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

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

January 5, 2023

John E. Ross, KD8IDJ, Editor <[email protected]>

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 Volunteers On the Air Event is Underway
- More Amateur Radio Astronauts Head for the International Space
Station
- Bud Kozloff, W1NSK, Appointed as ARRL Connecticut Section Manager
- Service Academies Radio Group Now in Operation
- 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 VOLUNTEERS ON THE AIR EVENT IS UNDERWAY

ARRL's yearlong operating event, Volunteers On the Air
<https://vota.arrl.org>, or VOTA, began January 1, 2023. The event is
organized as part of ARRL's 2023 theme, "Year of the Volunteers," which recognizes the contributions of ARRL member volunteers, and offers opportunities to become more active and involved in amateur radio and
ARRL.

VOTA encourages participants to make contacts with ARRL members and
volunteers, earning points for each contact. Point values have been
assigned (see the Points Table at vota.arrl.org
<https://vota.arrl.org>). All scoring is automatically calculated
through ARRL's Logbook of The World (LoTW,
www.arrl.org/logbook-of-the-world
<http://www.arrl.org/logbook-of-the-world>). If you are already an LoTW
user, continue to upload your QSOs there to participate. If you're a
new LoTW user, visit Getting Started with LoTW <https://lotw.arrl.org/lotw-help/getting-started/>.

As part of the event, there will be week-long activations by W1AW
portable stations operating in all US states and territories. W1AW/#
portable operations are worth 5 points for each contact, and they can
be contacted on all bands and modes. There's also an opportunity to
earn the W1AW Worked All States Award. There will be two week-long W1AW operations from each of the 50 states.

Later in the event, an on-line scoreboard, the VOTA Leaderboard, will
be activated, allowing each participant to see how their score measures
up with other participants throughout the year.

Only two-way contacts qualify for points (cross-band, cross-mode, and
repeater contacts are not valid), using any mode (CW, phone, or
digital) - including EME and satellite operations - on 160, 80, 40, 20,
15, 10, 6, 2, and 1.25 meters, as well as 70 centimeters, VHF/UHF/SHF,
and microwave bands available to US amateurs above 2 meters (2190-,
630-, 60-, 30-, 17-, and 12-meter band contacts are not counted for
credit in this event).

Join the fun! Visit the official VOTA website for further details: vota.arrl.org <https://vota.arrl.org>.

MORE AMATEUR RADIO ASTRONAUTS HEAD FOR THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE

STATION

Three of the four new astronauts on February's planned launch of the
SpaceX Crew-6 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) are
amateur radio operators.

Pilot Warren "Woody" Hoburg, KB3HTZ; Commander Stephen Bowen,
KI5BKB, and Mission Specialist Sultan Al Neyadi, KI5VTV, will join
Mission Specialist Andrey Fedyaev on board the SpaceX Dragon
spacecraft, Endeavour.

The spacecraft will be atop a Falcon 9 rocket and, while a launch date
has not been selected, the earliest date would be mid-February 2023.

All crew members have learned about Amateur Radio on the International
Space Station <https://www.ariss.org/> (ARISS), received guidance on
studying and testing, and learned how to operate the ARISS radios and
the basics of on-the-air protocol from ARISS team members at NASA's
Johnson Space Center.

The crew will be able to participate in ARISS, using the ham radio
station on the ISS to contact schools and other educational
institutions.

ARISS is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies
and the space agencies that support the ISS. In the US, participating organizations include NASA, the ISS National Lab, ARRL <http://www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-on-the-international-space-station>
The National Association for Amateur Radio�, and AMSAT.

BUD KOZLOFF, W1NSK, APPOINTED AS ARRL CONNECTICUT SECTION MANAGER

Bud Kozloff, W1NSK, has been appointed as the ARRL Connecticut Section
Manager starting on January 1, 2023.

Kozloff, who lives in Redding, Connecticut, is currently the president
of the Candlewood Amateur Radio Association and a member of the Yankee
Clipper Contest Club. He was appointed by ARRL Field Services Manager
Mike Walters, W8ZY, after consulting with New England Division Director
Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC. His term of office continues through September
30, 2024.

Kozloff takes the reins of the Connecticut Section Field Organization
from Betsey Doane, K1EIC, who was appointed by ARRL Headquarters as the Connecticut Section Manager in November 2022 to fulfill the role on a
temporary basis until a full-time Section Manager could be appointed.

Doane, of Shelton, was previously the Connecticut Section Manager for
25 years from 1991 to 2016. Chuck Motes, K1DFS, of Plainville, served
as Connecticut's Section Manager for the last 6 years. He decided not
to run for a new term of office when his third term concluded on
September 30, 2022.

SERVICE ACADEMIES RADIO GROUP NOW IN OPERATION

The Service Academies Radio Group (SARG) was recently formed for alumni
and amateur radio operators who are interested in the five U.S military academies.

William Curry, W5CQ, founder and net control operator for the SARG Net,
said two months ago there was a new interest in forming a group and
net. He noticed that only one military academy, West Point, W2KGY, was
still operating a club station. At one time, every military academy had
an operating club station.

"The club stations at the U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy,
U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and the U.S. Maritime
Academy all have been off the air for some time," said Curry. "But we
now have 50 new members, all who are interested in promoting amateur
radio at all of the academies."

The SARG net meets every Thursday at 2200 UTC on 7.280 MHz, and every
Saturday at 1600 UTC on 14.338 MHz. All amateur radio operators,
whether they are veterans, or just have an interest in the military or
history of the academies, are invited.

Curry has been licensed since 1950 and holds an Amateur Extra-class
license. He is also an ARRL Life Member.

For additional information about the SARG Net, contact Curry at
[email protected].

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>.

"Ham radio club receives grant <http://www.effinghamdailynews.com/community/ham-radio-club-receives-grant/article_ebe7856a-8185-11ed-bc24-5387387ba487.html>"

/ Effingham Daily News (Illinois), December 21, 2022. -- The National
Trail Amateur Radio Club is an ARRL Affiliated Club.

"What's the frequency, Kenneth?": Watertown Amateur Radio Club
celebrates 40th anniversary <https://www.wdtimes.com/news/local/what-s-the-frequency-kenneth-watertown-amateur-radio-club-celebrates-40th-anniversary/article_5fa0afb6-823c-11ed-9ee9-b3b637c353fe.html>

/ Watertown Daily Times (Wisconsin), December 27, 2022. -- The
Watertown Amateur Radio Club is an ARRL Affiliated Club.

"Looking to Ditch Twitter? Morse Code Is Back <https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/morse-code-back-looking-ditch-twitter-180981309/>"

/ Smithsonian Magazine, January/February 2023, by Larry Kahaner, KN4XW.

Share <[email protected]> any amateur radio media hits you spot with
us.

ARRL PODCASTS

On the Air
Sponsored by Icom <http://www.icomamerica.com/en/>
In the latest episode of the ARRL On the Air <https://blubrry.com/arrlontheair/> podcast, Ginger Wilder, KI5TJE,
discusses her first time running an amateur radio net. Get ready to be
the next Net Control operator for your local net.

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

The On the Air podcast 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

Abstract submission is now open for the 6th Annual HamSCI Workshop to
be held March 17 - 18, 2023, in person at The University of Scranton
and virtually on Zoom. The workshop is very student and citizen
scientist friendly and all amateur radio operators are invited to
attend. The abstract submission form and more details are available at https://hamsci.org/hamsci2023. Abstracts are due February 1, 2023. The
theme of the 2023 HamSCI Workshop is "Forging Amateur-Professional
Bonds." The primary objective is to bring together the amateur radio
community and professional scientists. While HamSCI's main focus is
ionospheric and radio science, presentations are welcome from all
related parts of the "Coupled Geospace System," including the sun,
solar wind, magnetosphere, neutral atmosphere, and more. For more
information, contact Dr. Nathaniel A. Frissell, Ph.D., W2NAF, at [email protected].

IN BRIEF...

Amateur radio contesting great Fred Laun (Alfred A. Laun, III),
K3ZO, of Temple Hills, Maryland, passed away on January 3, 2023. He was
a member of the ARRL Maxim Society and Life Member, and a member of the
Potomac Valley Radio Club <https://www.pvrc.org/>. Laun was also a
Director for The Yasme Foundation, an organization that supports awards
and grants that recognize and advance the achievements made by radio
amateurs. "Fred's service to Yasme and other amateur organizations,
spanning decades, was unsurpassed, as were his contributions to amateur
radio, for which he cared deeply," said Yasme Foundation President Ward
Silver, N0AX, in a press release. "Well-known and respected around the
globe, we know Fred's many friends world-wide will honor his memory,
both on and off the air." Read a 2015 interview <https://ncjweb.com/features/sepoct15feat.pdf> (PDF) with Laun,
conducted by John Dorr, K1AR, for the National Contest Journal (NCJ).

THE K7RA SOLAR UPDATE

Tad Cook, K7RA, of Seattle, Washington, reports ARRL Propagation
Bulletin ARLP001 for January 5, 2023:

Two new sunspot groups emerged on December 29, 2022, one more on
December 30, 2022, and another on January 1, 2023.

Solar activity was a little higher, with average daily sunspot numbers
rising from 96.1 to 97, and solar flux averages rose 14 points to
157.8.

Predicted solar flux is 152 and 154 on January 5 - 6; 152 on January 7
- 8; 150, 148, and 146 on January 9 - 11; 150 on January 12 - 13; 145
on January 14; 140 on January 15 - 16; 145 on January 17 - 19; 150 and
155 on January 20 - 21; 160 on January 22 - 23; 165 on January 24 - 26;
then 160, 155, 155, 158, and 155 on January 27 - 31.

Predicted planetary A index is 18, 12 and 10 on January 5 - 7; 5 on
January 8 - 16; 8, 12, 25, 20, and 10 on January 17 - 21; 5 on January
22 - 24; 8, 28, 15, and 10 on January 25 - 28; 5 on January 29 - 30,
and 18 on January 31 - February 1.

Article on Siberian Radioheliograph:
https://bit.ly/3vGFJVm

Sunspot numbers for December 29, 2022, through January 4, 2023, were
113, 121, 82, 94, 94, 89, and 86, with a mean of 97. The
10.7-centimeter flux was 162.8, 178.3, 164.9, 152.6, 146.4, 148.5, and
151, with a mean of 157.8. Estimated planetary A indices were 11, 31,
16, 14, 8, 7, and 21, with a mean of 15.4. Middle latitude A index was
8, 22, 10, 9, 5, 5, and 17, with a mean of 10.9.

Send your tips, questions, or comments to [email protected].

A comprehensive K7RA Solar Update is posted on 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 <[email protected]> your reports and observations.

A weekly, full report is posted on ARRL News
<http://www.arrl.org/news>.

JUST AHEAD IN RADIOSPORT

- January 5 - 6 -- Walk for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW)

- January 6 -- QRP Fox Hunt (CW)

- January 6 -- K1USN Slow Speed Test (CW)

- January 7 -- PODXS 070 Club PSKFest (digital)

- January 7 - 8 -- WW PMC Contest (CW, phone)

- January 7 - 8 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon (CW)

- January 7 -- RSGB AFS Contest (CW)

- January 7 - 8 -- Original QRP Contest (CW, phone)

- January 7 -- ARRL Kids Day (phone)

- January 7 - 8 -- ARRL RTTY Roundup (digital)

- January 7 - 8 -- EUCW 160-Meter Contest (CW)

- January 8 -- NRAU-Baltic Contest, SSB (phone)

- January 8 -- DARC 10-Meter Contest (CW, phone)

- January 8 -- NRAU-Baltic Contest (CW)

- January 9 -- 4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint (CW, phone)

- January 11 - 17 -- VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest (FT8)

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

UPCOMING SECTION, STATE, AND DIVISION CONVENTIONS

- January 7 | Ham Radio University <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/online-ham-radio-university-arrl-new-york-city-long-island-section-convention-1>,

hosting the ARRL New York City-Long Island Section Convention, an
online event

- January 20 - 21 | Southwest Florida Regional Hamfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/southwest-florida-regional-hamfest-arrl-southern-florida-section-convention>,

hosting the ARRL Southern Florida Section Convention, Fort Myers,
Florida

- January 20 - 21 | Cowtown Hamfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/cowtown-hamfest-arrl-north-texas-section-convention-2>,

hosting the ARRL North Texas Section Convention, Forest Hill, Texas

- January 27 - 28 | Capital City Hamfest 2023 <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/jackson-ms-capital-city-hamfest-2023-arrl-mississippi-state-convention>,

hosting the ARRL Mississippi State Convention, Jackson, Mississippi

- January 28 | Winterfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/winterfest-arrl-midwest-division-convention-2>, hosting the ARRL Midwest Division Convention, Collinsville, Illinois

- February 10 - 12 | Orlando HamCation <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/orlando-hamcation-arrl-southeastern-division-convention>,

hosting the ARRL Southeastern Division Convention, Orlando, Florida

- February 17 - 18 | LCARC Winter-Fest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/lcarc-winter-fest-arrl-arkansas-state-convention>,

ARRL Arkansas State Convention, Hoxie, Arkansas

- February 25 | HAM-CON <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/ham-con-arrl-vermont-state-convention-2>,
hosting the ARRL Vermont State Convention, Colchester, Vermont

- March 3 - 4 | BirmingHamfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/birminghamfest-arrl-alabama-section-convention>,

hosting the ARRL Alabama Section Convention, Trussville, Alabama

- March 3 - 4 | Greater Houston HamFest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/greater-houston-hamfest-arrl-texas-state-convention>,

hosting the ARRL Texas State Convention, Rosenberg, Texas

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
[email protected]. -- John E. Ross, KD8IDJ, ARRL News Editor
<[email protected]>

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Amateur Radio News and Information

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Copyright (c) 2023 American Radio Relay League, Incorporated.
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