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

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

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

February 24, 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

- ARRL Board of Directors Elects Officers, Executive Committee
- FCC: Amateur Service Licensees May Not Use Their Radios to Commit
Criminal Acts
- Amateur Radio in Ukraine Ordered Off the Air in State of Emergency
- ARRL Podcasts Schedule
- Tickets are on Sale for Next QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo, March 12 -
13
- Cutting-Edge Technology on Display at HamCation 2022
- Virginia Gets New Section Manager in Latest Round of Balloting
- Crozet Island DXpedition Preparations are Moving Forward
- Announcements
- Amateur Radio Volunteers Support Storm Response in Brazil
- Amateur Radio in the News
- The 5 MHz Newsletter Marks 10 Years
- The K7RA Solar Update
- Just Ahead in Radiosport
- Upcoming Section, State, and Division Conventions

ARRL BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTS OFFICERS, EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

One new face will be among the Officers at the next ARRL Board of
Directors meeting in July. The Board met in Windsor, Connecticut,
January 21-22, 2022, and elected John R. Sager, WJ7S of Saratoga
Springs, Utah to succeed Treasurer Rick Niswander, K7GM, on May 1.

Niswander had previously shared his decision to step down, having
completed more than 10 years of distinguished service in the volunteer position. Niswander's most recent 2-year term as Treasurer expired in
January. The Board re-elected him to continue to serve through April
30, 2022, allowing a transition between Niswander and Treasurer-elect
Sager.

The remaining Officers were re-elected:

- President Rick Roderick, K5UR
- First Vice President: Michael N. Raisbeck, K1TWF

- Second Vice President: Bob Vallio, W6RGG

- International Affairs Vice President: Rod Stafford, W6ROD

- Chief Executive Officer: David A. Minster, NA2AA

- Chief Financial Officer: Diane Middleton, W2DLM

Two new members will fill two openings on the ARRL Board of Directors' Executive Committee (EC), which acts in the Board's stead between
scheduled Board meetings. Elected as new EC members are Dakota Division Director Bill Lippert, AC0W, and Pacific Division Director Kristen
McIntyre, K6WX. The EC consists of the President, five Directors
selected by the Board of Directors for 1-year terms, the First Vice
President and CEO. With all positions now filled, the EC members are:

- President Rick Roderick, K5UR, who chairs the EC

- First Vice President Michael N. Raisbeck, K1TWF

- Atlantic Division Director Tom Abernethy, W3TOM

- Dakota Division Director Bill Lippert, AC0W

- Pacific Division Director Kristen McIntyre, K6WX

- West Gulf Division Director John Robert Stratton, N5AUS

- Great Lakes Division Director Dale Williams, WA8EFK

- CEO David A. Minster, NA2AA

Minutes <http://www.arrl.org/board-meetings> from the meeting have been
posted to the ARRL website.

FCC: AMATEUR SERVICE LICENSEES MAY NOT USE THEIR RADIOS TO COMMIT

CRIMINAL ACTS

The FCC Enforcement Bureau has re-issued its earlier Enforcement
Advisory <https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-22-181A1.pdf> that licensees in the Amateur Radio Service and licensees and operators in
the Personal Radio Services are prohibited from using radios in those
services to commit or facilitate criminal acts.

"The Bureau recognizes that these services can be used for a wide range
of permitted and socially beneficial purposes, including emergency communications and speech that is protected under the First Amendment
of the US Constitution," the FCC said. "Amateur and Personal Radio
Services, however, may not be used to commit or facilitate crimes."

As it did in advisories in 2021, the Enforcement Bureau is reminding
amateur licensees that they may not transmit, "communications intended
to facilitate a criminal act" or "messages encoded for the purpose of
obscuring their meaning."

"Likewise, individuals operating radios in the Personal Radio Services,
a category that includes Citizens Band radios, Family Radio Service walkie-talkies, and General Mobile Radio Service, are prohibited from
using those radios "in connection with any activity which is against
Federal, State, or local law.

"Individuals using radios in the Amateur or Personal Radio Services in
this manner may be subject to severe penalties, including significant
fines, seizure of the offending equipment, and, in some cases, criminal prosecution.

"To report a crime, contact your local law enforcement office or the
FBI, the FCC said."

AMATEUR RADIO IN UKRAINE ORDERED OFF THE AIR IN STATE OF EMERGENCY

A state of emergency was declared in Ukraine just prior to the Russian
military invasion. Among other things, the February 24 decree from
President Volodymyr Zelensky will remain in effect at least for 30 days
and may be extended. As published on the website of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's unicameral legislative body, the state of emergency includes regulation of TV and radio activities and "a ban on the operation
amateur radio transmitters for personal and collective use."

The decree also imposes a ban on mass events and on strikes and
authorizes checking the documents of citizens, and if necessary,
conducting searches on persons, vehicles, cargo, office space, and
housing. A curfew could be imposed. "The situation changes rapidly,"
IARU Region 1 Secretary Mats Espling, SM6EAN, said. "IARU Region 1
continues to monitor the development and expect all radio amateurs to
follow their national laws and regulations."

ARRL PODCASTS SCHEDULE

The latest episode of the On the Air podcast (Episode 26) features a conversation with two YouTube veterans -- Dave Casler, KE0OG, and Steve Goodgame, K5ATA. YouTube is increasingly becoming the "go-to" resource
for information on a variety of amateur radio topics.

The latest edition of the Eclectic Tech podcast (Episode 54) features a
chat with Barry Feierman, K3EUI, concerning the use of the VARA digital
mode with handheld FM transceivers. Also, the end of Google's "Project
Loon."

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/>.

TICKETS ARE ON SALE FOR NEXT QSO TODAY VIRTUAL HAM EXPO, MARCH 12 -

13

ARRL Life Member Courtney Duncan, N5BF, will be the keynote speaker for
the QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo <https://www.qsotodayhamexpo.com/> on
Saturday, March 12, in the QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo auditorium. The semi-annual virtual ham radio gathering will be live on March 12 - 13.
Duncan will discuss the importance of amateur radio and technical
hobbies in advancing global technology. Just retired from NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Duncan supported numerous missions
involving digital and radio frequency hardware and software, most
recently as telecommunications lead for the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter.

This edition of the QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo will showcase a wide
range of topics with appeal to newcomers and veterans alike. It's a
chance to update your amateur radio knowledge and get exposed to
cutting edge ham radio technology as well as practical operating and
building techniques. Like a live ham radio convention or hamfest, the
Expo has presentations, exhibits, and state-of-the-art "lounges" for face-to-face interaction among participants.

Some 60 ham radio luminaries will address a multitude of topics <https://www.qsotodayhamexpo.com/speakers1.html>, from DXpeditions to
Solar Cycle 25. Some highlights include:

- Mike Crownover, AB5EB; Erwann Merrien, LB1QI, and Bill Straw, KO7SS
will discuss their plans
<https://sessions.qsotodayhamexpo.com/3y0j_the_bou> to operate from
Bouvet Island in November 2022.

- ARRL Central Division Director and ARRL Electromagnetic Compatibility Committee Chair Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA, will present an Update on
Solar Cycle 25 <https://sessions.qsotodayhamexpo.com/an_update_on>.

- Chasing DX During A Contest <https://sessions.qsotodayhamexpo.com/chasing_dx_d> is the subject of a presentation by Bill Salyers, AJ8B. He'll offer best practices, tools,
and techniques to increase your chances of logging DX during operating
events.

Because it's a virtual event, you don't have to pick and choose which presentations you can attend. You can watch any one of them within 30
days of the Expo as well as explore exhibitor offerings from the
comfort of your computer or other device.

ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio <http://www.arrl.org/>®
is a QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo Partner.

"Early bird" tickets are $10 through March 6 and then $13.50 to the end
of the on-demand period. Tickets include entry for the live, 2-day
event and the 30-day on-demand period.

CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY ON DISPLAY AT HAMCATION 2022

While many ham radio show visitors come for the flea market and a
chance to chat with the various vendors, at least a few come to display
new technology of the sort that will become mainstream in the amateur
radio community going forward. Michelle Thompson, W5NYV, the CEO of
Open Research Institute (ORI <https://openresearch.institute>) attended
Orlando HamCation -- also the 2022 ARRL National Convention on February
10 - 13 -- to promote the breadth of projects from ORI. She says the
door is always open for additional participants.

Visitors to the ORI booth were treated to an update on ORI's successful
DVB-S2X digital satellite television standard modem work and progress
on the end-to-end demonstration of the entire satellite transponder
chain. "At Open Research Institute, it doesn't work until it works over
the air," Thompson told ARRL. "The Phase 4 Digital Multiplexing
Transceiver [satellite] project is on budget, on track, and highly
likely to succeed. The return on investment is high." She notes that
the team continues to work toward innovating, publishing, and enabling high-tech space and terrestrial amateur radio work.

The M17 Project <https://m17project.org> booth right next to ORI's
represented "the future of amateur radio," Thompson said. M17 is
developing a new digital amateur radio protocol for data and voice. "Ed
Wilson, N2XDD, and Steve Miller, KC1AWV, from M17 brought working
hardware, firmware updates, and also demonstrated several different
software implementations throughout the weekend," she said. "M17 held
their weekly net on Friday live from the booth, gave away stickers,
magnets, and pins, and captured the hearts of all who visited."

AmbaSat-1 "re-spin" was another frequent topic of conversation,
Thompson. The project is a crowd-sourced Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
satellite program. AmbaSat-1 is a tiny space satellite kit <https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ambasat-1-a-lorawan-space-satellite-kit#/>

that you assemble and code yourself. "The five AmbaSat boards from ORI,
which operate at 70 centimeters, have been distributed to the firmware
team, and they have begun development and are seeing success in
university and hobbyist labs," she reported. "The goal is to create a compelling application, put the hardware on a sounding rocket, apply
for a launch license, and send this project into space in a way that
makes the amateur community proud."

Thompson was also among the presenters participating in the ARRL
Technology Academy, which was one of four all-day workshops organized
for the ARRL National Convention program held on February 10. Her talk
on Digital Communications Technology was met by a "a positive,
enthusiastic, and engaged audience" and she hopes that ARRL will
continue sponsoring similar events.

She invited M17 principals to speak about their work, and opened the
floor for questions and comments from the many highly competent and
curious technical hams that were in attendance. Subjects covered ranged
from asynchronous computing to concatenated coding.

Thompson recognized ARRL for its attention on amateur satellites
throughout the convention. "ARRL set the pace this year for satellite
talks and satellite demonstrations, with a video <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhyUbC_o1JM&ab_channel=ARRLHQ>
providing practical examples of amateur satellite operations," she
said. In the video, ARRL members Tom Gaines, Jr., KB5FHK, and Sloan
Davis, N3UPS, lead viewers through making an amateur satellite radio
contact from the fairgrounds parking lot. One of their satellite
contacts was with Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK, who gave a tutorial on
amateur satellite operations in the ARRL Hands-On Handbook workshop.

Thompson said ORI is looking forward to returning to in-person events,
such as the well-attended DEFCON in August. The next virtual event for
ORI will be the QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo, March 12 - 13. "We will
have a wide variety of work and projects represented at our booth," she
said.

VIRGINIA GETS NEW SECTION MANAGER IN LATEST ROUND OF BALLOTING

Two Section Manager elections were held during the winter season -- in
Virginia and North Carolina. Ballots were counted at ARRL Headquarters
on February 22.

In Virginia, Jack R. Smith, KE4LWT, of Ruckersville, Virginia, was
declared the winner of the Virginia SM contest with 889 votes to 412

for challenger Terry Buzzard, KA8TNF, of Virginia Beach. Smith will
begin his first 2-year term on April 1.

Smith has served as an Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator for
the last 2 years. He is a US Army veteran with extensive emergency
management experience. He will take the reins of the Virginia Field Organization from Carl Clements, W4CAC. Clements was appointed in
mid-December 2021 as interim Section Manager after the untimely and
unfortunate death of Section Manager Joe Palsa, K3WRY.

In North Carolina, incumbent Section Manager Marvin Hoffman, WA4NC, of
Boone, received 1,235 votes to win a new term. Challenger Tony Jones,
N4ATJ, of McAdenville, received 257 votes. Hoffman will begin his
second term on April 1, 2022.

These incumbent Section Managers faced no opposition and were declared re-elected and will begin new terms on April 1: George Miller, W3GWM
(Eastern Pennsylvania); John Fritze, K2QY (Eastern New York); John Mark Robertson, K5JMR (Louisiana); Joe Speroni, AH0A (Pacific); Dave
Kaltenborn, N8BKC (San Diego), and Chris Stallkamp, KI0D (South
Dakota).

CROZET ISLAND DXPEDITION PREPARATIONS ARE MOVING FORWARD

The upcoming solo DXpedition to Crozet Island, spearheaded by Thierry
Mazel, F6CUK, will likely arrive on the island around Christmas. While traveling aboard the Marion Dufresne, Mazel will make stopovers at
other remote islands that are also rare DXCC entities, including
Tromelin Island. The Crozet and Tromelin islands are administered as
part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (abbreviated in French
as TAAF).

"After the permission granted by the TAAF and the DXpedition
announcement, [the] time has come to gather the equipment and move
forward with the preparations," Mazel said. "The Marion Dufresne will
leave Réunion Island on December 8, with a stopover at Tromelin to
resupply the people there, then head for Crozet."

Mazel expects to spend a solid 3 months operating from the Alfred-Faure
base on Crozet. The Marion Dufresne will return on March 26, 2023,
after stopovers at the Kerguelen Islands and Amsterdam, arriving at
Réunion Island on April 16, 2023. He said dates may vary depending upon
weather conditions.

His first task upon arrival will be to erect antennas and set up his
station, for which he'll need to enlist help from others. He'll also
have to contend with the weather, as Crozet is subject to strong winds.

No call sign has been issued at this point, although Mazel has
requested one that will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the first
amateur operation from Crozet in 1961 and 1962. To head off problems
with pirates, the call sign won't be released until after Mazel has
arrived on Crozet, and just hours before he begins operation.

"I have asked the TAAF [for] permission to send part of the equipment
with the previous ship supply mission leaving in November," Mazel said.
"It sometimes happens that, because of the weather during landing, not everything can be brought to the island. Imagine being on the island
without a station!"

Mazel said much remains to be done, including finalizing antenna
designs, securing winter clothing, and organizing scheduled contacts
with school children via the QO-100 geostationary satellite.

"Crozet will be an ATNO [All-Time New One] for many, and you can't
afford missing it, as nobody knows when the next ham operation will
take place from this #3 most-needed," Mazel said in urging
contributions to the DXpedition effort.

The last ham radio activity from Crozet was in 2009 by Florentin Bard,
F4DYW, who operated as FT5WQ. The 2022 - 2023 solo DXpedition is
anticipated to cost upward of $60,000.

For additional information, visit the Crozet Island DXpedition <http://crozet2022.r-e-f.org/home.html> website. Read an expanded
version <http://www.arrl.org/news/crozet-island-dxpedition-preparations-are-moving-forward>.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

- Slides and the chat log <https://youtu.be/R1-eiNGd7qI> from the
February 17 US Department of Defense Netcom Amateur Radio Zoominar are available. Another outreach session will be held in advance of the next
DoD COMEX, May 2 - 7, with details to follow.
- Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) has announced <https://www.rac.ca/recipient-of-the-rac-amateur-of-the-year-2021-hiroshi-takahashi-va7let/>

that Hiroshi Takahashi, VA7LET, has been named RAC Amateur of the Year
for 2021.
- Brian Moran, N9ADG, notes an article <https://www.quantamagazine.org/radio-telescope-reveals-how-lightning-begins-20211220/>

in Quanta Magazine that reveals what triggers lightning. Physicists
turned to an array of small radio telescopes, primarily in the
Netherlands, to capture radio pulses emitted for each lightning flash.
The Low Frequency Array, a state-of-the-art astronomical telescope, can
map lighting in three dimensions, and with a frame rate 200 times
faster than previous instruments could achieve.
- Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS <http://www.ariss.org/>) has announced that a Russian Progress
re-supply ship recently delivered an additional ARISS Kenwood TM-D710GA transceiver for installation in the ISS Service Module. The radio will
allow ARISS to broaden the scope of its activities and provide
identical radios in both the Service and Columbus modules.

AMATEUR RADIO VOLUNTEERS SUPPORT STORM RESPONSE IN BRAZIL

Recovery operations in the wake of landslides in Petrópolis, Brazil,
continued this week, with more than 150 reported fatalities and many
more reported missing. Very heavy rainfall, said to be the worst in
nearly a century, precipitated the landslide. Some 700 residents
reportedly had to evacuate the stricken area. Amateur radio volunteer organizations have stepped in to assist with communication lost when telecommunications were taken out.

Members of the Network of Emergency Operations of Amateurs (ROER) in
Petrópolis activated.

REER-RJ emergency coordinator for Mountain Region 1 Fábio Hoelz, PY1ZV, reported that Rio De Janeiro had linked its State Network of Emergency
Radio Amateurs (REER-RJ) coordinated by Sales Morenno, PY1IBM, to the
state Civil Defense organization. REER-RJ coordinates the response of
radio amateurs, supporting local networks such as ROER, which is linked
to the Municipal Civil Defense.

A station was installed to support firefighter operations, and an
operator with a portable radio was sent to the Civil Action Command at
the Civil Defense Headquarters and to a fire station in the Alto de
Serra region. A station was activated at Civil Defense. Another was set
up at the command post in the Alto da Serra region. VHF and UHF
repeater systems owned and maintained by ROER were used for
communication. ROER maintains City Hall's private VHF system, which
serves the Municipal Guard, Petropolitan Transit, the Secretary of
Civil Defense, and the Secretary of Health.

At times radio amateurs deployed with firefighters in the Alto da Serra
region, LABRE reported. An electrical surge took out power to the
Petropolis City Hall repeater, and physical access to the repeater site
has been blocked. Efforts were under way with heavy equipment to access
and restore the City Hall system.

Even with conventional communication services re-established for a
large part of the municipality, radio traffic remained heavy due to the logistical needs of areas that the amateur radio network was
supporting. "The system proved to be very efficient and faster in
responding to requests than those made by standard means, which
generated the heavy traffic flow," the LABRE report said.

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>.

- "Finding MH-370 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq-d4Kl8Xh4>" / 60
Minutes Australia February 20, 2022

- "When all else fails, ham radio works <https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2022/02/08/ford-kanzler-when-all-else-fails-ham-radio-works/>"

/ Santa Cruz Sentinel (California) February 8, 2022

- "Amateur radio operators make contacts in global winter training <https://nbcmontana.com/news/montana-moment/amateur-radio-operators-make-contacts-in-global-winter-training>"

/ NBC Montana (Montana) February 6, 2022

- "Freeport ham radio operator gets thrill from being part of airwaves <https://journalstandard.com/story/news/local/2022/02/01/freeport-ham-radio-operator-gets-thrill-being-part-airwaves/9285152002/>"

/ Journal-Standard (Illinois) February 1, 2022

- "Youlou Radio Movement hosts second 'Summit on the Air' <https://www.searchlight.vc/news/2022/02/01/youlou-radio-movement-hosts-second-summit-on-the-air>"

/ Searchlight (St. Vincent and the Grenadines) February 1, 2022

THE 5 MHZ NEWSLETTER MARKS 10 YEARS

The first edition of The 5 MHz Newsletter <https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9si2gq8dnz73uy9/AACCZty4t4wQaF1mot3cA3d9a?dl=0> appeared in the autumn of 2011, heralding the growth of the new
60-meter band to serve as a propagation bridge between 40 and 80
meters. The newsletter, edited by Paul Gaskell, G4MWO, offers official
news of new allocations and regulations as well as feedback from
operators.

As a band, the US authorized a group of Experimental License operators
to use 60 meters, while the UK discussed the issue, deciding that a
number of channels could be feasible. UK hams had five 3-kHz wide
channels to start. Similarly, a band was not possible in the US, which
settled on five channels.

Other countries followed suit -- sometimes with channels, sometimes a
band, with a variety of power limits and modes. According to the
newsletter, 85 countries currently have a presence on 60 meters. In
2017, the FCC invited comments on ARRL's Petition for Rule Making to
allocate a new, contiguous secondary band at 5 MHz to the Amateur
Service in addition to four of the current five 60-meter channels (one
would be within the new band) as well as current operating rules,
including the 100 W PEP effective radiated power (ERP) limit. In the
US, the federal government is the primary user of the 5 MHz spectrum.
The FCC designated ARRL's Petition as RM-11785 but has not acted on it.

At last report, the Malaysian Amateur Transmitters Society (MARTS) said
its telecommunications authority MCMC has approved a secondary 60-meter allocation based on the WRC-15 template. Radio amateurs there were
waiting for formal paperwork to be completed before they could use the
band. However, MCMC granted MARTS temporary licenses that permit the
use of 60 meters for emergency communication and emergency
communication drills.

"Hardly had this been granted than it was activated," the latest
edition of the 5 MHz Newsletter reported. "During the MARTS Annual
General Meeting on December 18, 2021, heavy rain began to fall, and
MARTS activated its MDECC (MARTS Disaster and Emergency Communications
Centre) under the call sign 9M4D. A significant number of Malaysian
states were flooded, communities evacuated, and telecommunications
lost. "The MDECC remained open for a number of days carrying their own
as well as third-party traffic concerning situation reports and aid
requests to the national disaster management agency," the newsletter
said.

MARTS now is transmitting in WSPR mode "from time to time" on 5364.7
kHz as 9M4BQC. Reception reports are welcome directly via WSPRnet <https://wsprnet.org> or email <9m2cqc@marts.org.my>. Read an expanded
version <http://www.arrl.org/news/the-5-mhz-newsletter-marks-10-years>.
-- Thanks to The 5 MHz Newsletter

THE K7RA SOLAR UPDATE

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: New sunspot groups appeared on
February 17, 19, 20, and 21, but solar activity declined, even though
sunspots were covering the sun every day.

The average daily sunspot number declined by 21 points, from 75.3 last
week to 54.3 in the February 17-23 reporting week. Average daily solar
flux was down by nearly 15 points, from 110.1 to 95.4.

The average daily planetary A index went from 13 to 9.6, and the
average daily middle latitude A index was off by a point to 7.3.

Predicted solar flux is 100 on February 24; 105 on February 25 - March
2; 110 on March 3 - 4; 108 on March 5 - 8; 105 on March 9 - 11; 103 on
March 12 - 13; 100 on March 14; 98 on March 15 - 16; 102 on March 17 -
19; 104 on March 20 - 22; 108 on March 23 - 26; 110 on March 27; 115 on
March 28 - 29, then 112 and 110 on March 30 - 31.

Predicted planetary A index is 5 on February 24 - 25; 10 on February
26; 8 on February 27 - March 2; 12, 15, 10, and 8 on March 3 - 6; 5 on
March 7 - 10; 15, 12, and 10 on March 11 - 13; 5 on March 14 - 18; then
8, 5, 12, 18, 15, and 10 on March 19 - 24; 5 on March 25 - 29, and 12,
15, 10, and 8 on March 30 - April 2.

Sunspot numbers for February 17 - 23 were 103, 53, 51, 49, 48, 38, and
38, with a mean of 54.3. The 10.7 - centimeter flux was 96.7, 93.3,
95.7, 93.3, 97.8, 95.3, and 95.5, with a mean of 95.4. Estimated
planetary A indices were 5, 6, 9, 13, 12, 16, and 6, with a mean of
9.6. Middle latitude A index was 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 13, and 4, with a mean
of 7.3.

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

- February 25 - 27 -- CQ 160-Meter Contest, SSB

- February 26 - 27 -- REF Contest, SSB

- February 26 - 27 -- FTn DX Contest

- February 26 - 27 -- UBA DX Contest, CW

- February 26 - 27 -- South Carolina QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)

- February 26 - 27 -- North American QSO Party, RTTY

- February 26 - 27 -- NA Collegiate Championship, RTTY

- February 27 -- High Speed Club CW Contest

- February 27 - 28 -- North Carolina QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)

- February 28 -- OK1WC Memorial (CW)

- February 28 -- RSGB FT4 Contest

- March 1 -- AGCW YL-CW Party

- March 2 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test

- March 2 -- VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest

- March 2 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test

- March 2 -- UKEICC 80-Meter Contest (Phone)

- March 2 - 6 -- AWA Rollins Memorial DX Contest (CW)

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

- March 3 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test (two events)

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

- March 3 -- SKCC Sprint Europe (CW)

UPCOMING SECTION, STATE, AND DIVISION CONVENTIONS

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

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

- 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

- April 1 - 2 -- ARRL Maine State Convention <http://w1npp.org/>,
Lewiston, Maine

- April 8 - 9 -- ARRL Oklahoma State Convention <http://www.greencountryhamfest.org/index.php> (Green Country Hamfest
2022), Claremore, Oklahoma

- April 16 -- ARRL Roanoke Division Convention
<https://www.rarsfest.org/> (Raleigh Hamfest), Raleigh, North Carolina

- April 23 -- ARRL Delaware State Convention <http://www.radioelectronicsexpo.com/> (Delmarva Amateur Radio and
Electronics Expo), Georgetown, Delaware

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

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