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

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

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

January 20, 2022

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

- ARES Activates as Wind-Driven Year-End Fire Destroys 1,000 Colorado
Homes
- Extended ARRL Team Will Support February's ARRL National Convention
in Orlando
- ARRL Podcasts Schedule
- National Science Foundation Awards Nearly $50,000 for HamSCI Workshop
- Announcements
- FCC Seeks Attorney-Advisor for its Mobility Division
- Launch of a Wooden Satellite Still Pending
- Amateur Radio in the News
- Two Radio Amateurs Appointed to the FCC Technological Advisory
Council (TAC)
- Getting It Right!
- In Brief...
- The K7RA Solar Update
- Just Ahead in Radiosport
- Upcoming Section, State, and Division Conventions

ARES ACTIVATES AS WIND-DRIVEN YEAR-END FIRE DESTROYS 1,000 COLORADO

HOMES

Members of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES <http://www.arrl.org/ares>®) in Colorado, volunteering for the Boulder
County (Colorado) Amateur Radio Emergency Services (BCARES <http://bouldercountyares.org/>), turned out on December 30, 2021 as
the devastating Marshall Fire roared through Superior and (portions of) Louisville, Colorado. Intense winds whipped a grass fire south of
Boulder near Marshall into a massive firestorm that became too large
and fierce for firefighters to battle.

"The only battle was evacuation, as the towns of Louisville and
Superior and [the] northern suburbs of Denver lay in the fire's
wind-driven path," said Amateur TV (ATV) enthusiast and equipment
dealer Jim Andrews, KH6HTV, of Boulder. Andrews said the only thing
limiting the fire's spread was the fact that the winds diminished by
that evening.

"By that time, hundreds of homes had burned down," Andrews said, whose
own house was among them. "This was not a typical forest fire, but an
urban firestorm." Thousands of people were evacuated.

BCARES Board of Directors Chairman and Region 1, District 3 Emergency Coordinator Allen Bishop, K0ARK, said that a request from the Boulder
Office of Emergency Management (OEM) to activate the emergency
operations center (EOC) is what initiated the ARES activation. "At that
time, staffing was initiated with the activation of the BCARES Radio
Network, with three BCARES members assigned to the EOC," Bishop said.
The BCARES Net was promptly activated.

ARES volunteers supported communication at evacuation sites and
established emergency communication as commercial power failures and
preventive shutdowns by utilities caused a loss of commercial
communication. "Within about 8 hours," Bishop said, "battery back-up
systems for cell phones and landlines failed, and 911 services went
down."

"To facilitate a restoration of these emergency services, BCARES
activated the Mountain Emergency Radio Network (MERN <http://bouldercountyares.org/mountain-emergency-radio-network-mern/>),"
Bishop said. Established in 2010, MERN consists of repeaters installed
at fire stations in Gold Hill and Allenspark, at community centers in
Nederland and Raymond, and the privately owned Airlink Repeater. "These repeaters provided the emergency communication links that facilitated
the restoration of 911 communications back to the dispatch center for
the duration of the power outages," Bishop explained. The Allenspark
Neighbors Emergency Network (ANEN) and Airlink (Alternate Access Radio
Network) participated.

According to Bishop, as the Marshall Fire expanded, evacuation
center support was requested at three locations to provide on-site
situation reports using Winlink. Bishop said BCARES members and
mutual-aid ARES operators from neighboring Districts established local communication with the BCARES EOC radio position from designated field locations. BCARES was activated for 2 days. One person died as a result
of the fire.

As Andrews reported, Boulder County announced on New Year's Day that
nearly 1,000 homes were lost. In addition to his own home, the fire
destroyed his daughter's home next door, as well as the homes of all
his close neighbors. "We had no official warning of the coming
firestorm," Andrews said. "My only warning was from our daughter who
saw it happening." Andrews added, "KH6HTV VIDEO, as a supplier of ATV
gear, will be out of operation for a very long time to come." Andrews
edits the monthly Boulder Amateur Television Club TV Repeater's
REPEATER newsletter.

EXTENDED ARRL TEAM WILL SUPPORT FEBRUARY'S ARRL NATIONAL CONVENTION

IN ORLANDO

An extended ARRL team of member-volunteers, program representatives,
and presenters will advance the convention theme inviting attendees to "reDiscover Radio" at Orlando HamCation, host of the 2022 ARRL National Convention February 10 - 13. A wide-ranging roster
<http://www.arrl.org/expo> of workshops, exhibits, and activities will
educate and entertain radio amateurs committed to developing knowledge
and skills in radio technology and radio communication.

The convention will be held in two parts. On Thursday, February 10, an
all-day ARRL National Convention Program will be held at the DoubleTree
by Hilton Hotel Orlando at SeaWorld. Advance registration is required
and includes a series of day-long ARRL Training Tracks and a National Convention luncheon with a keynote address by ARRL CEO David Minster,
NA2AA. The Training Tracks comprise four workshops led by experienced presenters: Contest University (CTU), Emergency Communications Academy, Hands-On Handbook, and Technology Academy. Registration can be
completed online <http://www.arrl.org/expo>.

DX Engineering <https://www.dxengineering.com/> is the Official Sponsor
of the 2022 ARRL National Convention Program.

On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, February 11 - 13, HamCation will take
place at the Central Florida Fairgrounds and Expo Park in Orlando -- an
87-acre lakefront fairgrounds. The convention marks the 75th
anniversary of HamCation -- one of the largest annual gatherings of
radio amateurs in the US. HamCation tickets <https://www.hamcation.com/hamcation-tickets> can be purchased online
until January 31 and at the gate during the event.

The centerpiece of ARRL's participation will be a large exhibit area in
the East and West Hall. Nearly a dozen ARRL program areas will be
represented, including Radiosport and DXCC Card Checking, Radio Clubs,
the Amateur Radio Emergency Service®, Development, and the ARRL
Foundation.

A suite of exhibits organized by the ARRL Education and Learning
Department will include an introduction to the new ARRL Learning Center <https://learn.arrl.org/>. ARRL Education and Learning Manager Steve
Goodgame, K5ATA, will introduce this new member benefit that includes
online courses, videos, and other amateur radio instruction and
training. At another booth, ARRL Education and Technology Program
Instructor Tommy Gober, N5DUX, will cover the ARRL Teachers Institute
on Wireless Technology.

ARRL has invited several ham radio content creators from popular
YouTube channels to meet and interact with attendees in the exhibit
area. Josh Nass, KI6NAZ, of the popular "Ham Radio Crash Course"
YouTube channel, will moderate. He is the 2020 winner of the ARRL Bill
Leonard Award for outstanding published media that advances amateur
radio. Visitors will have a chance to meet ARRL authors and editors.

ARRL Laboratory engineers and volunteers will offer free testing of
visitors' handheld radios. This service will determine the spectral
purity of the output signal from the radios.

Members and other attendees can meet ARRL elected officials and Field Organization volunteers at the Southeastern Division booth to catch up
on events and to explore opportunities to get involved through their
ARRL Sections and radio clubs.

The exhibit area will also include the ARRL store and membership area,
where visitors may join, renew, or extend ARRL and Diamond Club <http://www.arrl.org/the-arrl-diamond-club> memberships and purchase publications, apparel, and 2022 Field Day products. New ARRL Membership
Manager Matt Caruso will be eager to meet and greet members.

ARRL will sponsor three forums at HamCation:

- An ARRL Emergency Communications Panel will be held at 3:15 PM
Eastern on Friday. The panel will be moderated by ARRL Director of
Emergency Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, and will include panelists
from the ARRL Southeastern Division Field Organization.

- On Saturday at 2 PM Eastern, ARRL Collegiate Amateur Radio Advisors
Andy Milluzzi, KK4LWR, and Tony Milluzzi, KD8RTT, will lead a
Collegiate Amateur Radio Forum. The ARRL Collegiate Amateur Radio
Initiative <http://www.arrl.org/WeWantU> is a regular networking source
among active campus radio clubs and their student members.

- An ARRL Membership Forum will be held on Saturday at 3:15 PM,
moderated by Southeastern Division Director Mickey Baker, N4MB. This
forum offers an opportunity to hear from ARRL representatives on key
areas of member interest and amateur radio advocacy and to learn how
ARRL supports dozens of ways to get involved and active on the air.
Panelists will include President Rick Roderick, K5UR, and CEO David
Minster, NA2AA.

The exhibit area will also include the ARRL store and membership area,
where visitors may join, renew, or extend ARRL and Diamond Club <http://www.arrl.org/the-arrl-diamond-club> memberships and purchase publications, apparel, and 2022 Field Day products.

The Orlando Amateur Radio Club sponsors Orlando HamCation. Further
details about the convention are available at www.arrl.org/expo <http://www.arrl.org/expo> and www.hamcation.com
<http://www.hamcation.com/>. Read an expanded version <http://www.arrl.org/news/extended-arrl-team-will-support-february-s-arrl-national-convention-in-orlando>.

ARRL PODCASTS SCHEDULE

The latest episode of the On the Air podcast (Episode 25) features a conversation with Michael Fluegemann, KE8AQW, about how to get started
with CW.

The latest edition (Episode 51) of the Eclectic Tech podcast features a
chat with H. P. Friedrichs, AC7ZL, about his new book Marvelous
Magnetic Machines and the pleasures of "extreme homebrewing."

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/>.

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION AWARDS NEARLY $50,000 FOR HAMSCI

WORKSHOP

Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, an assistant professor at The University of
Scranton Department of Physics and Electrical Engineering, has received
a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant of nearly $50,000 to support
the 2022 Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI <http://www.hamsci.org/>) Workshop. The event is set for March 18 - 19
at The US Space & Rocket Center® in Huntsville, Alabama. The in-person conference also has a virtual format option.

HamSCI is a collective of professional researchers and radio amateurs
with the objective of fostering collaboration between the amateur and professional communities to advance scientific research and
understanding, encourage development of new technologies to support
this research, and provide educational opportunities for both the
amateur radio community and the general public.

The workshop will serve as a team meeting for the HamSCI Personal Space
Weather Station project, the beneficiary of a $1.3 million NSF-funded
project grant awarded to Frissell. That project seeks to harness the
power of a network of radio amateurs to better understand and measure
the effects of weather in the upper levels of Earth's atmosphere. The
theme for the 2-day HamSCI workshop is "The Weather Connection." The
fifth annual workshop will feature prominent leaders in space weather, atmospheric weather, and the connection between them.

"The workshop series has led to cutting-edge work in the fields of
space physics, citizen science, and the use of crowd-sourced
ionospheric data," Frissell said. "To maximize the potential of the ham radio-professional researcher relationship, meetings are needed to
bring these groups together to learn about each other's communities
[and] vocabularies, to share ideas, and to participate in activities
that advance both the scientific field and the radio hobby."

Frissell's research focuses on the ionosphere, the atmospheric region
that extends 50 - 600 miles above Earth's surface. According to
Frissell, changes in the ionosphere alter the behavior of radio wave propagation and greatly affect the radio communications and global
navigation satellite systems. "Understanding ionospheric structures and processes will lead to an increased understanding and prediction of
these effects," he said. Frissell said he's still seeking presentation abstracts for the workshop. Submit abstracts using the form on the
HamSCI Workshop page <http://hamsci.org/hamsci2022>.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

- The ARRL Board of Directors' Annual Meeting will get under way on
Friday, January 21, and continue into the next day. Topping the agenda <http://www.arrl.org/board-meetings> is the election of officers,
including President, Vice Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, CEO, CFO,
Executive Committee, and ARRL Foundation Directors.

- FEMA's Emergency Management Institute (EMI) will offer the K0428 CERT Train-the-Trainer course
<https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9. eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMTIsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMjAxMDYuNTEzNTMwNTEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3RyYWluaW5nLmZlbWEuZ292L2VtaWdyYW1zLzIwMjEvMTY5My10cmFpbmluZyUyMG9wcG9ydHVuaXR5LWswNDI4JTIwZW1pJTIwZnkyMiUyMGNlcnQlMjB0cmFpbmluZy5wZGY
_ZD0xMi8xMy8yMDIxIn0.1VNFu7Sh11sANu9HYX71MTne8WmJ-uXIXZub1-Wu2Hk/s/131030018/br/124278503665-l>

online. This course prepares participants to deliver FEMA's CERT Basic
Training course. For additional information, contact
<jamie.mauk@fema.dhs.gov> Jamie "Betsy" Mauk, EMI Course Manager. Refer
to the EMI website <https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMTcsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMjAxMDYuNTEzNTMwNTEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3RyYWluaW5nLmZlbWEuZ292L2VtaS5hc3B4In0.ufqtHqMqW9s7ZeROSPBkyCXohkLmrIS3WpdROhj1YtQ/s/
131030018/br/124278503665-l>for

course date availability.

- The YOTA (Youngsters on the Air) Contest Committee has released
claimed scores <http://www.ham-yota.com/contest/> for the third round
of the 2021 YOTA Contest.

- The State QSO Party <http://stateqsoparty.com/> website has been
updated. It includes the 2022 rules for the SQP Challenge and Worked
All QSO Parties, the SQP calendar, an updated 2022 WAQP submission
form, and the addition of the Quebec QSO Party <https://wp1.quebecqsoparty.org/> to the approved list of QSO parties.
-- Thanks to Stan Zawrotny, K4SBZ

- Pete Smith, N4ZR, announced that the Reverse Beacon Network <http://beta.reversebeacon.net/main.php> (RBN) node at TI7W is up and
running. The node fills a gap in the RBN network's coverage, as it is
the first in Central America.

FCC SEEKS ATTORNEY-ADVISOR FOR ITS MOBILITY DIVISION

The FCC has posted <https://www.usajobs.gov/job/630116200> an opening
for an attorney-advisor in the Mobility Division of its Wireless Telecommunications Bureau in Washington, DC. As a principal attorney
with mid-to-senior level responsibilities, the individual's job duties
would include working on policy, rulemaking, and legal issues; drafting Commission- and Bureau-level rulemaking and adjudication decisions, and reviewing proposed legislation, rulemakings, orders, and changes to regulations.

According to the FCC website, the Mobility Division is "responsible for developing policy and rules that facilitate rapid, widespread
deployment of wireless communications services. Along with the
Broadband Division, it oversees nearly 2 million licenses used to
provide an array of wireless services. The Mobility Division helps
carry out the [Broadband Personal Communications Service], to private
land mobile used for dispatch and remote monitoring of equipment, to
maritime and aviation, to personal use such as ham radio."

ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA, has suggested that the position listing <https://www.usajobs.gov/job/630116200> be shared by ARRL members who
know an attorney interested in communications law and who has an
amateur license. "This non-supervisory position is at the top of the
government pay scale. I would urge any amateur who is an attorney and
has several years of experience to apply -- especially if they are
interested in wireless," Minster said. The deadline to apply for this
opening is January 28, 2022.

LAUNCH OF A WOODEN SATELLITE STILL PENDING

Two spacecraft comprised of wood or using wooden framing are hoping to
launch this year and next. One will carry an amateur radio payload.

WISA Woodsat, a Finnish spacecraft that planned to include an
amateur radio payload, was forced to postpone its announced launch
target from 2021 to 2022 after the International Amateur Radio Union
(IARU) Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination system turned away its
request to use amateur radio frequencies.

"I regret to inform you that IARU is not in a position to support the
WISA Woodsat Coordination request," the coordinator said. "The main
reason is that the primary mission doesn't seem to be an amateur
mission."

As announced last year, WISA Woodsat was designed to accommodate
multiple missions -- from materials science, space education, and
awareness to promoting and facilitating amateur radio communication
with and via satellites. No transponder was on board, but the
satellite's sponsors said they had the support of Finland's IARU member-society, SRAL, to use amateur radio frequencies. They are now
reworking the spacecraft to use commercial radio frequencies.

Meanwhile, LignoSat, a 1U-sized CubeSat with an outside structure
mainly composed of wood, has applied for IARU frequency coordination
and hopes to launch from the ISS in 2023. Built by students at Japan's
Kyoto University, LignoSat includes a unique amateur radio payload but
not a transponder.

The LignoSat application for IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination in
December said the CubeSat would carry amateur radio equipment that will
extract call signs of amateur radio stations from uplinked FM

packet signals and respond to them via the CW downlink and the
sender's call signs to convey thank you messages. The plan proposes UHF downlinks for CW and FM.

The satellite's development team, comprised of Kyoto University and
Sumitomo Forestry Company, said it's aiming to harness the
environmental friendliness and the economy of wood in spacecraft
development. They say a satellite with a wooden exterior would burn up
upon re-entering Earth's atmosphere at the end of its mission,
lessening its burden on the environment. The wooden framework also will
permit the satellite's antennas to be inside the spacecraft. A plan is
under way to use an experimental apparatus on the International Space
Station to hold wooden sheets of varying hardness, taken from several
tree species, attached. These would remain exposed to the space
environment for about 9 months to determine their deterioration.

LignoSat would be deployed from the ISS in July 2023. Read an expanded
version
<http://www.arrl.org/news/launch-of-a-wooden-satellite-still-pending>.
-- Thanks to Joey Ferguson, W4JF, and Japan Times.

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>.

- "Networks of service <https://www.legion.org/hamradio/254691/networks-service>" / The
American Legion January 20, 2022

- "How the huge volcanic eruption in Tonga was picked up by amateur
radio enthusiasts in Harborough -- over 10,000 miles away <https://www.harboroughmail.co.uk/news/environment/how-the-huge-volcanic-eruption-in-tonga-was-picked-up-by-amateur-radio-enthusiasts-in-harborough-over-10000-miles-away-3532570>"

/ Harborough Mail (United Kingdom) January 18, 2022

- "Pandemic Project: Trailer renovation allows for extended emergency
radio assistance <https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/dec/30/pandemic-project-trailer-renovation-allows-for-ext/>"

The Spokesman-Review (Washington) December 30, 2021

- "Amateur Radio Club bands together during pandemic <https://www.orilliamatters.com/local-news/amateur-radio-club-bands-together-during-pandemic-6-photos-4890287>"

OrilliaMatters.com (Ontario) December 26, 2021

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

TWO RADIO AMATEURS APPOINTED TO THE FCC TECHNOLOGICAL ADVISORY

COUNCIL (TAC)

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel named two prominent radio amateurs
among her appointments to the FCC Technological Advisory Council (TAC <https://www.fcc.gov/general/technological-advisory-council>) on
January 19. Appointed were Greg Lapin, N9GL, and Michelle Thompson,
W5NYV. Lapin chairs the ARRL RF Safety Committee and has represented
ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio <http://www.arrl.org/>
on the TAC since 2001.

ARRL Laboratory Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, noted that Lapin has been
involved with RF safety and the FCC since the last FCC significant
rules changes in 1998," he said. "He is again helping the FCC prepare information on OET Bulletin 65 <https://www.fcc.gov/general/oet-bulletins-line>, Supplement B for
amateur radio, giving guidance for amateurs who need to comply with the
FCC rules on RF exposure. His work is highly respected by the FCC and
the ARRL Lab, making it easier for amateurs to evaluate their
stations."

Thompson is CEO of the Open Research Institute (ORI), which she will represent on the TAC. ORI is a non-profit research and development
organization dedicated to open-source work that includes such areas as
amateur satellites and digital communications. She is an ARRL Life
Member. Thompson will discuss "Digital Communications Technology" on
February 10 at the ARRL National Convention <http://www.arrl.org/expo>
in Orlando, as part of the Technology Academy
<http://www.arrl.org/expo#Track4> workshop Track.

The TAC serves to assist the FCC in identifying important areas of
innovation and developing informed technology policies that support US competitiveness in the global economy. The TAC will consider and advise
the FCC on topics such as 6G, artificial intelligence, advanced spectrum-sharing technologies, and emerging wireless technologies,
including new tools to restore internet access during shutdowns and
other disruptions. The TAC will hold its first meeting of the year on
February 28.

GETTING IT RIGHT!

Due to an editing error, the call sign of Dexter Anderson, W1STN, SK,
was incorrect.

IN BRIEF...

A new Section Manager has been appointed for Northern New York. Thomas
Dick, KF2GC, Section Manager for the ARRL Northern New York Section,
has stepped down after serving, first from 2000 - 2006 and again from
2009 - present. ARRL Field Services Manager Mike Walters, W8ZY, has
appointed Rocco Conte, WU2M, of Gloversville, New York, to succeed him
on an interim basis. Conte has served as an Assistant Section Manager
and District Emergency Coordinator for the last several years. His
appointment became effective January 17, 2022.

Amateur operation in the 3.45 - 3.5 GHz of 9 centimeters must cease by
April 14, 2022. Secondary operations will be permitted to continue
indefinitely in the remainder of the band, 3.3 - 3.45 GHz, pending
future FCC proceedings. On January 14 the FCC released <https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-announces-winning-bidders-345-ghz-service-auction/attachment-a>

DA 22-39, which announces the results of Auction 110 for the 3.45 -
3.55 GHz band. Release of this notice triggered FCC rules adopted last
year requiring that amateur radio operations between 3.45 GHz and 3.5
GHz cease within 90 days of the public notice. In October 2021, ARRL
President Rick Roderick, K5UR, urged Congress to direct the FCC to
preserve Amateur Radio's secondary use of the 3 GHz band in a written
statement <http://www.arrl.org/arrl-statement-on-3-ghz-band-oct-2021> responding to H.R. 5378, the Spectrum Innovation Act of 2021, before
the US House Commerce Communications and Technology Subcommittee. A
chronology of actions <http://www.arrl.org/3-ghz-band> responding to
amateur access on the 3.5 GHz band can be found on the ARRL website.

THE K7RA SOLAR UPDATE

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Solar and geomagnetic activity
increased this week. The average daily sunspot number rose by 52
points, from 42.4 to 94.4. The sunspot number peaked at 120 last
Saturday.

Average daily solar flux went from 101.6 to 112, peaking at 119.4 on
Sunday. Average daily planetary A index rose from 6.1 to 15.6, and
average middle latitude numbers went from 4.1 to 11.3.

As reported by Spaceweather.com <http://www.spaceweather.com/>, sunspot
AR2929 erupted <https://bit.ly/3rC6W9t> at 1744 UTC on January 18 with
an M1.5 class solar flare, blasting a pulse of X-rays and causing a
shortwave radio blackout. I observed the blackout while using FT8 on 10
meters to observe propagation using https://www.pskreporter.info/. Just
before the blast I could see my 10 meter signal reported by stations on
the East Coast, but suddenly I saw no reports. The surprising part was
during that period no local stations could copy my signal either!

Predicted solar flux is 102, 98, 94 and 92 on January 20 - 23; 90 on
January 24 - 26; 100 and 95 on January 27 - 28; 90 on January 29 - 30;
95 on January 31; 100 and 105 on February 1 - 2; 110 on February 3 -
10; 115 on February 11 - 14; 110, 108, and 106 on February 15 - 17; 102
on February 18 - 21; 100 on February 22 - 23; 95 on February 24, and 90
on February 25 - 26. Flux values may rise to 110 after March 2.

Predicted planetary A index is 16 on January 20; 8 on January 21 - 22;
12 on January 23; 8 on January 24 - 26; 5 on January 27; 10 on January
28 - 30; 5 on January 31 - February 3; then 15 and 10 on February 4 -
5; 5 on February 6 - 9; 12, 15, 12, 18, and 10 on February 10 - 14; 5
on February 15 - 19; 8 on February 20 - 22; 5 on February 23, and 10 on February 24 - 26.

Sunspot numbers for January 13 - 19 were 111, 112, 120, 103, 99, 59,
and 57, with a mean of 94.4. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 105.5, 110.2,
115.6, 119.4, 113.5, 114.5, and 105.3, with a mean of 112. Estimated
planetary A indices were 3, 15, 22, 19, 9, 18, and 23, with a mean of
15.6. Middle latitude A index was 3, 10, 17, 16, 6, 12, and 15, with a
mean of 11.3.

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

- January 22 -- RSGB AFS Contest, SSB

- January 22 - 23 -- BARTG RTTY Sprint

- January 22 - 23 -- North American QSO Party, SSB

- January 22 - 23 -- NA Collegiate Championship, SSB

- January 23 - 26 -- Classic Exchange (Phone)

- January 26 -- SKCC Sprint (CW)

- January 26 -- UKEICC 80-Meter Contest (CW)

- January 26 - 30 -- AWA Linc Cundall CW Memorial

- January 27 -- NAQCC CW Sprint

UPCOMING SECTION, STATE, AND DIVISION CONVENTIONS

- January 22 -- ARRL Midwest Division Convention
<http://winterfest.slsrc.org/> (Winterfest), Collinsville, Illinois

- January 28 - 29 -- ARRL Delta Division Convention <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/jackson-ms-capital-city-hamfest-2022-arrl-delta-division-convention>

(Capital City Hamfest 2022), Jackson, Mississippi.

- February 10 - 13 -- 2022 ARRL National Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/expo> at Orlando HamCation®, Orlando, Florida

- February 18 - 19 -- ARRL Southwestern Division Convention <http://www.yumahamfest.org/> (Yuma Hamfest), Yuma, Arizona

- March 12 - 13 - QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo <https://www.qsotodayhamexpo.com/>. (ARRL is a QSO Today partner)

- February 26 -- ARRL Vermont State Convention <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/ham-con-arrl-vermont-state-convention-1> (HAM-CON), Colchester, Vermont

- March 19 -- ARRL Southern Florida Section Convention <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/47th-annual-martin-county-hamfest-arrl-southern-florida-section-convention>

(47th Annual Martin County Hamfest), Stuart, Florida

- March 19 -- ARRL West Texas Section Convention <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/66th-annual-st-patrick-s-day-hamest-arrl-west-texas-section-convention>

(66th Annual St. Patrick's Day Hamfest), Midland, Texas

- March 19 -- ARRL West Virginia Section Convention <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/charleston-area-hamfest-arrl-west-virginia-section>

(Charleston Area Hamfest), Charleston, West Virginia

- March 27 -- ARRL Virginia Section Convention <https://viennawireless.net/wp/events/winterfest/> (Winterfest),
Annandale, Virginia

Search the ARRL Hamfest and Convention Database
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests> to find events in your area.

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