment Fund.

ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA (left), with Dr. Ed Snyder, W1YSM, and Rose Snyder. [Alex Norstrom, photo]

Dr. Snyder credits ARRL's dedication to supporting amateur radio clubs across the nation with giving him a renewed passion for reinvigorating clubs. The additional contribution to the endowment allows ARRL to expand and continue club programs. Dr. Snyder, President of the Meriden Amateur Radio Association, views this program as essential to the legacy of amateur radio.

ARRL Field Services Manager Mike Walters, W8ZY, stated that the W1YSM Snyder Family Collegiate & ARRL Affiliated Club Endowment Fund will benefit programs for large and small clubs across America. "Amateur radio clubs are the backbone of local amateur activities," said Walters. "Clubs mentor new amateur radio operators, serve their communities through emergency communications, and engage youth in STEM disciplines." ARRL has a network of almost 2,800 affiliated clubs in the US. To locate a local club, visit www.arrl.org/find-a-club.

The Collegiate Amateur Radio Initiative has led to the development of a national network of college amateur radio clubs under the aegis of ARRL and set up ways for these clubs to stay in contact and communicate on the air, in meetings, and through other activities. "Five years ago, ARRL began the Collegiate Amateur Radio Initiative to support the grassroots fellowship between collegiate clubs, while highlighting their diverse technical and operating interests," said Andy Milluzzi, KK4LWR, who has co-advised the initiative with his brother Tony Milluzzi, KD8RTT. Together, they have organized collegiate meetups at hamfests, online groups via Discord and Facebook, and monthly Zoom forums. "Collegiate Amateur Radio is an important pillar of both the hobby and STEM education," Milluzzi said. "Thanks in part to the generous support from the W1YSM Snyder Family Collegiate & ARRL Affiliated Club Endowment, we are excited to announce that ARRL's collegiate support has graduated. The name change to ARRL Collegiate Amateur Radio Program (CARP) reflects the ongoing support and growth of the thriving community of collegiate hams. Please join us celebrating this ARRL member-driven program's current and future success." To learn more about the ARRL Collegiate Amateur Radio Program, visit www.arrl.org/WeWantU.

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National Hurricane Center Annual Station Test 2022

On Saturday, May 28, as Hurricane Agatha (the first hurricane of the eastern Pacific hurricane season) was ready to make landfall in Mexico, operators at WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) were conducting the annual readiness check of the station for 2022.

This year marks the 42nd year of volunteer communication

National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida

services for the NHC. After 2 years of volunteer ham radio operators working remotely from their home stations due to COVID-19 safety restrictions, hams were able to operate inside the NHC for this year's annual test event.

The event was reported as successful, with all of the station's radios and antennas having performed well. Within 8 hours, 289 contacts were made nationwide and internationally. Operators used HF, VHF, and UHF radios, as well as digital modes.

Then, on Monday, May 30, Hurricane Agatha hit Oaxaca, Mexico as a Category 2 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 106 MPH. It was recorded as the strongest hurricane to come ashore in May during the eastern Pacific hurricane season, making landfall on a sparsely populated stretch of small beach towns and fishing villages in southern Mexico. The next morning, Agatha was downgraded to a tropical depression, with winds of 35 MPH.

The NHC Hurricane Net, staffed with volunteer amateur radio operators, was on standby in case the storms' path changed and grew more intense. Oaxaca's emergency service office said there were no reports of any deaths, but the storm's torrential rains and winds drove tourists and residents into shelters.

2022 Youth on the Air (YOTA) Camp is June 12 - 17

The 2022 Youth on the Air (YOTA) Camp will be on the air and streaming online. The campers will be operating special event station W8Y from the National Voice of America (VOA) Museum of Broadcasting in West Chester Township, Ohio, as well as from their hotel. Activation of W8Y will begin on the evening of Sunday, June 12, and conclude at 1 PM EDT on Friday, June 17. Campers will operate the station as they finish projects, between camp sessions, and during their free time.

In addition, dedicated HF station operating times will be on Monday, June 13, from 2 - 11 PM EDT. Dedicated satellite station operating times will be on Thursday, June 16, and Friday, June 17, from 10 AM - 1 PM EDT. Earth-moon-Earth (EME) will be in operation on Tuesday, June 14, and Monday, June 13, from 9 to 11 PM EDT.

The opening and closing ceremonies will be streamed live on the Youth on the Air YouTube channel. The opening ceremony will take place on Sunday, June 12, from 4 PM EDT - 6:30 PM EDT and will feature keynote speaker Dr. Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, the founder of Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI). The closing ceremony is on Friday, June 17, from 1 PM - 2 PM EDT. The YOTA YouTube channel will also feature a daily video that will spotlight the activities of the previous day.

For details about the 2022 YOTA Summer Camp, download the brochure from the YOTA web page, at www.youthontheair.org.

For additional information, contact Camp Director Neil Rapp, WB9VPG, at director@youthontheair.org.


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ARRL Podcasts Schedule

The latest episode of the ARRL On the Air podcast (Episode 29) features a discussion about the nature of frequency modulation (FM) and how it differs from AM.

The latest edition (Episode 61) of the ARRL Eclectic Tech podcast features an interview with QST "Product Review" Editor Pascal Villeneuve, VA2PV, with a roundup of new products seen at the 2022 Dayton Hamvention.

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 | Eclectic Tech.


Announcements

ARRL is seeking an Administrative Coordinator for the new ARRL Foundation Club Grant Program. This program seeks to fund transformative projects that enable growth for amateur radio operators, on the air projects, ham radio training and mentoring, and more. The program is funded by Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC), and it will award a total of $500,000 in club grants throughout 2022. The independent contractor will coordinate, administer, manage, and organize club grant applications at ARRL Headquarters in Newington, Connecticut. To apply for this contract position, send a biography or profile to hr@arrl.org. Visit the ARRL website for a complete job description at www.arrl.org/careers.


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In Brief...
The official attendance at the 2022 Dayton Hamvention® was 31,367 visitors. General Chairman Rick Allnutt, WS8G, said although that was about 1,000 less than 2019, he considered it "not bad" for a pandemic recovery year. Hamvention was canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Sunday, June 5, amateur radio, and portable operating in particular, will receive some high-profile coverage on national television in the UK. Countryfile, the long-running BBC One program that reports on rural, agricultural, and environmental issues in the United Kingdom, will air at 6 PM on the main BBC One channel. This episode will be based out of the Welsh island of Flat Holm in the Bristol Channel, which was the site of Guglielmo Marconi's first radio transmissions overseas. Countryfile presenters Ellie Harrison and Matt Baker will join Summits on the Air (SOTA) operator Ben Lloyd, GW4BML, as he sets up a portable station on the island to contact SOTA activators on summits around the United Kingdom.


The K7RA Solar Update

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports:

All measures of solar activity declined in a big way from the last reporting week to the current period, May 26 - June 1, 2022.

Sunspot AR3027 has a reversed magnetic polarity. [NASA SDO/HMI photo]

The average daily sunspot number plummeted from 124.7 to 52.9, and the average daily 10.7-centimeter solar flux receded from 158.8 to 104.3. These are dramatic shifts, although well within expected variations at this point in Solar Cycle 25.

Predicted solar flux for the next month is 105 June 2 - 4; 100 June 5 - 6; 95 on June 7 - 8; 110, 130, 135, and 140 on June 9 - 12; 145, 150, and 145 on June 13 - 15; 140 on June 16 - 18; 130, 125, 120, and 110 on June 19 - 22; 100 on June 23 - 29; 98 June 30 - July 3, and 110, 112, and 125 on July 4 - 6.

Predicted planetary A index is a quiet and stable 5 on June 2 - 9; 8 and 12 on June 10 - 11; 14 on June 12 - 13; 8 and 12 on June 14 - 15; 14 on June 16 - 17; 12 on June 18; 5 on June 19 - 22; 16, 22, 12, 10, and 8 on June 23 - 27, and 5 from June 28 until July 6.

Sunspot numbers for May 26 through June 1 were 87, 69, 34, 42, 40, 39, and 59, with a mean of 124.7. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 122.7, 113.6, 101.8, 98.4, 100.6, 98, and 104.2, with a mean of 158.8. Estimated planetary A indices were 4, 17, 24, 15, 9, 9, and 6, with a mean of 8.3. Middle latitude A index was 6, 14, 19, 14, 8, 8, and 8, with a mean of 8.3.

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 the Propagation Page of Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA.

A propagation bulletin archive is available. For customizable propagation charts, visit the VOACAP Online for Ham Radio website.

Share your reports and observations.

A weekly, full report is posted on ARRL News.


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Just Ahead in Radiosport
  • June 2 -- NRAU 10-Meter Activity Contest (CW, phone, digital)
  • June 2 -- SKCC Sprint Europe (CW)
  • June 2 -- 5 PODXS 070 Club Three Day Contest (digital)
  • June 3 -- HA3NS Sprint Memorial Contest (CW)
  • June 4 -- 10-10 International Open Season PSK Contest (digital)
  • June 4 -- Wake-Up! QRP Sprint (CW)
  • June 4 - 5 -- KANHAM Contest (CW, phone)
  • June 4 - 5 -- Tisza Cup CW Contest (CW)
  • June 4 - 5 -- Kentucky QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
  • June 4 - 5 -- UKSMG Summer Contest (CW, phone, RTTY)
  • June 4 - 5 -- IARU Region 1 Field Day (CW)
  • June 4 - 5 -- RSGB National Field Day (CW)
  • June 4 - 5 -- ARRL International Digital Contest (digital, no RTTY)
  • June 5 -- All Cookie Crumble QRP Contest (CW, phone, digital)
  • June 6 -- OK1WC Memorial (MWC) (CW)
  • June 6 -- RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship, (data digital)
  • June 7 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW)
  • June 8 -- NAQCC CW Sprint (CW)
  • June 8 -- VHF-UHF FT8

Visit the ARRL Contest Calendar for more events and information.


Upcoming Section, State, and Division Conventions

Search the ARRL Hamfest and Convention Database to find events in your area.


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Getting it Right...

In the May 26, 2022 edition of The ARRL Letter, we included the wrong town name for Bob Burns, AK9R, the newly-elected Section Manager of Indiana, who starts on July 1. Burns lives in Brownsburg, Indiana.

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


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The ARRL Letter

The ARRL Letter offers a weekly summary of essential news of interest to active amateurs that is available in advance of publication in QST, our official journal. The ARRL Letter strives to be timely, accurate, concise and readable.

Much of the ARRL Letter content is also available in audio form in ARRL Audio News.

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