• The ARRL Letter for September 23, 2021

    From ARRL Web site@21:1/5 to All on Thu Sep 23 17:30:30 2021
    XPost: rec.radio.amateur.misc, rec.radio.amateur.policy, rec.radio.info

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

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

    September 23, 2021

    Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME <ww1me@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

    - ARRL, RSGB Announce Joint Events to Celebrate Centenary of Ham Radio Transatlantic Success
    - Clear Frequencies Requested for Possible Nicaragua Earthquake Traffic
    - Radio Amateurs on Standby Following Volcanic Eruption in the Canaries
    - ARRL Podcasts Schedule
    - Registration Opens for US Amateur Radio Direction Finding
    Championships
    - ARRL Learning Network Webinars
    - Open-Source Amateur Satellite Work Not Subject to Export
    Administration Regulation
    - Amateur Radio in the News
    - IARU Region 3 Considers Significant Expansion of HF Digital Segments
    - Announcements
    - AWA Video: SSB was Slow to Catch On as a Ham Radio Mode
    - The K7RA Solar Update
    - Just Ahead in Radiosport
    - Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions

    ARRL, RSGB ANNOUNCE JOINT EVENTS TO CELEBRATE CENTENARY OF HAM
    RADIO TRANSATLANTIC SUCCESS

    ARRL and the Radio Society of Great Britain will jointly sponsor events
    to celebrate the achievement of transatlantic communications by radio
    amateurs 100 years ago.

    In December 1921, ARRL sent Paul F. Godley, 2ZE, as its representative
    to listen for amateur signals from North America during the Second Transatlantic Tests. Setting up his listening station in Ardrossan, on
    the west coast of Scotland, Godley received the signals of more than 2
    dozen US amateur radio stations, the first on December 12 (UTC) from
    1BCG in Connecticut, operated by members of the Radio Club of America.
    The message read: "Nr 1 NY ck 12 to Paul Godley, Ardrossan, Scotland.
    Hearty Congratulations. (Signed) Burghard Inman Grinan Armstrong Amy Cronkhite."

    These successful transatlantic tests and the ones that followed spurred technological advances and new global wireless distance records.
    Several amateur radio operating events this year and next will
    commemorate the centenary of these significant milestones that heralded
    the dawn of two-way international amateur radio communication.

    ARRL and RSGB will activate special event stations for 6 hours (0200 -
    0800 UTC) on December 12 for the 160-meter Transatlantic Centenary QSO
    Party. RSGB will activate GB2ZE from Scotland, with a team of stations
    from the GMDX Group sharing operating duties. ARRL will activate W1AW.
    The stations will operate only on CW. If transatlantic propagation
    holds up, the stations may continue to operate beyond 0800 UTC.

    The GMDX Group of Scotland will award a quaich -- a traditional
    Scottish drinking cup representing friendship -- to the first stations
    in North America and the UK to complete contacts with both W1AW and
    GB2ZE during the QSO party. A commemorative certificate will be
    available for download.

    RSGB and ARRL are also organizing an international amateur radio
    marathon on the HF bands to commemorate transatlantic tests held
    between 1921 and 1923. The Transatlantic Centenary Marathon will take
    place in December 2022. The objective will be to mark these historic
    events by encouraging all radio amateurs to get on the air. Event
    details are pending.

    ARRL and RSGB have assembled a list of stations and groups that are
    also organizing events and activities to celebrate 100 years of amateur
    radio transatlantic communication. For more information, visit arrl.org/transatlantic <http://arrl.org/transatlantic> and rsgb.org/transatlantic-tests <https://rsgb.org/transatlantic-tests>.
    The sites also include links to many previously published articles and presentations covering the historic tests.

    Additional events and commemorations include:

    - Radio Club of America (RCA) Transatlantic QSO Party <https://www.radioclubofamerica.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=500767&module_id=475160>,

    1200 UTC on November 13 to 0400 UTC on November 14, 2021 (16 hours
    total). The QSO party commemorates the contribution of members of the
    Radio Club of America who constructed and operated the 1BCG transmitter
    site in Greenwich, Connecticut, that sent the first message received by
    Paul Godley, 2ZE, in Scotland.

    - W1AW Commemorative Transatlantic QSL Card. Stations making contact
    with the Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Station, W1AW, between December 11,
    2021, and December 31, 2022, qualify to receive a commemorative W1AW
    QSL card. US stations should QSL with a self-addressed, stamped
    envelope; international stations should QSL via the Bureau.

    - The 2021 ARRL 160-Meter Contest <http://www.arrl.org/160-meter>, 2200
    UTC on December 3 - 1559 UTC on December 5. This 42-hour, CW-only
    contest is most similar to the original Transatlantic Tests of the
    early 1920s. Stations in the US and Canada work each other as well as
    DXCC entities. RSGB is planning to activate one of the original call
    signs used in the Transatlantic Tests, with up to seven different
    prefixes from the UK and Crown Dependencies. Look for G6XX (England);
    GD6XX (Isle of Man); GI6XX (Northern Ireland); GJ6XX (Jersey); GM6XX (Scotland); GU6XX (Guernsey), and GW6XX (Wales).

    - Special Event GB1002ZE, December 1 - 26, 2021. The Crocodile Rock
    Amateur Group (CRAG) based near Ardrossan, Scotland, will activate the
    special event station GB1002ZE to commemorate the successful reception
    of amateur transatlantic signals by Paul Godley, 2ZE, in 1921. The RSGB encourages stations in the UK and Crown Dependencies to append the
    suffix "/2ZE" to their station's normal call sign throughout the
    period, as authorized by UK regulator Ofcom.

    CLEAR FREQUENCIES REQUESTED FOR POSSIBLE NICARAGUA EARTHQUAKE
    TRAFFIC

    IARU Region 2 Emergency Coordinator Carlos Alberto Santamaría González,
    CO2JC, has requested that radio amateurs in Central America avoid 7098
    and 7198 kHz in the wake of an earthquake at 0957 UTC Wednesday in
    Nicaragua.

    The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the magnitude 6.5 earthquake has
    also affected Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
    The earthquake was followed by another 4.0 temblor and other
    aftershocks of less intensity, as confirmed by Juan de la Cruz
    Rodríguez Pérez, YN1J, President and National Emergency Coordinator of
    the Club de Radioexperimentadores de Nicaragua (CREN). CREN is the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) member-society for Nicaragua.

    The earthquake occurred offshore some 60 miles from Chinandega and approximately 52 miles southwest of the resort town of Jiquilillo,
    Nicaragua. The USGS said the quake occurred in the North Pacific at a
    depth of approximately 20 miles.

    According to the Nicaraguan Institute for Territorial Studies, the
    event was related to the tectonic processes of the collision between
    the Cocos and Caribbean tectonic plates.

    Emergency communicator Juan de la Cruz, YN1J, requested the frequency protection.

    No tsunami warning has been issued, and there have been no immediate
    reports of damage.

    According to the USGS, "Little or no landsliding is expected, but some landslides could have occurred in highly susceptible areas." And, "The
    number of people living near areas that could have produced landslides
    in this earthquake is low, but landslide damage or fatalities are still possible in highly susceptible areas. This is not a direct estimate of landslide fatalities or losses."

    RADIO AMATEURS ON STANDBY FOLLOWING VOLCANIC ERUPTION IN THE
    CANARIES

    The Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palmas in Spain's Canary Islands erupted
    for the first time in 50 years on Sunday, September 19, following an
    increase in seismic activity over the previous 7 days. The lava flow
    has triggered the evacuation of more than 6,000 people so far.
    Authorities have deployed all the resources of the Canary Islands
    Government, as well as military support from the mainland, to manage
    the situation. In order to facilitate communication into and out of the
    area, EMCOM-SPAIN <https://emergencias.ure.es/> has asked that the IARU Emergency Center of Activity Frequencies be kept clear in case the
    situation worsens: 3.760 MHz; 7.110 MHz; 14.300 MHz, and 21.360 MHz. --
    Thanks to IARU Region 1

    ARRL PODCASTS SCHEDULE

    The latest episode of the On the Air podcast (Episode 21) features a
    chat with Steve Goodgame, K5ATA, about the new edition of The ARRL
    Handbook and how it can be useful to new hams.

    The latest edition of Eclectic Tech (Episode 43) debuts on Thursday,
    September 23. It is a chat with Glen Popiel, KW5GP, about his new ARRL
    book More Arduino for Amateur Radio.

    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 <https://blubrry.com/arrlontheair/> |
    Eclectic Tech <https://blubrry.com/eclectictech/>.

    REGISTRATION OPENS FOR US AMATEUR RADIO DIRECTION FINDING
    CHAMPIONSHIPS

    Registration <https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/eventregister/a40/register/start/ardf2021>

    is now open for the 2021 US and IARU Region 2 Championships of Amateur
    Radio Direction Finding (ARDF), set for October 13 - 17. Competition
    venues will be near Asheboro, North Carolina. Postponed from 2020,
    these championships will be conducted in accordance with CDC COVID-19 guidelines.

    "The US ARDF Championships are an ideal opportunity to watch and learn
    from the best radio-orienteers in the US," said ARRL ARDF
    Co-coordinator Charles Scharlau, NZ0I. "Winners who qualify by
    citizenship or residence may be selected for positions on ARDF Team US,
    which will travel to Serbia for the 2022 ARDF World Championships."

    Wednesday, October 13, will be a model event for equipment testing and
    a competitor briefing. Thursday, October 14, will be devoted to the
    Sprint <http://www.homingin.com/sprints.html> championship, a short
    course with 12-second fox transmissions instead of the usual 60
    seconds.

    Classic 2-meter and 80-meter competitions will take place on Friday and
    Sunday. Between the days of classic competitions will be Foxoring <http://www.homingin.com/sprints.html#foxoring>, a combination of radio direction-finding and classic orienteering, held on Saturday morning.
    An outdoor pizza picnic will be held on Saturday evening. Presentation
    of medals for foxoring, sprint, and Friday's classic event take place
    at the picnic. Awards for Sunday's Classic competition will be
    presented immediately after the competition.

    Three optional practice days are planned for Sunday through Tuesday,
    October 10 - 12, just prior to the championships. A practice event on
    Sunday in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, will provide the experience of a
    full ARDF course in a friendly environment, with the clock as the only opponent. The practices on Monday and Tuesday will be held in Durham,
    North Carolina, and will offer informal sessions in which the
    participants help with setting the transmitters in the woods.

    Experienced radio orienteers and event organizers from the Backwoods Orienteering Klub (BOK <https://backwoodsok.org/>) will organize the
    2021 US and IARU Region 2 Championships. An email reflector <https://groups.google.com/g/ardf-usa> is available for questions and
    answers with the organizers, as well as for coordinating transportation
    and arranging equipment loans. -- Thanks to Joe Moell, K0OV Read an
    expanded version <http://www.arrl.org/news/registration-opens-for-usa-amateur-radio-direction-finding-championships>.


    ARRL LEARNING NETWORK WEBINARS

    Visit the ARRL Learning Network
    <http://www.arrl.org/arrl-learning-network> (a members-only benefit) to register, check on upcoming webinars, and to view previously recorded
    sessions.

    ARRL members may register for upcoming presentations and view
    previously recorded Learning Network <http://www.arrl.org/arrl-learning-network> webinars. ARRL-affiliated
    radio clubs may also use the recordings as presentations for club
    meetings, mentoring new and current hams, and discussing amateur radio
    topics.

    Working the Pileup, presented by Ron Delpiere-Smith, KD9IPO / Tuesday,
    October 5, 2021 @ 1:00 pm EDT (1700 UTC)

    Ron Delpiere-Smith, KD9IPO, Vice President of the Chicago Suburban
    Radio Association and an ARRL Assistant Section Manager in Illinois,
    will offer an enlightening discussion on working a pileup from both
    sides of the contact. Whether your interest lies in ARRL Field Day,
    contesting, special events, or rare DX, this is a must-see
    presentation. Ron will discuss search-and-pounce and running
    techniques, when to use them, and some tips on working them to your
    advantage.

    The ARRL Learning Network <http://www.arrl.org/arrl-learning-network>
    schedule is subject to change.

    OPEN-SOURCE AMATEUR SATELLITE WORK NOT SUBJECT TO EXPORT
    ADMINISTRATION REGULATION

    CEO Michelle Thompson, W5NYV, reports that Open Research Institute (ORI <https://www.openresearch.institute/>) received an advisory opinion
    from the US Commerce Department Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS)
    on September 2, confirming that public internet posts regarding
    open-source amateur satellite communications work are not subject to
    the Export Administration Regulation (EAR). ORI was founded in March
    2018 by Bruce Perens, K6BP, in order to provide a formal structure for open-source satellite work. Prior work by ORI established that
    open-source amateur satellite communications work was free of
    International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).

    "This is a significant regulatory success for open-source amateur
    satellite work and open source in general," Thompson said. In a later
    post <https://www.openresearch.institute/2021/09/13/itar-ear-regulatory-work-background-and-summary/>

    on the ORI site, Thompson said ITAR and EAR have had a dramatic effect
    on both commercial and amateur satellite work since the 1990s. "The
    regulations are blamed for a significant decline in US market share for satellite systems and halted highly successful international amateur collaborations," she wrote.

    Open-source work that is published as it is created and is freely
    available to the general public at no cost is not subject to ITAR or
    EAR, Thompson said.

    ORI's work was funded by ARDC, with legal assistance provided by
    Thomsen and Burke LLP. All documents and links to presentations <https://github.com/phase4ground/documents/tree/master/Regulatory>
    about the work are available.

    "Thank you to those who have supported and assisted ORI during the many
    stages of this successful regulatory endeavor," Thompson said. "ORI
    will build upon this work to advance the aims and purposes of
    open-source amateur satellites."

    Visit <https://www.openresearch.institute/getting-started/> the ORI
    website's "Getting Started" page to get involved. Read an expanded
    version <http://www.arrl.org/news/open-source-amateur-satellite-work-not-subject-to-export-administration-regulation>.


    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>.

    - The Quietest Place in America <https://lethbridgenewsnow.com/2021/09/21/the-quietest-place-in-america/>
    / Green Bank, West Virginia from LethbridgeNewsNow (Alberta, Canada)
    September 21, 2021

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

    IARU REGION 3 CONSIDERS SIGNIFICANT EXPANSION OF HF DIGITAL
    SEGMENTS

    The IARU Region 3 (Asia) online conference hosted by Thailand's IARU member-society RAST wraps up on September 23. One topic discussed was a proposed HF band plan. Among the problems the planners seek to address
    is the use of bandwidth as a defining transmission characteristic.
    Following the revision of the tools used to describe HF amateur band
    plans, a joint tri-region IARU committee developed a proposal for
    revision of the data segments of the HF amateur band plans.

    The changes proposed include a significant expansion of digital mode
    segments. These revisions address several areas, including global HF
    amateur band plan segment harmonization.

    Other factors include:

    - separation of "conversational" and time-synchronized digital activity

    - band plan segment expansions in support of time-synchronized
    transmission mode capacity demands (mostly trading with now lesser used
    RTTY subbands)

    - more effective separation of voice and data modes on 40 meters

    - relocation of the IARU Region 3 EmComm SSB frequency from 3600 to
    3680 kHz

    - relocation of the global 20-meter slow-scan TV (SSTV) frequency from
    14,230 kHz to 14,330 kHz

    - relocation of Japan's domestic 40-meter FT8 frequency from 7041 to
    7037 kHz (dial) to provide for a global narrowband conversational modes
    (e.g., PSK) segment between 7040 and 7044 kHz in alignment with
    existing Region 1 arrangements to replace the 7070 - 7074 kHz segment
    in Region 2, and recognition of 7040 - 7060 plus 7065 - 7080 kHz as the
    new 40-meter data segment with voice operation, reduced to secondary
    status between 7060 and 7070 kHz.

    Documents <http://www.iarur3conf2021.org/documents/> are available from
    the Region 1 Conference website. Special event station HS18IARU was on
    the air during the conference.

    ANNOUNCEMENTS

    - The International DX Association (INDEXA <http://www.indexa.org/>)
    will support the 3Y0J DXpedition <http://www.3y0j.no/> to Bouvet Island
    in November-December 2022 with a grant of $15,000.

    - PACIFICON 2021 <http://www.pacificon.org/>, which will host the ARRL
    Pacific Division Convention, is set for October 15 -17, sponsored by
    Mount Diablo Amateur Radio Club. The event will take place at the San
    Ramon Marriott Hotel, 2600 Bishop Drive, San Ramon, California.

    - The Arizona Association for Summits on the Air (SOTA <https://summits.sota.org.uk/>) will host the 4th annual 10-Point s2s
    Madness event on Saturday, October 2, 1400 - 2359 UTC. In this event,
    multiple hams simultaneously operate mountaintop portable on 10-point
    summits. Hams can participate as activators or chasers; add your
    information to the Alerts section on the SOTA website if you plan to
    activate. The same website will display the spots on the day of the
    event, if you are a chaser. In the past, 25 - 30 activators are on a
    10-point summit at the same time. For more information, contact <pscolawa7jtm@msn.com> Pete Scola, WA7JTM, or search social media for
    the hashtag #TenPointMadness.

    - The Central Arizona DX Association will have the call sign K7UGA on
    the air October 4 - 8. K7UGA was the call sign of Arizona US Senator
    Barry Goldwater, who was also the 1964 Republican Party presidential
    candidate. K7UGA will be on all bands and modes. QSL via K7BHM with an
    SASE.

    - Lance Collister, W7GJ <https://www.bigskyspaces.com/w7gj/>, will
    undertake a 6-meter DXpedition to the Austral and Marquesas Islands.
    He'll spend October 15 - 24 as FO/W7GJ on the Australs, and October 28
    - November 7 as TX7MB on the Marquesas. He is planning to use the
    Q65-60A for all 6-meter moonbounce activity and FT8 for terrestrial
    contacts.

    - Members of the Russian Robinson Club will celebrate the 60th
    anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty signing with special call signs
    R60ANT, RA60ANT, RB60ANT, RC60ANT, RG60ANT, RJ60ANT, RK60ANT, RL60ANT,
    RN60ANT, RT60ANT, RU60ANT, RZ60ANT, and RI60ANT, between October 1 and
    December 31.

    AWA VIDEO: SSB WAS SLOW TO CATCH ON AS A HAM RADIO MODE

    Hams are often early adopters of new technology, such as FT8, but this
    was not the case with single sideband (SSB) amplitude modulation. First referenced in Major General George Squier's 1911 patent that had
    nothing to do with RF applications, SSB didn't really catch on as a
    popular ham radio phone mode until the 1960s.

    Antique Wireless Association (AWA) museum curator Ed Gable, K2MP,
    recounted "The History of Single Sideband <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBRntPJTr5Y>" as part of the inaugural
    "AWA Shares" program, presented on August 19. Gable described Squier as
    an "early idea man" in the history of SSB at a time when hams had
    hardly adopted AM in any form.

    As Gable explained, John Renshaw Carson built on Squier's patents to
    define the principles of SSB radio transmission theory, using a
    balanced modulator and filters. AT&T went all in with SSB, basing its
    first long-haul telephone system on the technology. Its SSB voice
    service to Europe, which kicked off in 1923, lasted for more than 3
    decades. A receiving site in Scotland took advantage of Beverage
    antennas put in place for the ARRL transatlantic tests.

    Gable credited Robert M. Moore, W6DEI, with introducing SSB to the ham
    radio community, through an article in R9 Magazine in the early 1930s.
    The technology remained more of a curiosity, however, in part because
    of the Great Depression, cost, and technical difficulty. Besides, hams
    of that era saw no real advantage to narrowband modes, since bands were
    not that crowded.

    The mood began to change after World War II, though. In 1948, Oswald
    Villard, W6QIT, engineered the airing of SSB signals via Stanford
    University's W6YX, re-introducing the mode to a burgeoning and more
    technically savvy post-war ham community that included a lot of
    veterans. A 1950 GE Ham News article by Don Norgaard, W2KUJ, described
    plans for a 5 W, three-tube SSB transmitter he dubbed "The SSB Jr."

    Expanding on this, Central Electronics' Wes Schum, W9DYV, built the
    first SSB exciter, the 10A, in 1952, and it became the company's first
    product, spawning a series of successor products that included a VFO
    based on a modified BC-458 military surplus transmitter, an "SSB
    slicer" for receiving, and even a linear. SSB equipment was neither
    inexpensive nor accessible, however.

    "Cheap and Easy S.S.B." by Anthony Vitale, W2EWL, which appeared in QST
    in 1956, spoke to hams' attitudes, helping to advance the adoption of
    SSB among radio amateurs. Byron Goodman, W1DX, addressed receiver
    improvements with his QST article, "The Product Detector."

    In the same decade, General Curtis LeMay, K3JUY/K4RFA, promoted the
    advantages of SSB to the military, heralding a phase-out of AM as the
    dominant voice technology. Many hams were not convinced of SSB's
    advantages, deriding the signals as sounding like Donald Duck. Adoption
    didn't really take off until the Collins KWM-1 came along in 1957. It
    was the first SSB transceiver to share receiver and transmitter
    circuitry. Heathkit, Viking, and B&W produced SSB adapters for use with
    current AM gear.

    Other manufacturers including National and Swan came along to further
    boost adoption of the mode, and it wasn't that many years before SSB
    eclipsed AM as the predominant voice mode on the HF bands.

    THE K7RA SOLAR UPDATE

    Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Last week, we reported a big increase
    in solar activity with the daily sunspot number reaching 124, but by
    the end of that week, all the sunspots had disappeared. The sun was
    blank for several days, but then, sunspots returned on September 19.

    Average daily sunspot numbers were 28.7 this week, below the 58.3
    average reported a week earlier. Average daily solar flux was down by
    nine points, from 87.4 to 78.4.

    Geomagnetic indicators were higher, with the highest activity on
    September 17, when the planetary A index was 24 due to a minor
    geomagnetic storm triggered by a weak coronal mass ejection (CME).
    Average daily planetary A index for the week increased from 7 to 9.1,
    and average middle-latitude A index went from 6.9 to 8.4.

    Predicted solar flux for the next month is 90 on September 23; 95 on
    September 24 - 25; 98 and 95 on September 26 - 27; 90 on September 28 -
    29; 84 on September 30 - October 5; 82 on October 6; 80 on October 7 -
    8; 78 on October 9 - 11; 75 on October 12 - 20; 80 on October 21 - 22;
    82 on October 23 - 25; 84 and 82 on October 26 - 27, and 84 on October
    28 - November 1.

    Predicted planetary A index is 12, 8, and 15 on September 23 - 25; 8 on September 26 - 27; 12 on September 28; 10 on September 29 - 30; 5 on
    October 1 - 3; 8 and 12 on October 4 - 5; 5 on October 6 - 9; 12 on
    October 10; 5 on October 11 - 17; 8 on October 18 - 19; 10, 8, and 12
    on October 20 - 22; 10 on October 23 - 24, and 5 on October 25 - 30.

    The northern autumnal equinox occurred at 1920 UTC on September 22,
    which means Earth is bathed in approximately equal amounts of solar
    radiation over the Northern and Southern hemispheres, always a good
    sign for HF propagation.

    Here is a new forecast <https://youtu.be/t0FLJLeXw6Y> from Tamitha
    Skov, WX6SWW.

    Sunspot numbers for September 16 through 22 were 0, 0, 11, 13, 51, 50,
    and 76, with a mean of 28.7. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 73.2, 73.4,
    73.7, 75, 80, 84.9, and 88.5, with a mean of 78.4. Estimated planetary
    A indices were 3, 24, 11, 3, 3, 8, and 12, with a mean of 9.1. Middle
    latitude A index was 3, 19, 14, 2, 4, 6, and 11, with a mean of 8.4.

    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.

    JUST AHEAD IN RADIOSPORT

    - September 23 -- RSGB 80-Meter Autumn Series (digital)

    - September 25 -- AGCW VHF/UHF Contest (CW)

    - September 25 -- Masonic Lodges on the Air (phone)

    - September 25 - 26 -- CQ Worldwide DX Contest, RTTY

    - September 25 - 26 -- Maine QSO Party (CW, phone)

    - September 27 -- RSGB FT4 Contest Series

    - September 28 -- MHz Fall Sprint (CW, phone)

    - September 29 -- UKEICC 80-Meter Contest (CW)

    For more information, visit the ARRL Contest Calendar <http://www.arrl.org/contest-calendar>.

    UPCOMING ARRL SECTION, STATE, AND DIVISION CONVENTIONS

    Some conventions and hamfests may have been canceled or postponed due
    to the coronavirus pandemic. Check the calendar of canceled events <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/search/page:1/keywords:Canceled/model:Event>
    on the ARRL website.

    - September 25 -- ARRL Dakota Division Convention <https://rrra.org/cal/2021/09/25/rrra-hamfest-arrl-dakota-division-convention/>

    (RRRA Hamfest), West Fargo, North Dakota

    - October 2 -- ARRL South Carolina Section Convention <https://www.ycars.org/hamfest/> (Rock Hill Hamfest), Rock Hill, South
    Carolina

    - October 8 - 9 -- ARRL Florida State Convention <http://pcars.org/>
    (Melbourne Hamfest), Melbourne, Florida

    - October 8 - 9 -- ARRL Louisiana State Convention <http://w5sla.net/hamfest-2021.htm> (Slidell EOC Hamfest), Slidell,
    Louisiana

    - October 15 - 17 -- ARRL Pacific Division Convention <http://www.pacificon.org/> (Pacificon), San Ramon, California

    Find conventions and hamfests in your area
    <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests>.

    ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for
    Amateur Radio News and Information

    - Join or Renew Today! <http://www.arrl.org/join> Eligible US-based
    members can elect to receive QST <http://www.arrl.org/qst> or On the
    Air <http://www.arrl.org/on-the-air-magazine> magazine in print when
    they join ARRL or when they renew their membership. All members can
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