 May 26, 2022 John E. Ross, KD8IDJ, Editor
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ARRL EXPO and Hamvention® 2022 a Great Success
ARRL's large exhibit area, ARRL EXPO, included a steady flow of visitors who were treated to a variety of exhibits representing popular membership programs and services. More than a dozen booths were led by a team of 80+ program representatives and volunteers that included members of the ARRL staff, Board of Directors, and Field Organization. Using the theme "Be Radio Active," ARRL also organized many Hamvention forums to encourage attendees to become more active and involved with amateur radio.
Goodgame's participation also included exhibits for ARRL Education and Learning programs and the Teachers Institute. "Both booths were very busy during the entire convention," he said. "We made a concerted effort to draw-in not only ham radio instructors and others interested in our educational programs, but youth themselves." Young hams and prospective hams were surveyed by volunteer Cyndi Goodgame, K5CYN, about their experiences and interests with amateur radio, for the purpose of gaining insightful data to help drive future ARRL programming and outreach. "Attendees who were not licensed, or were seeking upgrades, were shown tools and techniques to help them prepare for their ham radio license exam," said Goodgame. "Some even returned to the booth after passing their exams!" ARRL Teachers Institute Instructors Larry Kendall, K6NDL, and Wayne Greene, KB4DSF, demonstrated some activities that teachers who attend the professional development program are taught and take back to their classrooms. Adults and youth were given information on the program to take back to their schools, with the goal of continuing to grow the Teachers Institute. An October 2022 session of the Teachers Institute is planned.
An ARRL Membership Forum was held on Saturday afternoon and moderated by Great Lakes Division Director Dale Williams, WA8EFK. The forum included presentations on behalf of the ARRL Historical Committee presented by Midwest Vice Director David Propper, K2DP, and the Legislative Advocacy Committee, presented by West Gulf Division Director John Robert Stratton, N5AUS. The forum concluded with remarks from ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, and ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA. See more photos from Hamvention on the ARRL Facebook page. 20th Annual ARRL Donor Recognition Reception Held in Dayton
"What does amateur radio mean to you?" asked Minster as he addressed the gathering. "Maybe it was belonging when you were a teenager, joining your school or local club. Perhaps it gave you confidence in your math and science skills so that you chose a field like engineering for your studies. How did Amateur Radio influence your career choices? And perhaps, all of those things, as they did for me, were topped off by the fact that I have made lifelong friends through Amateur Radio. This is my community, and no matter where I travel in life, I am among my friends." ARRL Development Manager Melissa Stemmer, KA7CLO, emceed the reception, which also included remarks by ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR. At the end of the evening, Stemmer recognized 64 new members of the ARRL Maxim Society for their cumulative, lifetime donations through 2019, 2020, and 2021. Another 19 members were recognized for advancing up to a higher giving class. All Maxim Society members in attendance joined the new members on stage for a group photo. The Maxim Society currently includes 333 members. "It was wonderful to meet and engage with current and prospective donors," said Stemmer. "This was my first Dayton Hamvention and it was amazing to finally meet so many generous ARRL Donors, who, up to now, I have only been able to speak with on the phone." Throughout Hamvention weekend, Stemmer was present in the combined ARRL Development and ARRL Foundation booth, joined by volunteers from the ARRL Board of Directors and the ARRL Foundation Board of Directors. ARRL RF Safety Committee Chairman Receives Award from The Radio Society of Great Britain
Chairman of the ARRL RF Safety Committee (RFSC) Gregory D. Lapin, N9GL, Ph.D, P.E. accepted an award at the 2022 Dayton Hamvention® from the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB), on Friday, May 20. The Founders' Trophy was presented by RSGB President Stewart Bryant, G3YSX, and recognizes outstanding service to the society. Lapin accepted the awards for fellow committee members Kai Siwiak, KE4PT; Ric Tell, K5UJU, and Matt Butcher, KC3WD. Along with members of the RSGB, the ARRL RFSC members formed an EMF Oversight Group, which has been meeting since August 2020 to help develop tools and procedures for complying with the new RF Exposure regulations for amateur radio operators in Great Britain. Read the full story (ARRL Letter, May 5, 2022). Section Manager Spring Election Results The results of two Spring Section Manager (SM) elections were determined when the ballots were counted at ARRL Headquarters on Tuesday, May 24. Because no nominations were received by the original nomination deadline of September 10, 2021, it was necessary to re-solicit nominations for Delaware SM. Joseph Grib, KI3B, a resident of Bear, Delaware was appointed Interim Delaware SM in January 2022 until the election could be held. John Ferguson, K3PFW, a resident of Georgetown, received 162 votes and Grib received 96 votes. Ferguson will begin his 18-month term (instead of a 2-year term) as SM on July 1. In Indiana, Bob Burns, AK9R, received 625 votes, and incumbent Section Manager Jimmy Merry, KC9RPX, received 344 votes. Burns, a resident of Brownsburg will begin his 2-year term on July 1. Merry, a resident of Ellettsville, has served as SM for the past 4 years. Wisconsin will have a new SM on July 1. Jason Spetz, KC9FXE, a resident of Menomonie, was the sole nominee. Spetz will take the reins of the Section's Field Organization from Patrick Moretti, KA1RB. Moretti, a resident of Dousman, decided not to run for a new term of office after serving as SM since 2016. Scott Roberts, KK4ECR, the only nominee for the Northern Florida Section, will become SM on July 1. He has been serving as the Assistant Section Manager and Public Information Coordinator for the Section. He'll succeed Kevin Bess, KK4BFN, who decided not to run for a new term. Bess, a resident of Edgewater, has been SM since 2018. The following incumbent Section Managers, who did not face opposition, were declared re-elected and will begin new terms on July 1: Thomas Beebe, W9RY (Illinois); Philip Duggan, N1EP (Maine); David Kidd, KA7OZO (Oregon); James Armstrong, NV6W (Santa Clara Valley), and Paul Gayet, AA1SU (Vermont).
ARRL extends its thanks to all incumbent SMs for their past valued service and congratulations to those who will take office on July 1. ARRL Honored by Masons in Newington, Connecticut Freemasons of the Sequin-Level Lodge No. 140, located in Newington, Connecticut, recognized ARRL with a presentation on Thursday, April 7, 2022. The special recognition was organized and led by the Lodge's Worshipful Master, Jon Faasen, AA1EZ. Faasen is also a member of the ARRL staff, serving as a Membership Services Representative in the Membership, Marketing, and Communications Department. Faasen and his fellow Masons organized the event to recognize ARRL for its contribution to the Newington community, and its role in serving ARRL members and radio amateurs worldwide. Newington Mayor Beth DelBuono participated in the presentation, issuing an official town proclamation honoring ARRL.
The honors bestowed on ARRL were accepted by a representative group of HQ staff members that included Assistant Member Services Manager Kim McNeill, KM1IPA; Member Services Manager Yvette Vinci, KC1AIM; Director of Emergency Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV; Director of Operations Bob Naumann, W5OV, and Director of Public Relations and Innovation Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R. Inderbitzen thanked the Masons and Mayor DelBuono. Inderbitzen also shared some background about ARRL's presence as a Newington fixture since 1938. While ARRL was established in Hartford in 1914, the association settled in Newington when construction started on a new headquarters station in 1937 on its current seven-acre site. Moving ARRL's station to Newington followed President Hiram P. Maxim's death in February 1936, and the Great Flood in New England that destroyed the station located in Hartford a month later. The new station opened in 1938, operating with Maxim's call sign, W1AW, which was granted to ARRL by the FCC as a permanent memorial to him. The station's little brick building and its antenna farm stood alone on the Main Street, Newington, property until 1962, when ARRL relocated its administrative headquarters into a newly constructed building on the same property. Inderbitzen also highlighted the leading role that ARRL and its members have made to advancing amateur radio for more than a century. "For many radio amateurs around the world -- ARRL Headquarters in Newington might as well be the center of our universe," he said. "ARRL is devoted to the greatest hobby in the world."
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 60) of the ARRL Eclectic Tech podcast features a discussion with Brian Callahan, AD2BA, about his proposal for embedding small binary files within SSTV images. Also, an old idea revived for the 21st century: using lens antennas for microwaves. Amateur Radio in the News ARRL Public Information Officers, Coordinators, and many other member-volunteers help keep amateur radio and ARRL in the news.
Share any amateur radio media hits you spot with us. Announcements Marconi's Yacht will be back on the air with the special event call sign IY4ELE, June 4 - 5, 2022. For the past 8 years, the ARI Fidenza Radio Club (Italian Amateur Radio Association), has celebrated a technical and cultural event at the Guglielmo Marconi Foundation at Villa Griffone in Pontecchio Marconi, Bologna, Italy (Guglielmo Marconi's birthplace). The purpose of the event is to highlight, at an international level, the historical value and meaning of Marconi's yacht, Elettra, which was the moving laboratory of the great Italian scientist. Several important radiocommunications experiments were conducted on board the yacht by Marconi during the interwar period. Over the event weekend, amateur radio operators from around the world will have a chance to contact IY4ELE, operated by club members from a radio station located near the keel of the Elettra. For more information, visit www.arifidenza.it. The Independence Amateur Radio Club (IARC) will launch a high-altitude weather balloon from the lawn of the Oval at Riverside Park in Independence, Kansas on Saturday, June 4, 2022, at 9:30 AM. The balloon carries a payload of radios and equipment that will ascend to 80,000 feet. When the balloon bursts, the payload will freefall to approximately 1,000 feet and a parachute will deploy for a safe landing. Guests are invited to watch the setup, filling of the balloon, and balloon release. The altitude and position of the balloon will be displayed on a computer map at the park base station by monitoring an amateur radio geo-positioning transmitter in the balloon payload. The payload will carry two onboard cameras -- one recording the entire flight and one that will send live video back to the park base station. Amateur radio operators will communicate with the balloon's radio equipment as it ascends toward the stratosphere, initially with local operators, but at higher altitudes, the balloon will reach operators hundreds of miles away. There will be an operator at the park base net control, who will talk to these hams and record the contacts for name, location, and call sign. The flight path is unknown because the wind on the day of the launch will determine the direction. A chase team will follow the flight using the balloon's geo-positioning transmitter and drive to recover the payload. Once the team is close to the landing site, a location transmitter beacon within the payload will give the exact position. The team will use radio finding antennas and techniques to recover the payload. If weather conditions prevent launch, the event will be rescheduled. For more information, go to the IARC website at www.n0id.org.
In Brief...
Walter "Bud" Stewart, N0KBS, drove from his home in Missouri to meet ARRL News Editor John E. Ross, KD8IDJ, at the 2022 Hamvention in Xenia, Ohio. "I was surprised and thankful he drove all that way just to meet me," said Ross. "But he is a ham, and friendship and comradery are hallmarks of our hobby." The K7RA Solar Update Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports: Although our sun is currently peppered with spots, average daily
sunspot numbers slipped from 134.1 the previous week to 124.7 during this reporting week of May 19 - 25, 2022. The average daily sunspot number was a tiny bit higher, rising hardly from 157.3 to 158.8. A new sunspot group emerged on May 19, two more on May 22, another on May 24, and two more on May 25. However, a look at the total sunspot area, expressed in millionths of a full solar disc, shows it declining steadily through the week from 1,500 on May 19 down to 870 on May 25. AR3014 is the biggest sunspot group of the current solar cycle, and can be viewed at https://bit.ly/39UwBVA. There were plenty of solar flares this week, although no significant disturbances to note. A movie of a flare appearing on May 20 is available at https://bit.ly/3GlNtAX. Another flare on May 25 at 1824 UTC, emerging from an old dead sunspot group can be seen at https://bit.ly/3PIoRXd. The Wednesday prediction from USAF shows average daily solar flux dropping from 158.8 over the recent week to 130 for the next week of May 26 - June 1. Predicted solar flux is 136, 132 and 130 on May 26-28; 128 on May 29 through June 1; 120 on June 2 - 4; 115 on June 5 - 6; 130, 140 and 150 on June 7 - 9; 155 on June 10 - 11; 160 and 165 on June 12 - 13; 175 on June 14 - 15; 165 on June 16 - 19; 163, 132, and 158 on June 20 - 22; 150, 142 and 138 on June 23 - 25, and 135, 130, 125 and 120 on June 26 - 29. Predicted planetary A index is 12, 14, 10 and 8 on May 26 - 29; 5 on May 3 through June 9; 8, 14, 12, 14 and 8 on June 10 - 14; 12, 14, 12, 14 and 8 on June 15 - 19; 5 on June 20 - 22; 10, 10, and 8 on June 23 - 25, and 5 on June 26 - 29. In Friday's bulletin look for my personal 10- and 12-meter observations. Sunspot numbers for May 19 through 25, 2022 were 154, 109, 110, 138, 132, 137, and 93, with a mean of 124.7. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 173.2, 165.5, 166.7, 164.7, 158.2, 146.9, and 136.5, with a mean of 158.8. Estimated planetary A indices were 10, 12, 10, 11, 5, 4, and 6, with a mean of 8.3. Middle latitude A index was 10, 12, 9, 11, 6, 3, and 7, with a mean of 8.3. 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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By all accounts, the 2022 Dayton Hamvention®, which also served as the 70th reunion, was a great success. Thousands of ham radio operators, their families and friends, and other enthusiasts passed through the gates during its 3-day run, May 20 - 22, at the Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center in Xenia, Ohio. Local reports estimate the event brings over $30 million dollars to the economy of the Dayton metropolitan region. Official numbers and estimates will be available later.
The 20th Annual ARRL Donor Recognition Reception was held on Thursday, May 19, 2022, at The Schuster Center Wintergarden in Dayton, Ohio. Over 160 ARRL donors and their guests were in attendance. The keynote speaker for the evening was ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Minster, NA2AA. The event preceded Dayton Hamvention®, held May 20 - 22.
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