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

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

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

October 20, 2022

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

- ARRL Foundation Accepting Applications for Grants and 2023
Scholarships
- 2022 ARRL Online Auction is Oct. 21 - 27
- Amateur Radio Operators Invited to Participate in Scientific
Experiments
- Cleveland Amateur Radio Club Celebrates 60 Years
- Central States VHF Society Celebrates 54 Years
- Amateur Radio Club Members Assist Law Enforcement
- Amateur Radio in the News
- ARRL Podcasts
- Announcements
- In Brief...
- The K7RA Solar Update
- Just Ahead in Radiosport
- Upcoming Section, State, and Division Conventions

ARRL FOUNDATION ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR GRANTS AND 2023

SCHOLARSHIPS

The ARRL Foundation is now accepting applications for grants to amateur
radio organizations and for its 2023 Scholarship Program.

The grants program awards limited funding to organizations for eligible
amateur radio related projects and initiatives, particularly those with
a focus on educating, licensing, and supporting amateur radio
activities. Youth-based projects and initiatives are especially
encouraged. The ARRL Foundation grants program accepts proposals on a
cyclical model three times a year, in February, June, and October.
Proposals for the October grant period are being accepted through
October 31. Awardees will be notified approximately one month after the
closing of each cycle.

Additional information and a link to the grant application can be found
at www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-grants <http://www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-grants>.

The ARRL Foundation Scholarship Program will award more than 100
scholarships to deserving radio amateurs pursuing higher education.
Individual scholarships range from $500 - $25,000. All applicants must
be active, FCC-licensed amateur radio operators and submit a completed
online application by noon on January 4, 2023. Active foreign amateur
radio operators are eligible for the Amateur Radio Digital
Communications (ARDC) scholarships.

For the 2023 scholarships, the ARRL Foundation will be utilizing the
same Scholarship Management Platform that was used for the 2022
scholarships. Transcripts and additional required documents must be
submitted with the application and not emailed separately. A number of scholarships require additional documents, such as a letter of
recommendation from a sitting Officer of an ARRL Affiliated Club.
Applications without accompanying transcripts and additional required
documents (if applicable) will not be considered.

The ARRL Foundation Scholarship Committee will review all applicants
for eligibility and award decisions. Scholarship recipients will be
notified in May 2023 via USPS and email. Awards are mailed directly to recipients' schools.

Additional information and a link to the application can be found at www.arrl.org/scholarship-program
<http://www.arrl.org/scholarship-program>.

The ARRL Foundation <http://www.arrl.org/the-arrl-foundation>
administers programs to support the amateur radio community, and was established in 1973 by ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio <http://www.arrl.org/>®.

2022 ARRL ONLINE AUCTION IS OCT. 21 - 27

The 17th annual ARRL Online Auction <https://arrl.auctionanything.com/>
preview is now open. Bidding begins at 10:00 AM EDT on Friday, October
21, and runs through 10 PM on Thursday, October 27. RT Systems, Inc <https://www.rtsystemsinc.com/>. is sponsoring this year's ARRL Online
Auction, which benefits ARRL education and technology initiatives and
programs.

The 2022 auction includes a large assortment of ham radio gear that was previously tested by the ARRL Lab for the regular "Product Review"
column in QST magazine. Among the more than 30 products are these:

- Elecraft K4D HF/6M SDR Transceiver

- RF-Kit RF2K Solid-State Linear Amplifier

- Yaesu FTdx10 MF/HF and 6-Meter Transceiver

- Icom ID-52A Dual-Band FM/Digital Handheld Transceiver

Visit the auction website, register to bid, and check out details on
the items available so you will be ready to place a bid on your
favorites. Plus, keep an eye on the ARRL Facebook page <http://www.facebook.com/ARRL.org> and Instagram <https://www.instagram.com/arrlhq/> for featured products and auction highlights throughout the event. Registration is not necessary to
register to browse the items for sale, and you can register any time
during the auction.

Prospective bidders must register and create an account. Your
www.arrl.org user ID and password will not work on the auction site. Registration is a one-time action. If you have previously registered
for the ARRL Online Auction, you can use the same username and password
to sign in to this year's auction (if you have forgotten your username
or password, click on the "Help" tab on the ARRL Online Auction website
for assistance).

ARRL's annual Online Auction is an important fundraiser and a critical
means of support for ARRL educational programming. Auction proceeds
ensure the continuation of programs that support the licensing of new
hams, as well as Amateur Radio Emergency Service® training, and
enhancements to technical and operating education for all ARRL members
and the greater amateur radio community.

If you don't want to bid but still would like to contribute to the ARRL Education & Technology Fund, visit www.arrl.org/donate. <https://home.arrl.org/action/Donate>

For more information about the ARRL Online Auction, contact <ltardette@arrl.org> Lisa Tardette, KB1MOI.

AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN SCIENTIFIC

EXPERIMENTS

The High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) will be
conducting their largest experiment and research campaign from October
19 - 28, 2022. Amateur radio operators are invited to listen and
participate.

The research will last for 10 days and include 13 experiments, with transmissions taking place between 1400 - 0600 UTC daily. The
transmission experiments include moon bounce, Jupiter bounce, HF ocean
scatter, and ionosphere satellite interactions. Amateur radio operators
are being asked to monitor the times of the transmissions and signal
quality. Reports can be filed electronically, and a special QSL card
will be sent for participation.

This will be the most scientifically diverse campaign ever conducted at
HAARP. Particularly notable experiments include a first-of-its-kind
attempt to bounce a signal off of Jupiter, investigation into possible
causes of the airglow phenomenon known as STEVE (Strong Thermal
Emission Velocity Enhancement), and testing the feasibility of using
radio transmissions to measure the interiors of near-Earth asteroids.

"The October research campaign is our largest and most diverse to date,
with researchers and citizen scientists collaborating from across the
globe," said HAARP Program Manager Jessica Matthews.

The number of experiments is the highest so far under the 5-year, $9.3
million grant awarded last year by the National Science Foundation to
establish the Subauroral Geophysical Observatory at HAARP. The
observatory's purpose is to explore of Earth's upper atmosphere and
geospace environment.

An overview of all of the experiments can be found at the HAARP <https://www.gi.alaska.edu/news/haarp-begin-largest-set-experiments-its-new-observatory>

website.

See the following document <http://www.arrl.org/files/file/News/ARRL%20Letter/2022-10-20/HAARP%20Transmission%20Schedule%20October%202022.pdf>

(PDF) for a more detailed listing of the experiments and technical
data.

Participating amateur radio operators can request a QSL card and send
reception reports to HAARP, P.O. Box 271, Gakona, AK 99586.

HAARP is a scientific endeavor aimed at studying the properties and
behavior of the ionosphere. Operation of the research facility was
transferred from the US Air Force to the University of Alaska Fairbanks
on August 11, 2015, allowing HAARP to continue with exploration of
ionospheric phenomenology via a land-use cooperative research and
development agreement.

CLEVELAND AMATEUR RADIO CLUB CELEBRATES 60 YEARS

The Cleveland Amateur Radio Club (CARC), in Cleveland, Tennessee,
celebrated their 60th anniversary on August 27, 2022.

Founded in 1962, CARC is one of the oldest continually operating clubs
in the southeastern US. The club was officially recognized as an ARRL Affiliated Club in 1965, and again in 2015 as a contesting club.

Currently, the club has more than 125 members and operates its own
clubhouse. They have a radio room outfitted with four multi-operator HF operating stations (KA4J) and a separate VHF room serving as the
emergency communications room, complete with multiple VHF and UHF
operating stations (W4GZX). They also have an on-site repeater facility
hosting multiple repeaters for VHF and UHF, Digital Smart Technologies
for Amateur Radio (D-STAR), and Digital Mobile Radio (DMR). Two
off-site mountaintop repeater sites allow for wide-area coverage from
Atlanta, Georgia, to Knoxville, Tennessee.

As part of their on-going celebration, the CARC celebrated their
anniversary with the Chattanooga Amateur Radio Club at Hamfest
Chattanooga 2022 on October 14 - 15.

Complete information about the Cleveland Amateur Radio Club can be
found at their website, www.carc.cc <http://www.carc.cc/>.

CENTRAL STATES VHF SOCIETY CELEBRATES 54 YEARS

The Central States VHF Society <http://www.csvhfs.org/> (CSVHFS), the
oldest group in the country devoted to weak signal VHF, held their 54th
annual conference on July 21 - 23, 2022. Over 130 amateurs attended the
event, which was held in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

This year's conference highlighted the recent activity with 222 MHz
Worked All States (WAS), as well as the Fred Fish Memorial Award
(FFMA), the VHF Spring Sprints, and the year-long competition, States
Above 50 MHz.

The Wilson Award recognizes service to CSVHFS or VHF in general, and
was presented to Peter Van Horne, KA6U. For the past two summers, Van
Horne has been traveling the country, activating states via EME (Earth-moon-Earth) on 144, 222, 432, and 1296 MHz. His efforts resulted
in six stations completing WAS on 222 MHz in the past year.

The John T. Chambers Award for Technical Achievement was presented to
Dave Olean, K1WHS, for his many years at Directive Systems and
Engineering in Haymarket, Virginia. Olean has been active in the chase
for 222 MHz WAS and has been instrumental in promoting activity on the
band.

222 MHz WAS award recipients in attendance for the award presentation
were: Charlie Betz, N0AKC; Dave Kerl, N9HF; Joel Harrison, W5ZN; John Swiniarski, K1OR; Ed Gray, W0SD; Marc Thorson, WB0TEM; Dave Olean,
K1WHS, and Marshall Williams, K5QE.

FFMA recipients attending the conference were Ralph Smith, W4UDH; Jim
Spence, KO9A; John Feltz, W9JN, and Greg Clausen, W0LGQ.

More information about CSVHFS is available on their website,
www.csvhfs.org <https://www.csvhfs.org/>.

AMATEUR RADIO CLUB MEMBERS ASSIST LAW ENFORCEMENT

The Wayne Amateur Radio Club <https://w8woo.org/> (WARC) manned a
30-foot-tall mobile observational Infrastructure Protection Unit, or
SkyWatch tower, at Ohio's Wayne County Fair in September again this
year.

Staffed by specially trained amateur radio volunteers, the tower
provided 24-hour surveillance, monitoring, and a record of activity on
the fairgrounds, including medical emergencies, lost children, and
other situations where help may have been needed.

Captain Doug Hunter, KE8JNH, Wayne County Sheriff's Office, stands next
to the SkyWatch tower at the Wayne County fair.

Captain Doug Hunter, KE8JNH, of the Wayne County Sheriff's Office,
was impressed with its performance. "Last year, I put in a request for
the tower from the Ohio Department of Homeland Security," Hunter said.
"After seeing the benefit of having it, I immediately requested the
unit for this year's fair."

Positioned near the grandstand, the tower gave volunteers a bird's-eye
view of the midway that allows one person to see from the air what four
or five people can see from the ground. The observation deck is
equipped with state-of-the-art video equipment that provides
situational awareness in places where there are large crowds in
attendance.

With an array of pan, tilt, and zoom cameras, the unit provides a
360-degree view of the fair's most vulnerable areas. It is climate
controlled and is capable of being self-powered to ensure continuous
operation.

Eric Mast, W8ELM, a member of WARC, said that club members who have
additional training, apart from their amateur radio licensing exams,
take shifts monitoring the crowd. "Through our training, we understand
how to communicate with law enforcement," said Mast. "We know what they
need to hear. If we see a situation that needs their attention, our
radio is connected directly to dispatch inside their command center on
the fairgrounds. Once we report it, we are out of the loop and law
enforcement manages everything from that point."

Captain Hunter added, "As long as this is available to us, we will take advantage of it. If we can utilize something that increases the safety
of fairgoers, we will take advantage of that. WARC members donated more
than 60 hours of their time, and we are very thankful for them."

-- Thanks to Dan Starcher, Public Communications Specialist for the
Wayne County Commissioners Office in Wooster, Ohio, for information
contained in this story.

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>.

"Thundering Herd Amateur Radio Club Holds its First Meeting <https://marshallparthenon.com/30292/life/thundering-herd-amateur-radio-club-holds-its-first-meeting/>."

/ The Parthenon (Marshall University Student Newspaper; West Virginia),
October 11, 2022.

"Some mountain middle school students talk with International Space
Station crew <https://wlos.com/news/local/amateur-radio-on-the-international-space-station-harris-middle-school-dan-hopson-sen-ralph-hise-mitchell-county-commissioners-spruce-pine-town-council-members>"

/ WLOS (North Carolina), October 12, 2022.

"Amateur Radio Operators receive much-deserved recognition <https://www.thetomahawk.com/featured-news/amateur-radio-operators-receive-much-deserved-recognition/>."

/ The Tomahawk (Tennessee), October 18, 2022 -- The Johnson County
Amateur Radio Club is an ARRL Affiliated Club.

"Detroit high school students speak with an astronaut that is currently orbiting earth <https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2022/10/18/detroit-high-school-students-speak-with-an-astronaut-that-is-currently-orbiting-earth/>"

/ ClickOnDetroit.com (Michigan), October 18, 2022. -- Thanks to Amateur
Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS), and members of the
Hazel Park Amateur Radio Club, an ARRL Affiliated Club.

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

ARRL PODCASTS

The latest episode of the ARRL On the Air
<https://blubrry.com/arrlontheair/> podcast includes Arc Thames, W4CPD,
the Section Emergency Coordinator of ARRL's Northern Florida Section
and Emergency Coordinator of Santa Rosa County Florida. Thames shares
some of his experiences from supporting emergency communications during Hurricane Ian.

Listen to ARRL Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrl-audio-news>,
available every Friday. ARRL Audio News is a summary of the week's top
news stories in the world of amateur radio and ARRL, along with
interviews and other features.

The On the Air podcast is available on iTunes (iOS) and Stitcher
(Android). The On the Air podcast and ARRL Audio News are also on
Blubrry -- On the Air <https://blubrry.com/arrlontheair/> | ARRL Audio
News <https://blubrry.com/arrlaudionews/>.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The 2022 Massillon Amateur Radio Club <http://wd8aye.net/index.htm>
(MARC) Hamfest will be held on October 30 at the Military Air
Preservation Hangar at the Military Aviation Preservation Society
(MAPS) Air Museum, near the Akron-Canton Airport in Ohio. The Hamfest
includes a display of World War II-era planes and aviation gear inside
the MAPS hangar. On display will be fighter and bomber aircraft, as
well as displays featuring the Tuskegee Airmen, a Pearl Harbor
memorial, and Rosie the Riveter memorabilia. MAPS is an internationally recognized museum of aviation and the center of aviation history for
northeast Ohio. The MARC Hamfest will be open from 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM,
and admission is $5.00.

IN BRIEF...

The San Angelo, Texas, City Council issued a proclamation on October
18, 2022, recognizing the San Angelo Amateur Radio Club's (SAARC) 100th Anniversary. More than 60 current and former members attended a special
event and celebration on October 15, 2022, including six past
presidents and visitors from the Midland Amateur Radio Club. The Boy
Scouts Jamboree-on-the-Air (JOTA) was part of the celebration, and
SAARC members made over 40 QSO's honoring the anniversary. SAARC <https://www.w5qx.org/> was founded in June 1922 and is an ARRL
Affiliated Club. Read more <https://www.arrl.org/news/san-angelo-amateur-radio-club-celebrates-100-years>

about their anniversary on ARRL News.

THE K7RA SOLAR UPDATE

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

Sunspot activity took quite a plunge over this reporting week (October
13 - 19). Average daily sunspot numbers declined from 114.9 to 57.3,
while equivalent solar flux values went from 155.3 to 119.6.

Solar disk image taken October 20, 2022, courtesy of NASA SDO/HMI.

Geomagnetic indicators were slightly lower, with the average
planetary A index going from 13.3 to 10.6, and middle latitude A index
from 10.4 to 8.1.

I should note that the middle latitude A index for October 18 - 19 are
my own estimates. The Fredericksburg, Virginia, magnetometer was
offline for a 24-hour period spanning both days.

The Wednesday forecast of solar flux shows a peak at 160 during the
first week in November.

Predicted daily flux values are 110 on October 20 - 26; 115 and 150 on
October 27 - 28; 155 on October 29 - 30; 152 on October 31; 160 on
November 1 - 8; 150, 140, and 135 on November 9 - 11; 130 on November
12 - 13; 135 on November 14; 138 on November 15 - 17, and 140 on
November 18 - 21.

Predicted planetary A index is 12 and 10 on October 20 - 21; 5 on
October 22 - 23; 10, 5, 8, and 12 on October 24 - 27; 15, 12, and 20 on
October 28 - 30; 15 on October 31 through November 1; 18, 15, 12, 20,
and 8 on November 2 - 6; 5 on November 7 - 9; 18 on November 10 - 11;
15 and 8 on November 12 - 13; 5 on November 14 - 15; 12 on November 16
- 17; 8 on November 18, and 5 on November 19 - 21.

Despite the lower solar activity, worldwide 10-meter propagation has
been very good this week, probably helped by seasonal variations as we
head deeper into the fall season.

In Friday's bulletin, expect reports from readers.

Sunspot numbers for October 13 through 19 were 57, 51, 50, 59, 84, 50,
and 50, with a mean of 114.9. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 130, 120.5,
115.1, 119.2, 125.6, 113.9, and 113.2, with a mean of 155.3. Estimated planetary A indices were 5, 18, 18, 16, 6, 6, and 5, with a mean of
13.3. Middle latitude A index was 4, 16, 15, 11, 4, 4, and 3, with a
mean of 10.4.

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

- October 20 -- NTC QSO Party (CW)

- October 21 - 23 -- V/U Telephone Pioneers QSO Party (CW, phone,
digital)

- October 22 - 23 -- YBDXPI FT8 Contest (FT8)

- October 22 - 23 -- UK/EI DX Contest, SSB (phone)

- October 22 - 24 -- YLRL DX/NA YL Anniversary Contest (CW, phone,
digital)

- October 22 - 23 -- Stew Perry Topband Challenge (CW)

- October 23 -- North American SSB Sprint Contest (phone)

- October 23 - 26 -- Classic Exchange, CW

- October 26 -- SKCC Sprint (CW)

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

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

UPCOMING SECTION, STATE, AND DIVISION CONVENTIONS

- October 29 | CopaFest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/copafest-arrl-arizona-state-convention>,
hosting the ARRL Arizona State Convention, Maricopa, Arizona

- November 5 - 6 | Stone Mountain Hamfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/stone-mountain-hamfest-arrl-georgia-section-convention>,

hosting the ARRL Georgia Section Convention, Lawrenceville, Georgia

- November 12 | Montgomery ARC Hamfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/montgomery-arc-hamfest-arrl-alabama-state-convention-1>,

hosting the ARRL Alabama State Convention, Montgomery, Alabama

- November 12 | Rock Hill Hamfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/70th-annual-rock-hill-hamfest-arrl-south-carolina-section-convention>,

hosting the ARRL South Carolina Section Convention, Rock Hill, South
Carolina

- December 9 - 10 | Tampa Bay Hamfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/tampa-bay-hamfest-arrl-west-central-florida-section-convention-1>,

hosting the ARRL West Central Florida Section Convention

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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