 January 5, 2023 John E. Ross, KD8IDJ, Editor
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ARRL Volunteers On the Air Event is Underway ARRL's yearlong operating event, Volunteers On the Air, or VOTA, began January 1, 2023. The event is organized as part of ARRL's 2023 theme, "Year of the Volunteers," which recognizes the contributions of ARRL member volunteers, and offers opportunities to become more active and involved in amateur radio and ARRL.
As part of the event, there will be week-long activations by W1AW portable stations operating in all US states and territories. W1AW/# portable operations are worth 5 points for each contact, and they can be contacted on all bands and modes. There's also an opportunity to earn the W1AW Worked All States Award. There will be two week-long W1AW operations from each of the 50 states. Later in the event, an on-line scoreboard, the VOTA Leaderboard, will be activated, allowing each participant to see how their score measures up with other participants throughout the year. Only two-way contacts qualify for points (cross-band, cross-mode, and repeater contacts are not valid), using any mode (CW, phone, or digital) - including EME and satellite operations - on 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6, 2, and 1.25 meters, as well as 70 centimeters, VHF/UHF/SHF, and microwave bands available to US amateurs above 2 meters (2190-, 630-, 60-, 30-, 17-, and 12-meter band contacts are not counted for credit in this event). Join the fun! Visit the official VOTA website for further details: vota.arrl.org. More Amateur Radio Astronauts Head for the International Space Station Three of the four new astronauts on February's planned launch of the SpaceX Crew-6 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) are amateur radio operators.
Pilot Warren "Woody" Hoburg, KB3HTZ; Commander Stephen Bowen, KI5BKB, and Mission Specialist Sultan Al Neyadi, KI5VTV, will join Mission Specialist Andrey Fedyaev on board the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, Endeavour. The spacecraft will be atop a Falcon 9 rocket and, while a launch date has not been selected, the earliest date would be mid-February 2023. All crew members have learned about Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS), received guidance on studying and testing, and learned how to operate the ARISS radios and the basics of on-the-air protocol from ARISS team members at NASA's Johnson Space Center. The crew will be able to participate in ARISS, using the ham radio station on the ISS to contact schools and other educational institutions. ARISS is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the ISS. In the US, participating organizations include NASA, the ISS National Lab, ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio®, and AMSAT. Bud Kozloff, W1NSK, Appointed as ARRL Connecticut Section Manager Bud Kozloff, W1NSK, has been appointed as the ARRL Connecticut Section Manager starting on January 1, 2023.
Kozloff takes the reins of the Connecticut Section Field Organization from Betsey Doane, K1EIC, who was appointed by ARRL Headquarters as the Connecticut Section Manager in November 2022 to fulfill the role on a temporary basis until a full-time Section Manager could be appointed. Doane, of Shelton, was previously the Connecticut Section Manager for 25 years from 1991 to 2016. Chuck Motes, K1DFS, of Plainville, served as Connecticut's Section Manager for the last 6 years. He decided not to run for a new term of office when his third term concluded on September 30, 2022. Service Academies Radio Group Now in Operation The Service Academies Radio Group (SARG) was recently formed for alumni and amateur radio operators who are interested in the five U.S military academies. William Curry, W5CQ, founder and net control operator for the SARG Net, said two months ago there was a new interest in forming a group and net. He noticed that only one military academy, West Point, W2KGY, was still operating a club station. At one time, every military academy had an operating club station. "The club stations at the U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and the U.S. Maritime Academy all have been off the air for some time," said Curry. "But we now have 50 new members, all who are interested in promoting amateur radio at all of the academies." The SARG net meets every Thursday at 2200 UTC on 7.280 MHz, and every Saturday at 1600 UTC on 14.338 MHz. All amateur radio operators, whether they are veterans, or just have an interest in the military or history of the academies, are invited. Curry has been licensed since 1950 and holds an Amateur Extra-class license. He is also an ARRL Life Member. For additional information about the SARG Net, contact Curry at w5cq@arrl.net. Amateur Radio in the News ARRL Public Information Officers, Coordinators, and many other member-volunteers help keep amateur radio and ARRL in the news. "Ham radio club receives grant" / Effingham Daily News (Illinois), December 21, 2022. -- The National Trail Amateur Radio Club is an ARRL Affiliated Club. "What's the frequency, Kenneth?": Watertown Amateur Radio Club celebrates 40th anniversary / Watertown Daily Times (Wisconsin), December 27, 2022. -- The Watertown Amateur Radio Club is an ARRL Affiliated Club. ARRL Podcasts
On the Air ARRL Audio News The On the Air podcast is available on iTunes (iOS) and Stitcher (Android). The On the Air podcast and ARRL Audio News are also on blubrry -- On the Air | ARRL Audio News.
Announcements Abstract submission is now open for the 6th Annual HamSCI Workshop to be held March 17 - 18, 2023, in person at The University of Scranton and virtually on Zoom. The workshop is very student and citizen scientist friendly and all amateur radio operators are invited to attend. The abstract submission form and more details are available at https://hamsci.org/hamsci2023. Abstracts are due February 1, 2023. The theme of the 2023 HamSCI Workshop is "Forging Amateur-Professional Bonds." The primary objective is to bring together the amateur radio community and professional scientists. While HamSCI's main focus is ionospheric and radio science, presentations are welcome from all related parts of the "Coupled Geospace System," including the sun, solar wind, magnetosphere, neutral atmosphere, and more. For more information, contact Dr. Nathaniel A. Frissell, Ph.D., W2NAF, at nathaniel.frissell@scranton.edu.
In Brief...
Amateur radio contesting great Fred Laun (Alfred A. Laun, III), K3ZO, of Temple Hills, Maryland, passed away on January 3, 2023. He was a member of the ARRL Maxim Society and Life Member, and a member of the Potomac Valley Radio Club. Laun was also a Director for The Yasme Foundation, an organization that supports awards and grants that recognize and advance the achievements made by radio amateurs. "Fred's service to Yasme and other amateur organizations, spanning decades, was unsurpassed, as were his contributions to amateur radio, for which he cared deeply," said Yasme Foundation President Ward Silver, N0AX, in a press release. "Well-known and respected around the globe, we know Fred's many friends world-wide will honor his memory, both on and off the air." Read a 2015 interview (PDF) with Laun, conducted by John Dorr, K1AR, for the National Contest Journal (NCJ).
The K7RA Solar Update Tad Cook, K7RA, of Seattle, Washington, reports ARRL Propagation Bulletin ARLP001 for January 5, 2023:
Two new sunspot groups emerged on December 29, 2022, one more on December 30, 2022, and another on January 1, 2023. Solar activity was a little higher, with average daily sunspot numbers rising from 96.1 to 97, and solar flux averages rose 14 points to 157.8. Predicted solar flux is 152 and 154 on January 5 - 6; 152 on January 7 - 8; 150, 148, and 146 on January 9 - 11; 150 on January 12 - 13; 145 on January 14; 140 on January 15 - 16; 145 on January 17 - 19; 150 and 155 on January 20 - 21; 160 on January 22 - 23; 165 on January 24 - 26; then 160, 155, 155, 158, and 155 on January 27 - 31. Predicted planetary A index is 18, 12 and 10 on January 5 - 7; 5 on January 8 - 16; 8, 12, 25, 20, and 10 on January 17 - 21; 5 on January 22 - 24; 8, 28, 15, and 10 on January 25 - 28; 5 on January 29 - 30, and 18 on January 31 - February 1. Article on Siberian Radioheliograph: A comprehensive K7RA Solar Update is posted on 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. Just Ahead in Radiosport
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. 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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VOTA encourages participants to make contacts with ARRL members and volunteers, earning points for each contact. Point values have been assigned (see the Points Table at 
Kozloff, who lives in Redding, Connecticut, is currently the president of the Candlewood Amateur Radio Association and a member of the Yankee Clipper Contest Club. He was appointed by ARRL Field Services Manager Mike Walters, W8ZY, after consulting with New England Division Director Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC. His term of office continues through September 30, 2024..jpg)
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