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

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

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

October 27, 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

- Radio Amateurs Support the Great ShakeOut 2022 in Puerto Rico
- Student Radio Contact with the International Space Station Inspires Hurricane-hit Community
- New Wyoming Section Manager Appointed
- Activity and Awards Increase at 222 and 1296 MHz
- The Andrew Johnson Amateur Radio Club Receives Two Grants
- FCC Seeks Electronic Engineers for Honors Program
- Amateur Radio in the News
- ARRL Podcasts
- Announcements
- In Brief...
- The K7RA Solar Update
- Just Ahead in Radiosport
- Upcoming Section, State, and Division Conventions

RADIO AMATEURS SUPPORT THE GREAT SHAKEOUT 2022 IN PUERTO RICO

Students from the Crop Protection Student Association at the University
of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez participated in a communications practice
session as part of the yearly Great Puerto Rico ShakeOut Drill on
October 20, 2022. International ShakeOut Day draws millions of people
worldwide to participate in earthquake drills at work, school, or home.

ARRL Puerto Rico Section Assistant Section Manager Leyda Rios, WP4RBK, presented a conference entitled, "Radio Services and the Great
ShakeOut," which provided advice and hands-on activities about how to
use different personal radio services in the event of an earthquake.
Staff members and students learned about the Amateur Radio Service and
several other radio services.

Participants had the opportunity to talk with several amateurs using
simplex frequencies and repeaters. Many were interested in learning
more about radio communications, and the event answered questions about
how amateur radio can assist during emergencies when other means of communications fail. The drill was attended by students and staff
members. Information on how to obtain an amateur radio license and
where to obtain radio equipment was also available.

STUDENT RADIO CONTACT WITH THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION INSPIRES

HURRICANE-HIT COMMUNITY

Students from Canterbury School in Fort Myers, Florida, were able to
spend a few minutes on Monday, October 24, 2022, talking with Astronaut
Josh Cassada, KI5CRH, onboard the International Space Station (ISS)
using ham radio.

The radio contact, arranged by the Amateur Radio on the International
Space Station (ARISS <https://www.ariss.org>) program, provided hope
for a community devastated by Hurricane Ian. School officials estimated
that 30% of the school's faculty, staff, and families were left
homeless after the hurricane passed through their area.

The contact was made just after 1:30 PM EDT, and students were able
ask Astronaut Cassada questions ranging from, "Is the sun brighter in
outer space?" to "What's your favorite meal?" The contact lasted just
over 10 minutes, when the ISS was over the Caribbean Sea.

Members of the Fort Myers Amateur Radio Club, an ARRL Special Service
Club, supported the school by providing students with technical
instruction and radio equipment. The club's call sign, W4LX, was used
to operate the ground station that established and maintained the
contact with the ISS. The school used a Kenwood TS-2000 transceiver for
the event. Several students built a satellite tracking antenna system
capable of locking onto and tracking a satellite while in range to
receive the ISS signal.

An ARISS news release described that as the students were preparing for
the big day, "they saw the first pictures of Hurricane Ian, as seen
from the ISS, bearing down on the coast of Florida. Evacuations were
ordered in advance of the catastrophic winds and storm surges, which
eventually affected many of the homes of students, faculty, and staff.
In the wake of this destruction, it was uncertain whether the ARISS
contact could occur. However, if only for a moment of reprieve from
their loss and destruction, the entire Canterbury school community,
including the school's staff/faculty, amateur radio operators, students
and students' families, decided to pull together to support the ARISS
contact and thereby renew their sense of hope and inspiration in human
space exploration."

The Fort Myers Amateur Radio Club <https://fmarc.net/> website has a
link to a video of their entire contact with the ISS.

ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio <http://www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-on-the-international-space-station>®
is an ARISS sponsor.

NEW WYOMING SECTION MANAGER APPOINTED

Garth Crowe, WY7GC, was appointed as the new ARRL Wyoming Section
Manager on October 12, 2022. He replaced Rick Breininger, N1TEK, who
announced he was stepping down following the Rocky Mountain Division
Convention held in early October. Breininger served as the Wyoming
Section Manager since April 2019.

ARRL Field Services Manager Mike Walters, W8ZY, officially appointed
Crowe after consultation with Rocky Mountain Division Director Jeff
Ryan, K0RM. Crowe previously served as Wyoming Section Manager from
2009 until 2015. He will now serve for the remaining portion of
Breininger's term, which runs through March 31, 2023.

Nominating petitions for the next Wyoming Section Manager term of
office, beginning April 1, 2023, are due at ARRL Headquarters no later
than December 9, 2022.

Visit Section Manager Terms & Nomination Information <http://www.arrl.org/section-terms-nomination-information> on the ARRL
website for more details.

The Wyoming Section is part of the ARRL Rocky Mountain Division, which
includes Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah.

ACTIVITY AND AWARDS INCREASE AT 222 AND 1296 MHZ

Interest in ARRL VHF and above Worked All States
<http://www.arrl.org/was> Awards (WAS) continues its flurry of
activity, now on the 1296 MHz band.

As we reported in ARRL News in January <http://www.arrl.org/news/growing-number-of-operators-completing-was-on-222-mhz>,

there have been several new-generation additions to the Worked All
States Awards, now at 222 MHz (1.25 Meters) and at 1296 MHz (23 cm).

The original rush to 1.25 Meters WAS began in the early '80s with the
first 10 WAS Awards. More recently, the 1.25 Meters WAS ranks <http://www.arrl.org/50-mhz-and-up-was-lists> have grown to 16, with
recent achievers including: #13 John Swiniarski, K1OR, of Pelham, NH;
#14 David Kerl, N9HF, Ormond Beach, FL; #15 Ray Rector, Jr., WA4NJP, Gillsville, GA; and #16 Charles Betz, N0AKC, Eau Claire, WI.

An energized pool of rovers activating rare states at both 222 and
1296 MHz have recently contributed to the chase - with the addition of
four new 1296 MHz WAS Award recipients: in early September, 1296 MHz
WAS Award #4 was awarded to Frank Potts, NC1I, of Southwick, MA; in
late September, WAS Award #5 was awarded to Vlada Masek, OK1KIR, of the
Czech Republic; and also in late September, WAS Award #6 was issued to
HB9Q (DX Group HB9CRQ) in Switzerland. In late October, Zdeneck Samek,
OK1DFC (also in the Czech Republic) was awarded WAS Award #7.

Recent award efforts accentuated a 14-year history of increased
activity on the band, starting in the summer of 2007, when 1296 MHz WAS
Award #1 was achieved by Al Ward, W5LUA, followed by Jay Liebmann,
K5JL, who achieved 1296 MHz WAS Award #2. In August 2021, Al Katz,
K2UYH, earned WAS Award #3 (Katz is known worldwide for supporting the
EME -- Earth-Moon-Earth -- community with his 432 and Above EME
Newsletter <https://www.nitehawk.com/rasmit/em70cm.html> from 1995 to
present, as well as earning the first 432 MHz Worked All Continents
[WAC] Award in 1976).

Many 23-centimeter operators have benefitted from the flurry of
portable and rare state activations during the past 2 decades, by Gary Perryman, WA5WCP, and Pete Van Horne, KA6U (activating rare States
Nationwide); Gene Shea, KB7Q, and Gary Lauterbach, K6MG (activating
Western States); and the NC1I team (activating States throughout New
England).

"These rover operations substantially benefitted DX Stations, including
the likes of OK1KIR, HB9Q (known for many things VHF+, including their
EME scheduling/logger page <https://hb9q.ch/>); and OK1DFC (well known
for his Septum Parabolic Dish Feeds and other Microwave-Band support
hardware, detailed on QRZ <https://www.qrz.com/db/OK1DFC>)," said ARRL Radiosport Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ. "It is important to realize that
these DX-location 1296 MHz WAS Award winners had to contact all 50
states via Moonbounce."

"The new class of 222 and 1296 MHz WAS Award recipients sought these
awards often during efforts of several decades, and as such they
deserve recognition. Congratulations to all of the newest 222 and 1296
MHz WAS Award recipients on their extraordinary accomplishments," said
Jahnke. "Heartfelt thanks to those rovers and support groups who
continue to help make these EME and beyond-line-of-sight contacts
happen!"

For more information on the Worked All States Awards, visit
www.arrl.org/was <http://www.arrl.org/was>.

Thanks to ARRL Radiosport Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ for information
included in this story.

THE ANDREW JOHNSON AMATEUR RADIO CLUB RECEIVES TWO GRANTS

The Andrew Johnson Amateur Radio Club <http://ajarc.org/> (AJARC) in Greeneville, Tennessee, recently received two grants to help promote
growth and understanding of amateur radio.

AJARC Secretary/Treasurer Larry Whiteside, KN4MVH, said the club
received a $500 grant from their local Walmart Distribution Center.
Dennis Holt, N4DWH, works for the center and is involved with Walmart's Volunteerism Always Pays (VAP) program. Walmart provides grants to
eligible organizations where their employees volunteer.

The grant was used to purchase amateur radio books for the
Greeneville/Greene County Public Library.

"We were able update the library with current and used books about
amateur radio, including licensing and equipment," said Whiteside.

The second AJARC grant of $5,570 was from the ARRL Foundation Club
Grant Program <http://www.arrl.org/club-grant-program>, funded by
Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC).

"That grant," said Whiteside, "will help create a science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) class for Greene County youth from 8 to
18 years old." The "Youth STEM through Amateur Radio Project" is
designed to help students expand their knowledge of amateur radio and
get their Technician-class licenses.

The program will be administered with the Greene County Makers and Free Wildlings Homeschool Playgroup. The AJARC will furnish all materials
and equipment, including a radio, which will be installed at the Greene
County Makers location.

"We actually had a trial program before writing the submission for the
grant," said Whiteside. "Not only did the youth participate, but so did
many of the parents!"

The AJARC is an ARRL Affiliated Club.

FCC SEEKS ELECTRONIC ENGINEERS FOR HONORS PROGRAM

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced this week that it
is opening a new window for applications under its Honors Engineer
Program. The one-year developmental program may lead to a term or
permanent appointment. The Commission is accepting applications from
recent graduates with an engineering degree and current students
graduating in December 2022.

Among the duties included in the job description is training to perform "propagation analysis of terrestrial, satellite and/or airborne systems
or evaluating the emission characteristics of various transmitters to
validate the co-existence with neighboring systems. Projects may also
involve various computer software engineering and scientific
applications."

"Engineers are deployed throughout the FCC, and from space innovation
to new broadcast standards to 6G and beyond, the FCC's policy portfolio
is filled with interesting and challenging engineering work," said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. "Our Honors Engineer program is a
unique opportunity for the newest engineers to work closely with
experienced professionals in this field to ensure that the FCC is best
prepared to face the challenges of next-generation communications
networks."

The announcement will close once 175 applications have been received or
on December 2, 2022; whichever occurs first. Visit USAJOBS <https://www.usajobs.gov/job/685101100> for the complete position
summary and to apply, at www.usajobs.gov/job/685101100 <https://www.usajobs.gov/job/685101100>.

Read the complete story on ARRL News <https://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-seeks-electronic-engineers-for-honors-program>.

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>.

"A trusty 'last resort' of emergency communications | North State
Voices" <https://www.chicoer.com/2022/10/20/a-trusty-last-resort-of-emergency-communications-north-state-voices/>

/ Enterprise - Record (California), October 20, 2022. -- Ron Angle,
K6KYJ, is an ARRL member.

"Young amateur radio operator selected for expedition to Antarctica" <https://telanganatoday.com/young-amateur-radio-operator-selected-for-expedition-to-antarctica>

/ Telangana Today (India), October 25, 2022. -- Sarabjeet Singh
Chhabra, VU2CUW, received his amateur radio license in 2015.

"If China declares war, these ham radio enthusiasts could be crucial <https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2022-10-27/taiwan-ham-radio-amateurs-civil-defense>"

/ Los Angeles Times (California), October 27, 2022. -- Thanks to the
Chinese Taipei Amateur Radio League [CTARL].

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

ARRL PODCASTS

The latest episode of the ARRL On the Air
<https://blubrry.com/arrlontheair/> podcast includes Arc Thames, W4CPD,
the Section Emergency Coordinator of ARRL's Northern Florida Section
and Emergency Coordinator of Santa Rosa County Florida. Thames shares
some of his experiences from supporting emergency communications during Hurricane Ian.

Listen to ARRL Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrl-audio-news>,
available every Friday. ARRL Audio News is a summary of the week's top
news stories in the world of amateur radio and ARRL, along with
interviews and other features.

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 <https://blubrry.com/arrlontheair/> | ARRL Audio
News <https://blubrry.com/arrlaudionews/>.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Registration is now open for Nashua Area Radio Society's Fall 2022 Ham Bootcamp. <https://www.n1fd.org/ham-bootcamp/> The online event is
scheduled for Saturday, November 5, 2022, from 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM EDT.
There is no charge to attend the Ham Bootcamp which entails a variety
of informative presentations and activities related to amateur radio,
and is geared toward new operators of any license class that wish to
learn more about getting on the air. Additionally, Ham Bootcamp allows
those thinking of becoming hams to see what the hobby is all about. The sessions usually have 100 - 400 attendees and over the past several
years, more than 800 have attended. More information is available at
the Nashua Area Radio Society's <https://www.n1fd.org/> website. The
Nashua Area Radio Society of New Hampshire is an ARRL Special Service
Club.

IN BRIEF...

Fraser Wenseth, MM0EFI, of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, has become a
Summits on the Air (SOTA) Mountain Goat. Wenseth amassed 1,000
activator points, and his qualifying activation was on Ben More Summit (GM/SI-003) on the Isle of Mull off Scotland's west coast. He is
well-known within the SOTA community for producing high-quality films
of his SOTA exploits. These can be found on his YouTube <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5QimXRvJ72gABQ2dGj_9Jw> channel.
Wenseth also appeared on BBC One's Countryfile program when SOTA was
featured on the show. More information about SOTA
<https://www.sota.org.uk/> is on their website.

THE K7RA SOLAR UPDATE

Tad Cook, K7RA, of Seattle, Washington, reports for this week's ARRL Propagation Bulletin:

Sunspot activity seems listless. Average daily sunspot numbers went
from 57.3 to 58.4 (see note at the end of the bulletin concerning last
week's averages) while solar flux went from 119.6 to 113.2.

The middle latitude geomagnetic numbers this week seem wrong. See what
I mean. <https://bit.ly/3W7nCnB>

The middle latitude numbers presented here are my own estimates,

trying to correlate with the high latitude and planetary numbers.

Average daily planetary A index went from 18.6 to 10.4, and middle
latitude numbers from 8.1 to 9.1.

Predicted solar flux is 120 on October 27; 118 on October 28 - 30; 114
from October 31 through November 2; 112 on November 3 - 5; 118 on
November 6 - 9; 115 on November 10 - 12; 112 on November 13 - 14; 110
on November 15; 108 on November 16 - 18; 104 on November 19; 100 on
November 20 - 23; 98 on November 24 - 25; 100 on November 26, and 105
on November 27 - 28.

So, the rise in solar flux to 160 in the first week of November
presented in the previous two bulletins seems to be gone from the
current prediction.

Predicted planetary A index is 10, 14, 18, 22, and 16 on October 27 -
31; 12, 12, and 8 on November 1 - 3; 5 on November 4 - 9; 18, 18, and
15 on November 10 - 12; 5 on November 13 - 17; 25, 18, 17, and 12 on
November 18 - 21; 5 on November 22 - 23, and 8, 15, and 20 on November
24 - 26.

Forbes on doomsday flares <https://bit.ly/3W8IJpy>.

Tabloid news on flares. <https://bit.ly/3gLn1YL>

In last week's bulletin, ARLP042, the averages were wrong.

The correct averages for the numbers at the end of the bulletin in
ARLP042 were 57.3, 119.6, 10.6, and 8.1 for sunspot number, solar flux, planetary A index, and middle latitude A index, respectively. The wrong
numbers were actually from the previous week.

Sunspot numbers for October 20 through 26, 2022, were 33, 60, 55, 65,
46, 72, and 78, with a mean of 58.4. The 10.7-centimeter flux was
115.8, 109.4, 105, 108.4, 114.8, 116.3, and 122.4, with a mean of
113.2. Estimated planetary A indices were 7, 5, 27, 16, 8, 5, and 5,
with a mean of 10.4. Middle latitude A index was 5, 4, 24, 15, 7, 5,
and 4, with a mean of 9.1.

Send your tips, questions, or comments to k7ra@arrl.net.

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

- October 27 -- RSGB 80-Meter Autumn Series SSB (phone)

- October 28 -- Zombie Shuffle (CW )

- October 29 -- CQ Worldwide DX Contest SSB (phone)

- November 1 -- Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest (phone)

- November 1 -- QCX Challenge (CW)

- November 1 -- Silent Key Memorial Contest (CW)

- November 2 -- VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest (FT8)

- November 2 -- UKEICC 80-Meter Contest (phone)

- November 3 - 4 -- Walk for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW)

- November 3 -- NRAU 10-Meter Activity Contest (CW, phone, digital)

- November 3 -- SKCC Sprint Europe (CW)

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

UPCOMING SECTION, STATE, AND DIVISION CONVENTIONS

- October 29 | CopaFest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/copafest-arrl-arizona-state-convention>,
hosting the ARRL Arizona State Convention, Maricopa, Arizona

- November 5 - 6 | Stone Mountain Hamfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/stone-mountain-hamfest-arrl-georgia-section-convention>,

hosting the ARRL Georgia Section Convention, Lawrenceville, Georgia

- November 12 | Montgomery ARC Hamfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/montgomery-arc-hamfest-arrl-alabama-state-convention-1>,

hosting the ARRL Alabama State Convention, Montgomery, Alabama

- November 12 | Rock Hill Hamfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/70th-annual-rock-hill-hamfest-arrl-south-carolina-section-convention>,

hosting the ARRL South Carolina Section Convention, Rock Hill, South
Carolina

- December 9 - 10 | Tampa Bay Hamfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/tampa-bay-hamfest-arrl-west-central-florida-section-convention-1>,

hosting the ARRL West Central Florida Section Convention, Plant City,
Florida

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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