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

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

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

April 18, 2024

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

- 2024 ARRL National Convention at Dayton Hamvention -- Program and App Available
- Amateur Radio Provides Communications Support for Boston Marathon
- Armed Forces Day Crossband Test May 11, 2024
- Amateur Radio in the News
- ARRL Podcasts
- Announcements
- In Brief...
- The K7RA Solar Update
- Just Ahead in Radiosport
- Upcoming Section, State, and Division Conventions

2024 ARRL NATIONAL CONVENTION AT DAYTON HAMVENTION -- PROGRAM AND

APP AVAILABLE

The 2024 ARRL National Convention, hosted by Dayton Hamvention®, is
just a month away, and the convention program guide is now available at www.arrl.org/expo <https://www.arrl.org/expo>. The ARRL Events app is
also ready to use, encouraging everyone planning to attend to preview
all of the Hamvention exhibits, forums, and related activities.

Download the free ARRL Events
<http://www.tripbuildermedia.com/apps/arrl> app, or access the content
from an internet browser <https://www.tripbuilder.net/html5/arrl>. The
app is offered in partnership with Hamvention, and it contains
Hamvention's full program and live updates, so attendees can browse and schedule forums, find affiliated events, and preview the extensive list
of exhibitors. During the event, attendees can use many of the app's
other features to follow the hourly prize drawings organized by the
Dayton Hamvention Prize Committee and browse building and site maps.

The MyProfile icon in the app allows users to add their name, call
sign, email address, and any additional information they would like to
share with other Hamvention attendees. Additionally, the MyBadge icon
displays a QR code of your event badge that can be scanned by another
attendee or exhibitor using the Scan Badge icon to instantly share
contact information with other hams at the event. The app is available
for Apple and Android smart devices. You can also access the web
browser version, which is optimized for nearly any browser or mobile
device.

Use the app to preview many of the informative presentations planned by Hamvention and ARRL that cover a variety of topics and interests to
help grow your skills as a radio amateur -- no matter where you are in
your journey.

Young hams and young newcomers to amateur radio are reminded to
register for the 2024 ARRL Youth Rally, which will be held on Saturday
during the convention. While Hamvention offers free tickets for youths
aged 12 through high school, advance registration for the Youth Rally
($20) includes a tee shirt to wear on Saturday, a badge, a lanyard, and
a reusable tote bag. Register
<https://form.jotform.com/240775423915157> for the Youth Rally now (11
to 21 years of age).

Hamvention and the 2024 ARRL National Convention is May 17 - 19 at the
Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center, in Xenia, Ohio. In the
lead-up to the convention, the venue has finished making improvements
to the flea market area. The walking paths have been topped with gravel
and rolled to make the paths smooth and safe.

Complete information about this year's event can be found on the
Hamvention <https://hamvention.org/> website, Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/Hamvention/> page, and at www.arrl.org/expo <https://www.arrl.org/expo>.

AMATEUR RADIO PROVIDES COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT FOR BOSTON MARATHON

On Monday, April 15, 2024, ham radio operators provided communications
for the 128th running of the Boston Marathon. More than 280 radio
amateurs participated in the event.

The marathon is one of the largest events for which hams provide
communications support.

It drew volunteers from many different places. "Operators are
volunteering across Start, Course, Finish, Transportation, and various operations centers, including the Massachusetts Emergency Management
Agency (MEMA) State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) Unified Command
Center (UCC) and the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) Race Operations
Center (ROC) in Boston. They are performing communications duties that
include logistics support as a primary function, and backup support for
medical and other public safety requests for the race as needed," wrote District Emergency Coordinator for the ARRL Eastern Massachusetts
Section Rob Macedo, KD1CY.

Amateur radio operator volunteers supported the BAA, the American Red
Cross, and other agencies surrounding the event, according to Macedo.

ARMED FORCES DAY CROSSBAND TEST MAY 11, 2024

The US Department of Defense will host this year's Armed Forces Day
(AFD) Crossband Test on May 11, 2024. For more than 50 years, military
and amateur stations have taken part in this event, which is an interoperability exercise between hobbyist and government radio
stations. The event is open to all licensed amateur radio operators and
will not impact any public or private communications. The AFD Crossband
Test is a unique opportunity to test two-way communications between
military communicators and radio stations in the Amateur Radio Service
(ARS), as authorized in 47 CFR 97.111.

These tests provide opportunities and challenges for radio operators to demonstrate individual technical skills in a tightly controlled
exercise scenario. Military stations will transmit on selected military frequencies and announce the specific ARS frequencies monitored. All
scheduled times will be in Zulu (Z), and all scheduled frequencies will
be upper sideband (USB) unless otherwise noted.

Information on frequencies, times, and other technical information can
be found at DoD MARS - Armed Forces Day <https://www.dodmars.org/mars-comex-information-website/armed-forces-day>. Information for QSL cards and contact information is available at Armed
Forces Day QSL request form <https://www.usarmymars.org/armed-forces-day-qsl-card-request>.

AFD is classified as an observance -- not a federal holiday. It will be celebrated on Saturday, May 18, 2024, and it will be a time of honor.
The establishment of AFD was first announced on August 31, 1949, by
then US Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson. It was meant to replace the separate Army, Navy, and Air Force Days. All branches were combined to
create the US Department of Defense. The first Armed Forces Day was
held on May 20, 1950. The day is celebrated with special events,
tributes, observances, and parades.

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>.

"Amateur radio operators gather at the Expo <https://www.yahoo.com/tech/amateur-radio-operators-gather-expo-184900331.html>"

/ The Claremore Daily Progress (Oklahoma) April 13, 2024 -- The Green
Country Hamfest.

"Going the extra mile: the radio operators who connect all 26.2 miles
of the Boston Marathon <https://huntnewsnu.com/77235/city/metro/going-the-extra-mile-the-radio-operators-who-connect-all-26-2-miles-of-the-boston-marathon/>"

/ The Huntington News (Massachusetts) April 15, 2024 -- The
Northeastern Wireless Club.

"World Amateur Radio Day is April 18 <https://www.monroenews.com/story/news/local/2024/04/16/world-amateur-radio-april-18-ham-radio-monroe-county-radio-communications-association/73325623007/>"

/ The Monroe News (Michigan) April 16, 2024 -- The Monroe County Radio Communications Association.

"A Stroudsburg teens' passion for radio <https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/a-stroudsburg-teens-passion-for-radio/ar-BB1lFZID>"

/ WBRE (Pennsylvania) April 16, 2024 -- The Eastern Pennsylvania
Amateur Radio Association.

"Amateur radio club collaborates to help during emergencies <https://vp-mi.com/news/2024/apr/17/amateur-radio-club-collaborates-to-help-during-emergencies/>"

/ Clark Fork Valley Press (Montana) April 17, 2024 -- The Clark Fork
Valley 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/>

Served Agencies: Who They Are and How We Serve Them

We often hear about served agencies when hams talk about disaster
response and emergency communications. ARRL Director of Emergency
Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, joins the podcast this month to
discuss exactly what and who served agencies are, and where the Amateur
Radio Service fits into their responses.

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 and ARRL Audio News are available on blubrry,
iTunes, and Apple Podcasts -- On the Air
<https://blubrry.com/arrlontheair/> | ARRL Audio News <https://blubrry.com/arrlaudionews/>.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

To celebrate the 155th anniversary of the driving of the Golden Spike,
a ceremony that celebrated the completion of the transcontinental
railroad, the Ogden Amateur Radio Club <http://ogdenarc.org/> (OARC)
will operate special event station W7G on May 10 - 11, 2024. Operating
hours for both days will be 1500Z - 2300Z (09:00 - 17:00 MDT) on single sideband on 7.235 MHz, 14.255 MHz, 21.330 MHz, and 28.385 MHz. There
may be CW operation on 7.040 MHz and 14.040 MHz. The special event
station will be located at the Golden Spike National Historical Park in Promontory Summit, Utah. During last year's 2-day celebration, OARC
made approximately 300 contacts. QSL information is available at the
OARC website.

IN BRIEF...

Students at Mountain View Elementary School in Marietta, Georgia, held
an amateur radio contact with the International Space Station (ISS) in
the afternoon on April 18, 2024. More than 800 students experienced the
contact with the help of the Cherokee Amateur Radio Society <https://www.wx4car.org/> (an ARRL Affiliated Club) and the North
Fulton Amateur Radio League <https://nfarl.org/>. The Cobb County
Public Library System, bluShift Aerospace, and the Cobb Electric
Membership Corporation provide lending support. This was a direct
contact via amateur radio, and it allowed students to ask questions of
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronaut Jeanette
Epps, KF5QNU.

Watch video of the event at https://youtube.com/live/lDjyV6P9x6I. <https://youtube.com/live/lDjyV6P9x6I> 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's
Space Communications and Navigation program (SCaN), the ISS National
Laboratory -- Space Station Explorers, ARRL <http://www.arrl.org/>, and
AMSAT.

THE K7RA SOLAR UPDATE

Tad Cook, K7RA, of Seattle, Washington, reports for this week's ARRL Propagation Bulletin, ARLP0016:

This solar disk image was taken on April 18, 2024. [Photo courtesy of
NASA SDO/HMI]

Solar activity increased this week, and 11 new sunspot groups
emerged. One appeared on April 11, two more on April 13, three more on
April 14, another two on April 15, one more on April 16, and another
two on April 17.

The daily sunspot number was 199 on April 17 -- the highest value since
July 12, 2023, when it was 219.

Average daily sunspot numbers jumped from 67.9 to 142.7, and average
daily solar flux increased from 123.2 to 177.4.

Predicted solar flux over the next few weeks is 210 and 200 on April 18
- 19; 190 on April 20 - 21; 180 on April 22 - 24; 155, 140, 135, 125,
and 120 on April 25 - 29; 125 on April 30 to May 6; 130, 140, 150, 160,
and 175 on May 7 - 11, and 180 on May 12 - 14.

Predicted planetary A index is 20 on April 18; 10 on April 19 - 20; 12
and 8 on April 21 - 22; 5 on April 23 - 27; 8 on April 28 - 29; 7 on
April 30; 10 on May 1 - 3; 5 on May 4; 8 on May 5 - 7; 5 on May 8 - 11;
10 and 8 on May 12 - 13, and 5 on May 14 - 24.

Sunspot numbers for April 11 through 17, 2024, were 81, 83, 115, 152,
193, 176, and 199, with a mean of 142.7. 10.7-centimeter flux was
143.7, 151.5, 161, 178.4, 191.9, 198.7, and 216.5, with a mean of
177.4. Estimated planetary A indices were 6, 7, 5, 6, 8, 31, and 10,
with a mean of 9.6. Middle latitude A index was 6, 6, 6, 5, 7, 17, and
8, with a mean of 7.9.

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

- April 18 - 19 -- Walk for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW)

- April 20 -- ES Open HF Championship (CW, phone)

- April 20 - 21 -- Worked All Provinces of China DX Contest (phone)

- April 20 - 21 -- YU DX Contest (CW, phone)

- April 20 - 21 -- CQMM DX Contest (CW)

- April 20 - 21 -- VHF/UHF Nebraska QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)

- April 20 - 21 -- Texas State Parks on the Air (CW, phone, digital)

- April 20 - 21 -- Michigan QSO Party (CW, phone)

- April 20 - 21 -- EA-QRP CW Contest (CW)

- April 20 - 21 -- Ontario QSO Party (CW, phone)

- April 20 - 21 -- North Dakota QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)

- April 21 -- International Vintage Contest HF (CW, phone)

- April 21 -- Quebec QSO Party (CW, phone)

- April 21 -- ARRL Rookie Roundup <http://arrl.org/rookie-roundup> SSB
(phone)

- April 21 - 22 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW)

- April 24 -- 432 MHz Spring Sprint (CW, phone, digital)

- April 25 -- RSGB 80m Club Championship Data (digital)

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

UPCOMING SECTION, STATE, AND DIVISION CONVENTIONS

- April 20 | Delmarva Amateur Radio and Electronics Expo <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/delmarva-amateur-radio-and-electronics-expo-arrl-delaware-state-convention>,

hosting the ARRL Delaware State Convention, Georgetown, Delaware

- May 11 | ARRL Nebraska State Convention <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/arrl-nebraska-state-convention-3>,
Lincoln, Nebraska

- May 17 - 19 | Dayton Hamvention <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/dayton-hamvention-arrl-national-convention>, hosting the ARRL National Convention, Xenia, Ohio

- May 31 - June 2 | SEA-PAC <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/sea-pac-arrl-northwestern-division-convention-2>,

hosting the ARRL Northwestern Division Convention, Seaside, Oregon

- June 1 | Atlanta Hamfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/atlanta-hamfest-arrl-georgia-section-convention>,

hosting the ARRL Georgia Section Convention, Marietta, Georgia

- June 9 | BreezeShooters Hamfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/breezeshooters-hamfest-arrl-western-pennsylvania-section-convention-1>,

hosting the ARRL Western Pennsylvania Section Convention, Butler,
Pennsylvania

- June 15 | ARRL Maine State Convention & Hamfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/arrl-maine-state-convention-hamfest>,
Augusta, Maine

- June 15 | Knoxville Hamfest and Electronics Convention <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/knoxville-hamfest-and-electronics-convention-arrl-delta-division-convention>,

sponsoring the ARRL Delta Division Convention, Knoxville, Tennessee

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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Amateur Radio News and Information

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