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

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

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

February 9, 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

- Amateur Radio Active in Turkey and Syria Following Earthquakes
- Bouvet Island DXpedition is On the Air!
- Amateur Radio Events Celebrate the Universe
- Registration Open for the 2023 QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo
- Utah Students Talk to an Astronaut on the International Space Station
- Amateur Radio in the News
- ARRL Podcasts
- In Brief...
- The K7RA Solar Update
- Just Ahead in Radiosport
- Upcoming Section, State, and Division Conventions

AMATEUR RADIO ACTIVE IN TURKEY AND SYRIA FOLLOWING EARTHQUAKES

In the days following the 7.8 magnitude earthquake and aftershocks that
hit Turkey and Syria on February 6, 2023, emergency communications have
been active with rescue and response efforts.

The emergency communications group T�rkiye Radyo Amat�rleri Cemiyeti
(TRAC) is coordinating primary communications.

The designated primary disaster communication frequency is 28.540 MHz
(USB). In addition, 3.777 and 7.092 MHz will also be used as needed.
Amateur radio operators have been asked to avoid these frequencies to
allow any emergency traffic.

In a statement issued to ARRL on February 9, 2023, IARU Region 1
Emergency Communications Co-Ordinator Greg Mossop, G0DUB, said the full
effects of this disaster continue to unfold along with the search for
any remaining trapped people.

Here is his full statement:

"Aziz, TA1E, is now at the disaster area and coordinating frequencies
for teams carrying out search operations. Many countries have sent
Search and Rescue [(SAR)] resources but the only ones known to have
[r]adio [a]mateurs embedded in them are Georgia and Bosnia [and]
Herzegovina. The Romanian SAR team has no operators, but [it] does have communications equipment supplied by RVSU, one of the Amateur Radio
emergency groups in Romania.

Aziz reported yesterday that 'due to the overwhelming dimension of the incident, some problems in coordination occur[ed]. These naturally have
an impact [o]n the coordination of the incoming foreign
SAR [g]roups.

As the assignment of their duty area is sometimes [a] 'last-minute
decision,' and this decision is made by government officials, I would
kindly ask the groups to report to me [for] that assignment. I will
then [be] able to inform the groups [of] the usable frequencies in the
area.'

With the large number of rescue teams deployed to the country, the
challenges in coordinating teams, locations, and frequencies are to be expected.

With the death toll now over 17,000 in Turkey and Syria, the focus
remains [on] getting the right help to the right place. A clear message
from Aziz, when asked whether any radio operators or equipment were
required, was:

'Assistance of individual radio amateurs is only possible if they are 'embedded' to SAR Teams with [International Search and Rescue Advisory
Group] (INSARAG) Certification, which [has] been accredited by the
Turkish government.'

At the time of the earthquake, a [European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations] (CEPT) meeting was taking place,
and it has been reported that the Turkish delegation to that meeting
confirmed that Radio Amateurs were being deployed in the emergency
response.

Traffic is being heard on 10 and 80 meters in the Turkish language, so
the request to keep frequencies in the area clear remains. The majority
of emergency communications traffic remains on VHF.

The earthquake affected Syria as well. I have tried reaching the Syrian National Society <>but with no response, as they seem to have gone
QRT.

[The] full effects of this disaster continue to unfold and [are] now encompassing the needs of survivors [to]search for any remaining
trapped people."

To date, there have been more than 17,000 casualties in Turkey and
Syria combined, and more than 14,000 casualties in Turkey alone, with
more than 63,000 people reported injured. Aftershocks continue and
relief organizations are on site, with more aid arriving in the areas
daily.

Additional and updated information is available at https://www.iaru-r1.org/2023/turkiye-earthquake-6-february-2023/

BOUVET ISLAND DXPEDITION IS ON THE AIR!

The 3Y0J team <https://www.3y0j.no/the-team> has arrived and begun
operations on Bouvet Island <https://goo.gl/maps/ZcXyTFSrXVwGPpLd7>.
The conditions have been difficult and the team is not yet operating at
full capacity.

The 3Y0J Media Officer and East Coast Pilot, Steve Hass, N2AJ, wrote
on Facebook that, as of Wednesday, February 8, 2023, the team has only
enough power to operate two radios simultaneously. A storm is
forecasted to bring high winds to the remote island, so the team is
taking precautions. Some of the antennas may be taken down to prevent
damage. According to Facebook posts, the yacht that brought the team to
the island, the S/V Marama, has been moved farther offshore in
anticipation of the winds.

Despite the challenges, the DXpeditioners say they logged 5,000 QSOs in
the first 48 hours of operation. To date, the team has been heard
working CW on 17 meters and SSB on 15 meters. No matter the mode, the
operators will always be listening up. That means hams should listen
for them on their frequency <>and transmit back to them 5 - 10 kHz
above that frequency. The operator will be tuning back and forth to try
and pull out the strongest station.

The Bouvet operators intend to work FT8 to give modest stations a
chance to log the rare entity. They will always be working in Fox and
Hound mode <http://www.arrl.org/news/foxes-and-hounds-ft8-dxpedition-mode-is-in-the-works-for-wsjt-x>.

The team asks operators who have already worked the island on one band
or mode to not attempt another contact. The hope is that every station
trying to make contact will be able to add Bouvet to their log.

The 3Y0J DXpedition is one of the most anticipated activations in
recent years. Bouvet Island is ranked second on Club Log's DXCC Most
Wanted List <https://clublog.org/mostwanted.php>, right behind P5/North
Korea.

Near real-time updates from the team are being posted to the 3Y0J - The
Bouvet island DXpedition Facebook group <https://www.facebook.com/groups/3093983840726129>. Logs will be
uploaded from the team as conditions allow. The operators have some
access to satellite internet.

AMATEUR RADIO EVENTS CELEBRATE THE UNIVERSE

Two amateur radio events are scheduled in mid-February to celebrate an astronomer who mapped the universe and an astronomer who discovered a
planet.

The Northern Arizona DX Association <https://nadxa.com/> (NADXA) has
been conducting a 10-year special event countdown to the 100-year
anniversary of Pluto's discovery. The planet was spotted in 1930 by
Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. This is
the third year of the special event, which will run from February 11 -
19, 2023. NADXA club members will operate from the Lowell Observatory
and their own stations. They will be using the call sign W7P on most
bands and modes, beginning February 11 at 00:00 UTC through February 20
at 00:00 UTC. Also operating will be W7P/0 from Kansas City, Missouri.
The W7P/0 station is managed by the nephew of Clyde Tombaugh, Doug
Tombaugh, N3PDT. Last year's event resulted in more than 7,000 QSOs, 58
DX entities, and 17,000 lookups on https://www.qrz.com/.

In Poland, from February 17 - March 5, 2023, the Polish Amateur Radio
Union (PZK) <https://550mk.pzk.org.pl/> will operate nine special event stations honoring the 550th anniversary of the birth of Nicolaus
Copernicus. Copernicus mapped the universe and formulated a model that
placed the sun, rather than Earth, at its center.

The nine special event stations will operate from February 17 at 00:00
UTC to March 5 at 23:59 UTC, using the following call signs: SN550K,
SN550O, SN550P, SN550E, SN550R, SN550N, SN550I, SP550K, and SN550NC.

All amateur operators can participate, and QSL cards and other awards
will be available.

REGISTRATION OPEN FOR THE 2023 QSO TODAY VIRTUAL HAM EXPO

The 2023 QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo will be held on March 25 - 26, and registration is now open.

The event is a fully interactive virtual ham radio convention offering
new content, networking opportunities, and more than 50 amateur radio presentations on a wide variety of subjects.

There is still time to participate in the event as a presenter. You can
submit an application to present a video on a topic of your choice. The deadline for submission is February 15, 2023. Tickets are $15, and
registration information can be found at the QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo <http://www.qsotodayhamexpo.com/?mc_cid=cfa50a6bb8&mc_eid=d3e32f2624>
website.

-- ARRL is a QSO Today Expo Partner.

UTAH STUDENTS TALK TO AN ASTRONAUT ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE

STATION

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) was active on
February 7, 2023, with a downlink to students in the Cache County
School District in Millville, Utah.

Astronomy students from Ridgeline and Sky View high schools were
able to talk to Astronaut Josh Cassada, KI5CRH, with the help of the Bridgerland Amateur Radio Club (BARC), an ARRL Affiliated Club.

Ten students were able to ask questions that ranged from how fast
you're able to spin in a weightless environment, to which NASA project Astronaut Cassada thinks is most important to us as human beings.

A YouTube <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxm5Ca2y0HD_NxXlZWXv11A>
video of the entire event, including Astronaut Cassada's answers, is
available.

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's Space Communications and Navigation
program (SCaN), the ISS National Laboratory's Space Station Explorers
program, ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio <http://www.arrl.org/ariss>�, and AMSAT.

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>.

"Local HAMS celebrate Kansas Day <https://www.gardnernews.com/news/2023/01/31/local-hams-celebrate-kansas-day/>"

/ The Gardner News (Kansas), January 31, 2023. -- The Santa Fe Trail
ARC is an ARRL Affiliated Club.

"Dixie Amateur Radio Club makes widespread contact during annual field
day <https://www.cedarcityutah.com/news/archive/2023/02/02/nky-dixie-amateur-radio-club-makes-widespread-contact-during-annual-field-day/#.Y-D_dy_MJPY>"

/ Cedar City News (Utah), February 2, 2023. -- The Dixie Amateur Radio
Club is an ARRL Affiliated Club.

"Helping through ham radio: Emergency services use amateur radio
specialists <https://www.eastoregonian.com/news/northwest/helping-through-ham-radio-emergency-services-use-amateur-radio-specialists-download-all-copy-to-clipboard/article_5cff8dd8-a418-11ed-b6bc-33e42f0cbf5c.html>"

/ East Oregonian (Oregon), February 6, 2023. -- Amateur Radio Emergency Services�.

"Local Amateur Radio System Expands In Calvert County <https://thebaynet.com/local-amateur-radio-system-expands-in-calvert-co>"
/ The BAYNET (Maryland), February 6, 2023 -- The Calvert Amateur Radio Association is an ARRL Affiliated Club.

"Helping through ham: Emergency services enlist amateur radio
specialists <https://www.columbian.com/news/2023/feb/07/helping-through-ham-emergency-services-enlist-amateur-radio-specialists/>"

/ The Columbian (Oregon) February 7, 2023 -- Umpqua Valley Amateur
Radio Club.

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/>

ARRL has designated 2023 "The Year of the Volunteers," to shed light on
the work of the hundreds of volunteers who make ARRL and amateur radio
what it is. We've got a year-long, on-air event to go with it;
Volunteers On the Air (VOTA) is already taking the bands by storm just
two months into the fun. In this episode, "How to Be On the Air All
Year with VOTA," we talk to ARRL Director of Operations Bob Naumann,
W5OV, and ARRL Radiosport Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, about rules,
awards, special activations, and all things VOTA.

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/>.

IN BRIEF...

A Barbados amateur radio operator, thought to be among the world's
oldest operators, has died. Winston "Woody" A. Richardson, 8P6CC,
<>died on February 1, 2023. He was 108 years old. Richardson was born
on the island of St. Lucia and was first licensed as VP6WR, before
Barbados achieved its independence from the United Kingdom. "I first
met him in September 1967, and we were lifelong friends," said Jim
Neiger, N6TJ. "He had a modest station at Upton Terrace, in the suburbs
of Bridgetown, [Barbados], and was formerly the Superintendent of the
Barbados Water Authority." Richardson hosted Neiger's 8P6J contest
operations, which included a number two spot in the 1980 ARRL DX CW
Test, and several top-five spots in the CQ World Wide DX CW contests
from 1980 to 1982. The Woody Richardson Communications Room at the
Amateur Radio Society of Barbados is named after him. Richardson
visited the headquarters of the Amateur Radio Society of Barbados in
2020.

THE K7RA SOLAR UPDATE

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

For this week's ARRL Propagation Bulletin ARLP006:

A period of rising solar activity returned this week.

Ten new sunspot groups appeared this reporting week, February 2 - 8,
2023: two on February 3, one each on February 4 - 5, four more on
February 6, and two more on February 8.

Early on February 9, Spaceweather.com <https://spaceweather.com/>
reported a large emerging sunspot over the sun's southeast horizon.

The average daily sunspot number for this week rose from 80.7 to 95.1,
and the average daily solar flux from 139.5 to 155.9.

Geomagnetic indicators rose as well. The planetary A index rose from
7.9 to 11.7, and the middle latitude numbers rose from 5.9 to 7.6.

The rise in geomagnetic activity was related to solar wind late in the reporting week.

Predicted solar flux is 192 on February 9; 195 on February 10 - 13; 190
on February 14 - 15; 170 on February 16; 150 on February 17 - 18; 145,
140, 135, 130, and 135 on February 19 - 23; 130 on February 24 - 26;
125 on February 27; 130 on February 28 - March 3; 135, 150, and 160 on
March 4 - 6; 155 on March 7 - 8; 160 on March 9, and 155 on March 10 -
12.

Predicted planetary A index is 12 on February 9 - 10; 5, 5, and 8 on
February 11 - 13; 5 on February 14 - 17; 8 on February 18 - 19; 5 on
February 20 - 21; 10 on February 22 - 24; 5, 5, and 8 on February 25 -
27; 5, 5, and 8 on February 28 - March 2; 5, 5, and 10 on March 3 - 5;
15, 15, 12, and 8 on March 6 - 9, and 5 on March 10 - 16.

Tamitha Skov's latest, from February 5:

https://youtu.be/1Bcmzj7h_mY

Sunspot numbers for February 2 through 8 were 56, 74, 66, 79, 139,
110, and 142, with a mean of 95.1. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 134.9,
134.5, 139, 144, 156.7, 184.7, and 197.6, with a mean of 155.9.
Estimated planetary A indices were 6, 9, 6, 5, 18, 20, and 18, with a
mean of 11.7. Middle latitude A index was 2, 6, 5, 3, 13, 12, and 12,
with a mean of 7.6.

73,

K7RA

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

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 <[email protected]> your reports and observations.

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

JUST AHEAD IN RADIOSPORT

Year-long -- ARRL Volunteers On the Air <https://vota.arrl.org/>
(VOTA). See also the State Activations Schedule for weekly W1AW
Portable Operations <https://vota.arrl.org/w1awPortable.php> including
these:

- February 15 - 21 -- Wisconsin, W1AW/9

- February 15 - 21 -- California, W1AW/6

- February 22 - 28 -- Michigan, W1AW/8

- February 22 - 28 -- Florida, W1AW/4

UPCOMING CONTESTS:

- February 11 - 12 -- Dutch PACC Contest (CW, phone)

- February 11 - 12 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon (CW)

- February 11 - 13 -- YLRL YL-OM Contest (CW, phone, digital)

- February 11 - 12 -- OMISS QSO Party (phone)

- February 11 -- FISTS Saturday Sprint (CW)

- February 11 -- RSGB 1.8 MHz Contest (CW)

- February 12 -- Balkan HF Contest (CW, phone)

- February 13 -- CQC Winter QSO Party (CW)

- February 13 -- 4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint (CW, phone)

- February 13 - 17 -- ARRL School Club Roundup (CW, phone, digital)

- February 13 -- OK1WC Memorial (MWC) (CW)

- February 14 -- PODXS 070 Club Valentine Sprint (digital)

- February 15 -- VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest (digital)

- February 15 -- AGCW Semi-Automatic Key Evening (CW)

- February 15 -- RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship, Data (digital)

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

UPCOMING SECTION, STATE, AND DIVISION CONVENTIONS

- February 10 - 12 | Orlando HamCation <https://www.hamcation.com/>,
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

- March 18 | MARC St. Patricks Day Hamfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/marc-st-patricks-day-hamfest-arrl-west-texas-section-convention>,

hosting the ARRL West Texas Section, Midland, Texas

- March 18 | Charleston Area Hamfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/charleston-area-hamfest-arrl-west-virginia-section-convention-1>,

hosting the ARRL West Virginia Section Convention, Charleston, West
Virginia

- March 24 - 25 | ARRL Maine State Convention and Hamfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/arrl-maine-state-convention-and-hamfest>�, Lewiston, Maine

- March 25 - 26 | QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo
<https://www.qsotodayhamexpo.com/> (online)

- April 7 - 8 | Green Country Hamfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/green-country-hamfest-arrl-oklahoma-section-convention>,

hosting the ARRL Oklahoma Section Convention, Claremore, Oklahoma

- April 8 | Raleigh Hamfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/raleigh-hamfest-arrl-north-carolina-state-convention>,

hosting the ARRL North Carolina State Convention, Raleigh, North
Carolina

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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