 May 12, 2022 John E. Ross, KD8IDJ, Editor
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Annual Armed Forces Day Cross-Band Exercise Set for May 14 The US Department of Defense will host this year's Armed Forces Day (AFD) Cross-Band Test on Saturday, May 14. While Armed Forces Day is May 21, the AFD cross-band military-amateur radio event traditionally takes place 1 week earlier to avoid any conflict with the Dayton Hamvention®. The event is open to all radio amateurs.
The AFD Cross-Band Test is two-way communications exercise between military and amateur radio stations, as authorized under FCC Part 97 rules (47 CFR § 97.111), and Department of Defense Instruction 4650.02 which establishes the Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS). During the exercise, radio amateurs listen for stations on military operating frequencies and transmit on frequencies in adjacent amateur bands. There are 24 military stations registered across the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, that will be participating in the 2022 event. Several of those stations will be using the 60-meter interoperative channels during this exercise. All operations will be on a not-to-interfere basis, in case there are real-world missions being supported during the event timeframe. An AFD Secretary of Defense message will also be sent in CW and RTTY, and an AFD message will also be transmitted utilizing the Military Standard (MIL-STD) serial PSK waveform (M110), followed by MIL-STD Wide Shift FSK (850 Hz RTTY), as described in MIL-STD 188-110A/B. Get To 2022 Dayton Hamvention® -- May 20-22  The 2022 Dayton Hamvention®, among the world's largest annual amateur radio gatherings, is ready to celebrate its 70th Anniversary event, May 20 - 22, at the Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center in Xenia, Ohio. Organizers report that brisk advance sales of tickets and reservations for inside exhibit booths and flea market spaces are an indication that Hamvention 2022 is headed for success. At the final planning meeting held on May 10, committee members learned that 94 percent of the inside exhibits were already sold, and more than 450 vendors had already claimed over 85 percent of the flea market spots. Adding to the interest this year is the largest prize ever offered in the history of Hamvention, an amateur radio dream station package worth almost $20,000. General Chairman Rick Allnutt, WS8G, thanked DX Engineering and Icom America for the prize, which made them Platinum Prize Sponsors for Hamvention 2022. The prize package includes an Icom IC-7851 HF/50MHz Transceiver and an extensive list of station accessories. Allnutt also acknowledged all the other donors who contributed the many hourly prizes given out during Hamvention. Other points made during the planning meeting included urging the use of the free ARRL Events app for smartphones and tablets to help attendees navigate the large schedule of forums and meeting locations, the sprawling fairgrounds, multiple buildings that house hundreds of exhibits, and related activities. While a printed program will be available, the app provides an easier way to access information. Visit your app store to download the app (search "ARRL Events"), or via the following link: www.tripbuildermedia.com/apps/arrl. A web version is also available. The ARRL app is offered in partnership with Hamvention. The use of the Hamvention web pages was promoted to help locate parking areas, gates, and other relevant materials. It was also recommended that committee members and those attending also have an In Case of Emergency Card on their person, preferably on a lanyard around their neck.
For its part, ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® will host over a dozen booths in its large exhibit area, located in building 2 (see PDF-format map). The booths will be supported by an 80-person team comprised of ARRL Board members, Section Managers, Field Organization volunteers, program representatives, and ARRL Headquarters staff. Included are exhibits supporting radio clubs, the ARRL Great Lakes Division (including the ARRL Sections of Kentucky, Michigan, and Ohio), the Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®), ARRL Development and ARRL Foundation, ARRL Learning Center, ARRL Teachers Institute, ARRL Collegiate Amateur Radio Program, ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator, ARRL Volunteer Monitor Program, ARRL Radiosport and DXCC, and the ARRL Laboratory. The ARRL exhibit area is also host to a booth for the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). Visit www.arrl.org/expo for a complete summary of ARRL's participation at 2022 Hamvention. ARES® Activated in Oklahoma for Tornado Clean-Up Communications To help with emergency communications support following an outbreak of tornadoes that hit this past week, the Oklahoma Department of Emergency of Management and Homeland Security requested support from the Oklahoma Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®). During the first week of May, 12 tornadoes touched down in the central and eastern parts of Oklahoma. The tornado that struck Seminole, Oklahoma, on Wednesday, May 4, left EF2 damage, according to the National Weather Service. That tornado was a mile wide, and its path totaled 31 miles.
The request for amateur radio emergency communications support from the Oklahoma ARES was made on Thursday, May 5, 2022. ARES was activated on Saturday May 7, 2022. Seven amateur radio operators were active, providing voice communications between chainsaw and debris removal teams from their base at Seminole State College's volunteer center. ARRL Oklahoma Section Emergency Coordinator Mark Conklin, N7XYO, said the clean-up crews worked quickly, and ARES was needed for 8 hours until cellular and wired communications were restored. National Hurricane Center Annual Communications Test to be Held on May 28 WX4NHC, the amateur radio station at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, Florida, will hold its annual communications test on Saturday, May 28, 2022, from 9 AM to 5 PM EDT (1300 - 2100 UTC). The Hurricane Watch Net 14.325 MHz frequency will be active for most of the test, as will 7.268 MHz, depending on propagation. Depending on man-made noise, the net may move to different frequencies, and participants can locate the net using one of the DX spotting networks, such as the DX Summit website at www.dxsummit.fi. There will also be a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Hurricane Net from 4 - 5 PM EDT, or 2000 - 2100 UTC (IRLP Node 9219/EchoLink WX-TALK Conference Node 7203). WX4NHC will make a few contacts on local VHF and UHF repeaters, as well as on Florida's Statewide Amateur Radio Network (SARnet). QSL cards will be available via Julio Ripoll, WD4R. ARRL Podcasts Schedule
The latest episode of the ARRL On the Air podcast (Episode 29) features a discussion about the nature of frequency modulation (FM) and how it differs from AM.
The latest edition (Episode 59) of the ARRL Eclectic Tech podcast features a discussion with ARRL Radiosport Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, about the upcoming ARRL International Digital Contest. Amateur Radio in the News ARRL Public Information Officers, Coordinators, and many other member-volunteers help keep amateur radio and ARRL in the news.
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Announcements
In Brief... More Ham Families. ARRL News Editor John Ross, KD8IDJ, continues to hear from readers about family trees that include amateur radio licensees spanning three or more generations. For example, Mike Olbrisch, KD5KC, and his wife, Monika, N5NHC, in El Paso, Texas, have two children who are hams. Their son James' call sign is KC0WKY, his mother-in-law, Elsa Price, was KB5YMQ (SK), and his step-father-in-law, Ron Price, holds the call sign WA5IVX. Mike's daughter, Heidi Wilden, is KE5BHT, and her husband, Keith, K9DHC, took his father's call sign when he passed away. Their son, Bobby, holds the call sign KI5DYU. Monika's family, including her sister, Gerda Ludolph, DL1NLG; brother-in-law, Helmut Ludolph, DG7NFV, and their oldest nephew, Andi Ludolph, DO5AL, are also on the air. Mike also had surrogate grandparents who were hams -- Frank Rourke, WD8EFB, and Reba Anne Rourke, WD8EFC (both are now Silent Keys). Mike said that family gatherings can be fun. When someone calls out a name, "QRZ" is a common response, and there's always plenty of RFI, or "Related Family Interference." The K7RA Solar Update Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports:
There was some evidence of sporadic-E propagation this week on 6 and 10 meters, which is always surprising and exciting. Solar activity was the same as last week, at least going by the numbers. Average daily sunspot numbers rose slightly from 68.6 to 74.4, while average daily solar flux only budged from 120 to 120.3. Geomagnetic indicators were quieter, with average daily planetary A index shifting from 10.7 to 5, and average middle latitude numbers from 9.3 to 4.6. We listed the middle latitude A index on May 6 as 2, but that number is an estimate. At the end of that day, the last K index reading was not reported, and since the A index for the day is calculated from all the K index readings, there was not any official middle latitude A index reported and was estimated on available data. Thursday's outlook for solar flux is more optimistic than last week's prediction, with no values below 100. Expected flux values are 124 on May 12 - 13; 126 on May 14 - 16; 124 on May 17 - 18; 118 on May 19 - 21; 120, 124, and 121 on May 22 - 24; 118 on May 25 - 27; 116 on May 28 - 31; 118 on June 1 - 5; 116 and 118 on June 6 -7; 120 on June 8 - 9; 122 on June 10 - 14, and 118 on June 15 - 17. Planetary A index is predicted at 6, 8, 12, 8, 14, and 8 on May 12 - 17; 5 on May 18 -19; 12 and 8 on May 20 - 21; 5 on May 22 - 23; 18 on May 24; 15 on May 25 - 27; 8 on May 28, and 5 on May 29 through June 15. There will be a nice long quiet spell of more than 2 weeks. Wednesday's forecast was prepared by the US Air Force personnel. Sunspot numbers for May 5 through 11 were 85, 64, 66, 89, 71, 62, and 84, with a mean of 74.4. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 119.9, 119.2, 118.1, 119.2, 117, 115.8, and 132.9, with a mean of 120.3. Estimated planetary A indices were 4, 5, 3, 6, 8, 3, and 6, with a mean of 5. Middle latitude A index was 4, 2, 4, 7, 8, 2, and 5, with a mean of 4.6. A propagation bulletin archive is available. For customizable propagation charts, visit the VOACAP Online for Ham Radio website. Share your reports and observations. A weekly, full report is posted on ARRL News. Just Ahead in Radiosport
Visit the ARRL Contest Calendar for more events and information. Upcoming Section, State, and Division Conventions
Search the ARRL Hamfest and Convention Database 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
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The day was designated the second Tuesday in May by Law 50 of June 7, 1996. The Governor of Puerto Rico, Pedro Pierluisi, issued a proclamation to honor the event. Radio amateurs took to social media and the airwaves to celebrate and send good wishes. A special message was sent to amateurs by the Puerto Rico Broadcasters Association. This year, 2022, is also the Centennial of Radio station WKAQ which went on the air on December 3, 1922. Radio amateurs were among the radio pioneers who helped get the station on the air. The Federación de Radio Aficionados de Puerto Rico (FRA) developed a special event Net to celebrate the day offering an electronic certificate of participation. Many stations from other countries connected by Echolink to participate in the event.
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