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

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

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

May 9, 2024

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 Learning Center Features Two New Emergency Communication
Training Courses
- Focus on Public Safety Relationship Building at the 2024 ARRL
National Convention
- ARRL Volunteers Obtain Ham Exemption to Pennsylvania Handsfree Law
- 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 LEARNING CENTER FEATURES TWO NEW EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION

TRAINING COURSES

ARRL has released two new courses <https://learn.arrl.org/learning-paths/emergency-communications/> to
train emergency communications (EmComm) operators for volunteering
within the Amateur Radio Emergency Service� (ARES�) <https://www.arrl.org/ares>. Both courses are within the ARRL Learning
Center.

The Basic EmComm course is designed to get a new volunteer started. It
provides basic knowledge and tools for any emergency communications
volunteer and contains three modules and 11 topics, including required prerequisites. It's expected to take approximately 10 - 20 hours to
complete.

The Intermediate EmComm course builds on the lessons learned in the
first course and equips volunteer radio amateurs with the tools needed
to thrive in the fast-paced environment of public service
communications and to understand the legal rights and responsibilities
of working with a served agency, as well as teach them and how ham
radio fits into the broader incident command (IC) structure.

The new courses replace the previous EC-001 and EC-016 programs,
however, certificates of completion earned for the previous courses are
still valid. "Training is not a one-and-done thing. Throughout my
firefighting and emergency management career, we were constantly taking
new courses to reinforce existing knowledge and introduce new
concepts," said ARRL Director of Emergency Management Josh Johnston,
KE5MHV. "Engaged volunteers should want to stay up to date on advances
in the science of emergency communications. I'd even encourage veteran operators to take the new courses."

In 2023, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) revised the
Guide for National Emergency Preparedness <https://www.arrl.org/news/amateur-radio-included-in-fema-guide-for-national-emergency-preparedness>

to specifically include amateur radio. ARRL and FEMA entered into a new Memoranda of Understanding in May 2023 that outlined the importance of
trained radio amateurs within the response ecosystem.

"Amateur radio is as important as ever in emergency management," said
Johnston. "The new courses will keep hams trained to serve
effectively."

The ARRL Learning Center at learn.arrl.org <https://learn.arrl.org/> is
a member benefit and features many ways to get the most out of your
amateur radio license. The Basic and Intermediate EmComm courses are
available to anyone with a free www.arrl.org <http://www.arrl.org/>
account. Users must log in to the ARRL Learning Center with this
account, and functionality of the site relies on cookies being enabled.

FOCUS ON PUBLIC SAFETY RELATIONSHIP BUILDING AT THE 2024 ARRL

NATIONAL CONVENTION

Those attending the 2024 ARRL National Convention at Dayton Hamvention�
will have an opportunity to learn more about how amateur radio is
relevant and highly involved in the modern emergency management
landscape. The convention is May 17 - 19 in Xenia, Ohio.

ARRL Director of Emergency Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, will host
a booth for the Amateur Radio Emergency Service
<http://www.arrl.org/ares>� -- ARES�. The booth will be supported by
highly experienced ARES leaders and members of the ARRL Emergency Communications and Field Services Committee.

On Friday, Johnston and four representatives from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) will lead the forum "ARES�,
SAFECOM�, and Building Relationships" as part of the ARRL National
Convention track. CISA is the federal agency SAFECOM serves. Together,
they'll lead a discussion about how amateur radio emergency
communications groups can establish and foster relationships with
served agencies.

Johnston is ARRL's representative member of SAFECOM�. In 2023, ARRL was
elected to serve on SAFECOM <https://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-elected-to-serve-on-safecom>�, a
program of the US Department of Homeland Security. SAFECOM supports the
public safety community to improve the emergency communications
ecosystem. This relationship gives ARRL a seat at the decision-making
table for emergency communications policy nationwide.

"Amateur radio operators are in a unique position to serve agencies of
many different types, but that relationship has to be well established
long before a crisis," said Johnston, who emphasized that local
partnerships are just as important as national-level relationships.
ARES groups work with local, state, and county governments, and
non-government affiliated organizations, including local offices of the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and faith-based organizations.

The forum is held on Friday, May 17 at 9:15 AM in forum room three,
where the majority of ARRL National Convention programming will take
place. The National Convention program is published at
www.arrl.org/expo <http://www.arrl.org/expo> or within in the ARRL
Events <https://www.tripbuildermedia.com/apps/arrl> app. Buy tickets to
the convention on the Hamvention <https://hamvention.org/> website.

ARRL VOLUNTEERS OBTAIN HAM EXEMPTION TO PENNSYLVANIA HANDSFREE LAW

ARRL volunteers in Pennsylvania have successfully protected the legal
right to use amateur radio while operating mobile within the state. A
handsfree distracted driving bill had worked its way through the
legislature over the past several years, and ARRL Atlantic Division
Director Bob Famiglio, K3RF, successfully advocated for an exemption
for licensed radio amateurs. "The bill survived until just before the
latest vote, which stripped out our exemption but left in exemptions
for commercial drivers, including truck drivers, bus drivers, and
public transportation [drivers]," he wrote in a message to ARRL members
in Pennsylvania.

In April, the exemption was stripped from the bill, sending
Pennsylvania hams into a state of worry. ARRL members in the state
rallied, contacting their state legislators to explain the benefit that licensed operators provide to the state. The bill also was going to
remove the ability for first responders, such as volunteer
firefighters, to use radios in their personally owned vehicles.
"Hundreds of emails then went out to legislators and such and back to
me. We also helped our volunteer emergency responders who were in the
same boat as us with radio use from their personal cars. Many members
are also emergency responders as well, and they picked up on this too,"
said Famiglio.

This week, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted in favor of accepting the bill with the exemption. The senate passed it last
summer. The bill is now on its way to Governor Josh Shapiro's desk,
where he is expected to sign it. Mobile use of amateur radio will
continue in Pennsylvania, thanks to ARRL advocacy and government
relations carried out by member-volunteers.

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>.

"Club Stays Amateur Radio-active <https://www.thecarrollnews.com/news/club-stays-amateur-radio-active/article_b614a4e0-e2f0-11ee-aa50-37be234d4409.html>"

/ The Carroll News (Virigina) May 2, 2024 -- The Briarpatch Amateur
Radio Club.

"Fort Myers Amateur Radio Club, Railroad Museum of South Florida to
celebrate National Train Day May 11 <https://www.northfortmyersneighbor.com/2024/05/03/fort-myers-amateur-radio-club-railroad-museum-of-south-florida-to-celebrate-national-train-day-may-11/>"

/ North Fort Myers Neighbor (Florida) May 3, 2024 -- The Fort Myers
Amateur Radio Club is an ARRL Affiliated 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 Forums at Dayton Hamvention 2024

This year's Dayton Hamvention, coming up May 17 - 19 in Xenia, Ohio,
will be extra special -- it's also the 2024 ARRL National Convention.
ARRL Director of Marketing & Innovation Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, joins
this month's podcast to share details about ARRL-sponsored activities
at the show, including several of the ARRL-sponsored forums and the
Youth Rally.

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 and ARRL Audio News are available on blubrry,
iTunes, and Apple Podcasts -- On the Air
<https://blubrry.com/arrlontheair/> | ARRL Audio News <https://blubrry.com/arrlaudionews/>.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The US Department of Defense is hosting this year's Armed Forces Day
(AFD) Crossband Test on Saturday, May 11. For more than 50 years,
military and amateur stations have taken part in this event, which is
an interoperability exercise between amateur and government radio
stations. The event is open to all licensed amateur radio operators and
will not impact any public or private communications. The AFD Crossband
Test is a unique opportunity to test two-way communications between
military communicators and radio stations in the Amateur Radio Service.
Find details, such as planned activations, frequencies, and QSL
information on ARRL News <https://www.arrl.org/news/armed-forces-day-crossband-test-scheduled-for-may-11>.


Queens of the Mountains will be held June 1 - 3. The goal of this
woman-ham (YL) Summits on the Air (SOTA) event is to encourage and
inspire YLs to get on the air and on a mountain for SOTA. There will be multiple special event stations across the US on the air for a fun
weekend of sisterhood on the summits. Special certificates will be
available for YLs activating and chasing. Look for the special event
calls W0Q, W1Q, W3Q, W4Q, W5Q, W6Q, W7Q, W8Q, and W9Q, as well as #QOM
and #YLSOTA on SOTAWATCH3 <https://sotawatch.sota.org.uk/en/>. For more information or questions, email Amy Haptonstall, AG7GP
<[email protected]>. The Young Ladies Radio League, K4LMB, originated
in 1939. Members are from all walks of life, ages, and levels of ham
radio interests. Whether they got into the hobby to talk locally or to
travel around the world to the strangest of places, the one radio
interest they have in common is comradery with other YLs. To learn
more, visit the Young Ladies Radio League <https://ylrl.net/>.

International Museums Weekends (IMW) 2024 will take place June 15 - 16
and 22 - 23. The purpose of this event is to activate an amateur radio
special event station in as many museums around the world as possible. Frequencies, bands, and modes are at the discretion of the operators,
as is the museum selection. For this event, the definition of museum
can be loosely interpreted. It could be a collection of old cars or one
of a kind paintings from a neighborhood artist. Through this event,
organizers hope to present amateur radio to the public to garner
support and understanding of the hobby. The first IMW was held in 2002
with over 80 museums, featuring small, local venues and large
prestigious operations. The event was especially popular among amateur
radio operators in the United Kingdom. For information about
registration and event awards, visit International Museums Weekends
2024 <https://radio-amateur-events.org/IMW/index.htm>.

The June issue of QST features the 2024 ARRL Field Day Guide. The
multi-page section features articles, tips, and checklists to help make
your club's activation a success. Readers can learn more about the Get
On The Air (GOTA) station and get tips on band planning from
propagation experts. The June 2024 Digital Edition of QST is available
now at www.arrl.org/magazines <http://www.arrl.org/magazines> or in the
ARRL Magazines app. Find complete resources and rules for 2024 ARRL
Field Day at www.arrl.org/field-day <http://www.arrl.org/field-day>.

IN BRIEF...

Dick Rutan, KB6LQS, record-setting pilot, has become a Silent Key. He
passed away at the age of 85 on May 3, 2024, surrounded by family.
Rutan was an ARRL member.

In 1986, Rutan made international headlines for his flight in
Voyager with copilot Jeana Yeager. The pair flew around the world
(nonstop and unrefueled) in 9 days, 3 minutes, and 44 seconds. Rutan
was a highly decorated United States Air Force combat pilot in Vietnam.
His civilian test pilot career had him flying everything from military
jets to rocket-powered airplanes, in which he set speed records. In
2022, Mojave Air & Space Port in Mojave, California, was renamed Mojave
Air & Space Port at Rutan Field in honor of the contributions he and
his brother Burt had made to aviation. Read more about Dick Rutan on
ARRL News
<http://arrl.org/news/dick-rutan-kb6lqs-record-setting-pilot-sk>.

Fair Radio Sales <https://fairradio.com/>, an iconic electronic
military surplus store in Lima, Ohio, announced in August 2023 that
they would be going out of business in October of that year. Phil
Sellati, owner of Fair Radio Sales, told The ARRL Letter editor last
year that it was time to close the business. "I took over the business
that my dad started in 1947, and after 50 years, it's time to close the
doors," he said. Sellati had an offer on the building and felt that it
was time to move on and was wondering what might come next. But they
haven't closed their doors just yet. At the urging of many amateur
radio operators, Fair Radio Sales is still in business and will be open
during the 2024 Dayton Hamvention�. The company's website recently
posted: "Fair Radio will be open until June 28, 2024. We will then
prepare for an auction to be held in the summer." Thousands of amateur
radio operators, collectors, experimenters, and shortwave listeners
have visited the store over the years. The shelves and aisles are full
of old military radios and receivers. Many other electronic surplus
stores, like J.J. Glass Surplus in California and Ritco Electronics in Virigina, closed several years ago.

THE K7RA SOLAR UPDATE

Tad Cook, K7RA, of Seattle, Washington, reports for this week's ARRL Propagation Bulletin, ARLP0019:

This solar disk image was taken on May 9, 2024. [Photo courtesy of NASA SDO/HMI].

Seven new sunspot groups appeared this week: one each day from May 2
- 4, two on May 5, and one on May 6.

The average daily sunspot number increased from 124.6 to 138.3, and the
average daily solar flux rose from 144.9 to 177.6.

The average daily planetary A index climbed from 9.6 to 14.4, while
middle latitude numbers went from 8.6 to 12.3.

The most active day was May 2 when the planetary A index was 44.
Alaska's college A index was 61. The was caused by two coronal mass
ejections striking Earth, triggering a G3 geomagnetic storm.

The solar flux is peaking now, and it may peak again at 205 around June
11 - 12.

The predicted solar flux is 225 on May 9 - 10; 220 on May 11; 215 on
May 12 - 13; 210 on May 14 - 15; 205, 200, 195, 190, 185, 180, 175,
170, 165, and 170 on May 16 - 25; 175 on May 26 - 27; 170 on May 28;
165 on May 29 - 31, and 175, 180, 185, and 190 on June 1 - 4.

The predicted planetary A index is 12, 8, 5, 8, 12, and 10 on May 9 -
14; 5 on May 15 - 22; 8, 12, 8, 5, 12, and 8 on May 23 - 28; 5, 5, and
8 on May 29 - 31, and 12 on June 1 - 3.

Sunspot numbers for May 2 - 8 were 125, 121, 136, 152, 148, 144, and
142, with a mean of 138.3. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 141.9, 156,
166.6, 176.9, 171.2, 203.6, and 227.1, with a mean of 177.6. The
estimated planetary A indices were 44, 10, 6, 12, 15, 7, and 7, with a
mean of 14.4. The middle latitude A index was 24, 16, 5, 12, 13, 6, and
10, with a mean of 12.3.

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

- May 9 -- QRP Minimal Art Session (CW)

- May 11 -- FISTS Saturday Sprint (CW)

- May 11 - 12 -- CQ-M International DX Contest (CW, phone)

- May 11 - 12 -- VOLTA WW RTTY Contest (digital)

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

- May 11 - 12 -- Canadian Prairies QSO Party (CW, phone)

- May 11 - 12 -- 50 MHz Spring Sprint (CW, phone, digital)

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

- May 13 -- RSGB 80m Club Championship SSB (phone)

- May 14 -- DARC FT4 Contest (FT4)

- May 15 -- VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest (FT8)

- May 16 - 17 -- Walk for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW)

- May 16 -- NAQCC CW Sprint (CW)

- May 16 -- NTC QSO Party (CW)

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

UPCOMING SECTION, STATE, AND DIVISION CONVENTIONS

- May 11 | ARRL Nebraska State Convention <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/arrl-nebraska-state-convention-3>,
Lincoln, Nebraska

- May 17 - 19 | Dayton Hamvention <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/dayton-hamvention-arrl-national-convention>, hosting the ARRL National Convention, Xenia, Ohio

- May 31 - June 2 | SEA-PAC <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/sea-pac-arrl-northwestern-division-convention-2>,

hosting the ARRL Northwestern Division Convention, Seaside, Oregon

- June 1 | Atlanta Hamfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/atlanta-hamfest-arrl-georgia-section-convention>,

hosting the ARRL Georgia Section Convention, Marietta, Georgia

- June 9 | BreezeShooters Hamfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/breezeshooters-hamfest-arrl-western-pennsylvania-section-convention-1>,

hosting the ARRL Western Pennsylvania Section Convention, Butler,
Pennsylvania

- June 15 | ARRL Maine State Convention & Hamfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/arrl-maine-state-convention-hamfest>,
Augusta, Maine

- June 15 | Knoxville Hamfest and Electronics Convention <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/knoxville-hamfest-and-electronics-convention-arrl-delta-division-convention>,

sponsoring the ARRL Delta Division Convention, Knoxville, Tennessee

- July 12 -13 | HamCon: Zion <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/hamcon-zion-arrl-rocky-mountain-division-convention>,

sponsoring the ARRL Rocky Mountain Division Convention, St. George,
Utah

- July 13 | SVARC Summer Hamfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/svarc-summer-hamfest-arrl-north-dakota-section-convention>,

sponsoring the ARRL North Dakota Section Convention, Minot, North
Dakota

- July 20 | SEARC Tailgate Hamfest <http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/searc-tailgate-hamfest-arrl-south-dakota-state-convention>,

sponsoring the ARRL South Dakota State Convention, Sioux Falls, South
Dakota

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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