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

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

June 8, 2023

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

- Proclaiming Field Day!
- AMSAT Field Day to Activate Satellites
- ARRL Field Day Public Relations Tools
- 2023 SEA-PAC: Successful ARRL Northwestern Division Convention
- Australian Government to Resume Amateur Licensure, Deed Delegation
Ends
- Amateur Radio in the News
- ARRL Podcasts
- Announcements
- In Brief...
- The K7RA Solar Update
- Just Ahead in Radiosport
- Upcoming Section, State, and Division Conventions

PROCLAIMING FIELD DAY!

With 2023 Field Day fast approaching, many amateur radio operators are
busy scouting their locations and getting their equipment ready for the
big event.

State Sections and individual clubs are also working on publicizing
Field Day and obtaining proclamations from local and state governments.
It's a great way to help get clubs noticed and to draw attention to
amateur radio.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine issued a proclamation naming June 24 - 25
2023, as Amateur Radio Operators' Appreciation Days.

In Kansas, Governor Laura Kelly signed a proclamation making June 24
- 25 2023, Amateur Radio Field Days, while Assistant Section Manager of
the ARRL Kansas Section Kenneth A. Kopp, AK0A, and others stood at her
side.

Many other states, such as Illinois and Virginia, have issued
proclamations, and more are pending. See the proclamations, as ARRL
receives them, at this link <http://www.arrl.org/proclamations>. It's
not too late to request a proclamation or resolution.

The ARRL 2023 Field Day Overview <https://www.arrl.org/files/file/Field-Day/2023/2023%20Field%20Day%20Packet%20v1.pdf>

is a great place to start and has information on every aspect of
getting ready for Field Day. Visit the ARRL Field Day web page <http://www.arrl.org/field-day> for all of the event's rules and
regulations. The information is also available in Spanish at: Reglas
del Día de Campo de la ARRL 2023 <http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Field-Day/2023/Reglas%20del%20Dia%20de%20Campo%20de%20la%20ARRL%202023.pdf>.


ARRL will host a livestream on YouTube and other social media platforms
during Field Day. The social media team will be sharing images and
photos posted with the hashtag #ARRLFD. Remember to post content with
the hashtag for a chance to be featured and help spread the message of
the event. Also, tag us! Find our social media channels on this page <https://www.arrl.org/arrl-social-media>.

AMSAT FIELD DAY TO ACTIVATE SATELLITES

The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) promotes its own
version of Field Day for operation via the amateur satellites. It's
held during the same hours as ARRL Field Day. Making contacts should be
as easy as it was last year, as more than 10 transponders and repeaters
will be available.

AMSAT's Bruce Paige, KK5DO, gives a full report of AMSAT Field Day on
this week's ARRL Audio News <http://arrl.org/arrl-audio-news>. You can
hear his report on Friday morning, June 9, 2023.

ARRL FIELD DAY PUBLIC RELATIONS TOOLS

Those interested in helpful tips and tricks to get the message out
about their Field Day event have a new training tool. The ARRL Public
Relations Committee <https://www.arrl.org/board-committees> (PRC) has
published a video webinar with pointers on media and public relations techniques for the event. There's also helpful information on outreach
and social media strategy that can be useful throughout the year. The
session is 37 minutes long and may be found at this link <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN272yUnJMs>.

The PRC is a national-level committee appointed annually by the
President of ARRL. Comprised of people with extensive experience in
different areas of public relations, media work, news, and social
issues experience, this committee is the "go-to-" group for making
national- level events happen. They provide support, advice, and
skilled help.

2023 SEA-PAC: SUCCESSFUL ARRL NORTHWESTERN DIVISION CONVENTION

"Surf a Radio Wave" was the headline for the Pacific Northwest's
largest amateur radio convention, SEA-PAC <https://www.seapac.org/>,
which held its 41st event, June 2 - 4, 2023, in Seaside, Oregon. The
convention hosted the 2023 ARRL Northwestern Division Convention.

ARRL Education and Learning Manager Steve Goodgame, K5ATA, delivered an inspiring keynote address at Saturday's banquet. Goodgame spoke about
current and future ARRL initiatives to increase the adoption of amateur
radio by more schools as part of a STEM education curriculum. His
spouse, Cyndi Goodgame, K5CYN, spoke at the YL Luncheon, on the topic
of developing the next generation of young women in amateur radio. She
was joined by Katherine Campbell, KE8LQR, of Columbiana, Ohio, and ARDC Executive Director Rosy Schechter, KJ7RYV, of Portland, Oregon. Both
offered personal perspectives on being active hams. At age 15, Campbell
holds an Amateur Extra Class license, and participates in many hamfests
to recruit and encourage other young hams.

A large student presence at SEA-PAC was organized by Scott
Rosenfeld, N7JI, Technical Advisor for the ham radio club at the
University of Oregon (UO), Ducks on the Air <https://blogs.uoregon.edu/ducksontheair/>. Students from three schools supported a booth for the ARRL Collegiate Amateur Radio Program
including UO, Portland State University (PSU), and Oregon State
University. "It was great to see such enthusiastic participation from
the students, such great support from ARRL and the SEA-PAC organizers,
and so much personal interaction between attendees and our students
supporting collegiate amateur radio," said Rosenfeld. PSU students used
the opportunity to present their student-led aerospace project, OreSat, Oregon's first satellite. OreSat0 is a CubeSat that launched In March
2022. Additional OreSats are in various stages of development and
launch planning.

ARRL member Kat Ricker, KF7KAT (left), builds an end-fed half-wave
antenna during one of the workshops offered at 2023 SEA-PAC. ARRL
Alaska Section Manager David Stevens, KL7EB (right) was among the team
of instructors who assisted with the kit building.

Students track and receive data from the satellites with amateur
radio. "The students enjoyed the experience so much that they've
already discussed doing it again next year, and how to make the
experience even better," added Rosenfeld, who thanked show attendees
for spending time talking with the students.

See ARRL's photo album from SEA-PAC on Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.635363978625920>.

SEA-PAC is sponsored by the Oregon Tualatin Valley Amateur Radio Club,
and co-sponsored by the Clark County Amateur Radio Club. The next
SEA-PAC will be held May 30 - June 2, 2024. Visit www.arrl.org/hamfests <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests> to find a hamfest near you.

Read more about the event on ARRL News. <http://arrl.org/news/2023-sea-pac-successful-arrl-northwestern-division-convention>

AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT TO RESUME AMATEUR LICENSURE, DEED DELEGATION

ENDS

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) said they will
resume responsibility for amateur radio licensing in the country. As
first reported <https://www.wia.org.au/newsevents/news/2023/20230524-1/index.php> by
the Wireless Institute of Australia, the "new, more effective
arrangements" come as ACMA reported that the Australian Maritime
College (AMC) has decided not to extend a deeded arrangement that
delegated licensing of radio amateurs to the school beyond February
2024. AMC has been responsible for operator exams, issuing
qualifications, and recommending that ACMA issue a call sign to an
applicant.

Australia issues three license classes: Foundation, Standard, and
Advanced. Currently, tests are administered by volunteer assessors,
often associated with radio clubs, who are accredited through the AMC.
ACMA proposes to keep that same corps of volunteers, but to have them
directly administer testing on behalf of the government. Those
interested in being ACMA-accredited assessors may apply to the agency.

ACMA plans to introduce the new accreditation scheme and class
licensing arrangements in August 2023.

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>.

"Steubenville-Weirton Amateur Radio Club Donates <https://www.weirtondailytimes.com/news/community/2023/06/steubenville-weirton-amateur-radio-club-donates/>"

/ The Weirton Daily Times (Ohio), June 2, 2023 -- The
Steubenville-Weirton Amateur Radio Club.

"Hamvention 2023 breaks attendance record <https://www.whio.com/news/local/hamvention-2023-breaks-attendance-record/P2RBCQAD6VHS5JXM5PY6OYTIJQ/>"

/ WHIO-TV (Ohio), June 5, 2023 --The Dayton Amateur Radio Association
is an ARRL Affiliated Club.

"Amateur Radio Field Day <https://panow.com/2023/06/05/amateur-radio-field-day/>" / paNOW
(Canada), June 5, 2023 -- The Melfort Repeater Group.

"McKinney Amateur Radio Club to host annual Field Day event <https://starlocalmedia.com/mckinneycouriergazette/mckinney-amateur-radio-club-to-host-annual-field-day-event/article_0db9abf0-016f-11ee-a301-078f98ebf043.html>"

The McKinney Courier- Gazette (Texas), June 5, 2023 -- The McKinney
Amateur Radio Club is an ARRL Affiliated Club.

"Ham radio clubs to test emergency capabilities in June 24-25 event <https://www.observerlocalnews.com/news/2023/jun/06/ham-radio-clubs-to-test-emergency-capabilities-in-june-26-27-event/>"

/ Observer (Florida), June 6, 2023 -- The Flagler-Palm Coast Amateur
Radio Club is an ARRL Affiliated Club.

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

ARRL PODCASTS

On the Air
Sponsored by Icom <http://www.icomamerica.com/en/>

With this year's ARRL June VHF Contest fast approaching on the weekend
of June 10, seasoned VHF operator Bob Witte, K0NR, joins the podcast to
talk about how to prepare yourself and your station to join in the fun
of this beginner-friendly event.

ARRL Audio News
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

On June 10, 2023, a CubeSat (miniature satellite) that contains a
nanobook with messages from Pope Francis will be launched from
Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The pope's messages will be transmitted on 427.5 MHz in English, Italian, and Spanish and can be
heard on any amateur radio receiver. The new space mission, called Spei Satelles (which can be translated to mean guardian of hope), is
promoted by the Dicastery for Communication and coordinated by the
Italian Space Agency. The project was unveiled at the Vatican on March
27, 2023, which was the anniversary of the prayer service that Pope
Francis led in an empty St. Peter's Square during the midst of the
COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The message on the nanobook is from that
event. The nanobook was created by the National Research Council (CNR)
of Italy. "The lab converted the 150-page book -- about 86 square feet
of printed material -- into binary code that fits on a tiny chip," said
Andrea Notargiacomo, head researcher in nanotechnology at CNR. The 2 x 2-millimeter chip is about the size of the tip of a crayon. Two dozen
students at the Polytechnic University of Turin built the miniature
satellite.

IN BRIEF...

The final numbers are in for the 2023 Dayton Hamvention®. Hamvention
General Chairman Jim Storms, AB8YK, reported that there were 33,861
attendees at this year's event, which is 2,000 more than last year.
This year's number even surpassed the pre-pandemic attendance record of
32,472. "Things went very smoothly due to the dedication and hard work
of close to 700 volunteers," said Storms. Preparations for next year's
event on May 17 - 19, 2024, have already begun.

A visit to ARRL. On Thursday, June 8, 2023, ARRL headquarters in
Newington, Connecticut, enjoyed a visit from Abdullah Altaleb, HZ1EK
from Saudi Arabia.

Altaleb met ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA, (see photo) during his
visit, and toured W1AW, the Maxim Memorial Station.

For more information about visiting ARRL HQ and guest operating W1AW,
visit our www.arrl.org/visit-us <http://www.arrl.org/visit-us>

THE K7RA SOLAR UPDATE

Tad Cook, K7RA, of Seattle, Washington, reports for this week's ARRL Propagation Bulletin, ARLP023:

Solar activity was up this week, with the average daily sunspot number increasing from 133.7 to 139, and the average daily solar flux
increasing from 155.3 to 166.8.

Average daily planetary A index stayed the same at 7.3, and average
middle latitude A index went from 7.9 to 8.6.

Predicted solar flux doesn't show any improvement, with peaks at 170 on
June 8 and again on June 23 - 25.

The forecast shows 170 on June 8; 165 on June 9 - 11; 160, 155, and 155
on June 12 - 14, then 145 and 150 on June 15 - 16; 155 on June 17 - 20,
then 160 and 165 on June 21 - 22; 170 on June 23 - 25, then 168, 165,
and 162 on June 26 - 28; 160 on June 29 through July 4, then 155, 150,
and 145 on July 5 - 7.

Predicted planetary A index is 12, 8, 5, 10, and 8 on June 8 - 12; 5 on
June 13 - 17, then 22, 15, 12, and 10 on June 18 - 21; 5 on June 22 -
26, then 10, 12, 5, and 5 on June 27 - 30, then 8, 12, and 8 on July 1
- 3, and 5 on July 4 - 7.

In some previous bulletins, I observed 10-meter propagation with FT8
into Florida from my QTH in Seattle, and into Mexico at a similar
distance.

Recently on 10 meters, propagation has been into VK/ZL and North
America, and mostly into southern California, Nevada, Utah, and
Arizona. There is some seasonal variation.

Sunspot numbers for June 1 through 7, 2023, were 143, 147, 112, 110,
151, 133, and 177, with a mean of 139. 10.7-centimeter flux was 163.9,
162.3, 164.6, 168.3, 169.2, 171.8, and 167.2, with a mean of 166.8.
Estimated planetary A indices were 13, 5, 5, 11, 5, 7, and 5, with a
mean of 7.3. Middle latitude A index was 14, 8, 5, 11, 6, 10, and 6,
with a mean of 8.6.

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

Yearlong -- ARRL Volunteers On the Air <https://vota.arrl.org/> (VOTA).
See the State Activations Schedule for weekly W1AW Portable Operations <https://vota.arrl.org/w1awPortable.php>, including:

- June 14 - June 20 -- Arkansas W1AW/5

- June 14 - June 20 -- West Virginia W1AW/8

- June 21 - None -- Field Day June 24-25

- June 28 - July 4 -- Maryland W1AW/3

- June 28 - July 4 - Illinois W1AW/9

UPCOMING CONTESTS:

- June 10 -- VK Shires Contest (CW, phone)

- June 10 -- Asia-Pacific Sprint SSB (phone)

- June 10 -- Portugal Day Contest (CW, phone)

- June 10 - 11 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon (CW)

- June 10 -- AGCW VHF/UHF Contest (CW)

- June 10 - 11 -- GACW WWSA (CW)

- June 10 - 11 -- REF DDFM 6m Contest (CW, phone)

- June 10 - 12 -- ARRL June VHF Contest (CW, phone, digital)

- June 11 -- Cookie Crumble QRP Contest (CW, phone, digital)

- June 12 -- 4 States QRP Group 2nd Sun Sprint (CW, phone)

- June 14 -- NAQCC CW Sprint (CW)

- June 14 -- VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest (FT8)

- June 14 -- RSGB 80m Club Champ (CW)

- June 15 -- NTC QSO Party (CW Max 25 WPM)

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

UPCOMING SECTION, STATE, AND DIVISION CONVENTIONS

- June 17 | Knoxville Hamfest and Electronics Convention <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/knoxville-hamfest-and-electronics-convention-arrl-tennessee-state-convention-1>,

hosting the ARRL Tennessee State Convention, Knoxville, Tennessee

- June 23 - 25 | HAM RADIO <http://www.hamradio-friedrichshafen.com/>, Friedrichshafen, Germany

- July 8 | SVARC Summer Hamfest Minot <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/svarc-summer-hamfest-minot-arrl-north-dakota-section-convention>,

hosting the ARRL North Dakota Section Convention, Minot, North Dakota

- July 15 | SEARC Tailgate Hamfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/searc-tailgate-hamfest-arrl-south-dakota-section-convention>,

hosting the ARRL South Dakota Section Convention, Sioux Falls, South
Dakota

- July 29 | CVARC 2023 Hamfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/cvarc-2023-hamfest-arrl-pennsylvania-state-convention>,

hosting the ARRL Pennsylvania State Convention, Chambersburg,
Pennsylvania

- July 29 | ARRL West Virginia State Convention and Ham Fest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/arrl-west-virginia-state-convention-and-ham-fest-1>,

Sutton, West Virginia

- August 19 - 20 | Huntsville Hamfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/huntsville-hamfest-arrl-alabama-state-convention>,

hosting the ARRL Alabama State Convention, Huntsville, Alabama

- August 25 - 27 | Northeast HamXposition <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/northeast-hamxposition-arrl-new-england-division-convention-1>,

hosting the ARRL New England Division Convention, Marlborough,
Massachusetts

- September 1 - 3 | Shelby Hamfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/shelby-hamfest-arrl-north-carolina-section-convention-2>,

hosting the ARRL North Carolina Section Convention, Shelby, North
Carolina

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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