The ARRL Letter for May 18, 2023

[ARRL Web site]

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

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

May 18, 2023

John E. Ross, KD8IDJ, Editor <ne...@arrl.org>

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

- Dayton Hamvention® 2023: Ready!
- Marc Tarplee, N4UFP, Section Manager, ARRL South Carolina Section
(SK)
- NASA Astronaut to Contact Two Schools from the International Space
Station
- Amateur Radio in the News
- ARRL Podcasts
- Announcements
- In Brief...
- The K7RA Solar Update
- Just Ahead in Radiosport
- Upcoming Section, State, and Division Conventions

==> DAYTON HAMVENTION® 2023: READY!

All is set and ready to go for the Dayton Hamvention®
<https://hamvention.org/> 2023 in Xenia, Ohio.

Campers began arriving with their RV's early Thursday morning at the
Greene County Fair Grounds and Expo Center. The gates open Friday
morning May 19 at 9:00 AM for amateur radio's largest annual gathering.

This year's theme is Innovation and everything amateur radio will be on
display for the 3-day event.

This year's Hamvention is hosting the ARRL Great Lakes Division
Convention. A summary of ARRL's participation is published at
www.arrl.org/expo <http://www.arrl.org/expo>. Keep up with all the
forums and convention activities you want to attend on the ARRL Events
app <https://www.tripbuildermedia.com/apps/arrl>. Produced in
partnership with Hamvention, it is the event's official mobile
application for attendees. The ARRL Events app is free. Find it in your
device's app store <http://www.arrl.org/arrl-expo#app>.

ARRL is ready with a large exhibit area in Building 2, which
revolves around the yearlong theme, Year of the Volunteers. There will
be staff on hand in the Year of the Volunteers section of the ARRL
exhibit to help those interested find a pathway into volunteer service,
or for those already serving to reach - "one rung higher" - on the
ladder of service. Those who stop by the booth will have the
opportunity to use a selfie photo frame to share the fun of Dayton
Hamvention with their social media followers.

ARRL is sponsoring eight forums this year beginning early Friday
morning with The ARRL Laboratory - Behind the Scenes! This forum gives
the inside scoop on what happens in the lab beginning at 9:15 AM -
10:20 AM in Room 3.

Additional forums follow on Friday and Saturday including Protecting
Amateur Radio, ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®) Forum, and
the ARRL Collegiate Amateur Radio Forum. All of the information
including a full list and descriptions about the ARRL sponsored at
Hamvention can be found on the ARRL Events app and in the Dayton
Hamvention® 2023 - ARRL Forums
<https://www.arrl.org/news/dayton-hamvention-2023-arrl-forums>. The
full slate of Hamvention forums
<https://hamvention.org/event-details/forums/> is published at
hamvention.org.

Everything at Hamvention is easy to find and it's easy to get there.
The Talk In - Hamvention
<https://hamvention.org/event-details/talk-in/> net is up and running
with directions, traffic conditions and detours. The net is on the
Dayton Amateur Radio Association's repeater, 146.94 (-) 123.0 PL with
an alternate frequency of 146.985 (-) 123.0 PL.

Follow ARRL News and ARRL social media
<https://www.arrl.org/arrl-social-media> channels for coverage on
Dayton Hamvention.

==> ARRL MEMBER DUES SURVEY CONTINUES

We've received thousands of responses so far, but we want to hear from
as many members as possible. ARRL's online survey that seeks input from
members on how we handle an increase in dues remains open until May 31.
The results from the survey will be tabulated and shared with members
on the ARRL website in June. Responses will ultimately help guide the
future of ARRL. The survey is available to ARRL members, only. Members
need to make sure they have logged into the ARRL website to
participate. For more information, and to complete the survey, visit
www.arrl.org/dues-survey <https://www.arrl.org/dues-survey>.

==> MARC TARPLEE, N4UFP, SECTION MANAGER, ARRL SOUTH CAROLINA SECTION
(SK)

Section Manager of the ARRL South Carolina Section Marc Tarplee, N4UFP,
passed away on Sunday, May 14, 2023.

Tarplee served as the South Carolina Section Technical Coordinator
for 7 years before becoming the South Carolina Section Manager in 2010.
He was the longest-serving Section Manager of the century within the
ARRL Roanoke Division.

He was a member of the York County Amateur Radio Society (YCARS), the
Carolina DX Association (CDXA), a founding member of the York County
Contesters Group, and he recently retired as the Chief Financial
Officer of York Technical College in Rock Hill, South Carolina. He
completed his undergraduate degree in physics at the State University
of New York in Brockport, and then he pursued an M.Sc. at the Rochester
(New York) Institute of Technology. He earned his Ph.D. in electrical
engineering from the University of South Carolina.

After spending many years as a shortwave listener, Tarplee became
licensed in 1988. He was an avid CW operator and was chasing ARRL's
Fred Fish Memorial Award, which is granted to hams who work all 488
maidenhead grids in the continental US via VHF/UHF. He had more than
420 grids confirmed.

Tarplee also enjoyed 160 meters and particularly relished working the
top band from a large piece of marshland he owned on the South Carolina
coast. From there, he had the space to run a full-wave Beverage
antenna. As both a committed DXer and contester, Tarplee could be found
anywhere from 160 meters to 23 centimeters.

"Marc's service to the South Carolina Section was legendary. He served
as Technical Coordinator prior to my successful election as Section
Manager in 2003 and continued in that position throughout my tenure.
When I was elected to the ARRL Board to start in 2010, I was looking
for a replacement. As I was considering candidates, Marc came to me and
wanted to give it a shot. I admitted to him that I did not even
consider him at first, but that he was absolutely the right person for
the position," said Jim Boehner, N2ZZ, Director of the ARRL Roanoke
Division.

ARRL Field Organization Supervisor Steve Ewald, WV1X, said, "Marc was a
wonderful ambassador for ARRL. While working with him over the years, I
sensed that he really enjoyed sharing his interest in amateur radio,
and he knew how to encourage others to participate and get involved."

Tarplee is survived by his wife, Lee, W7LEE, and his daughters, Austin
and Marley.

A memorial service for Tarplee will be held at the Learning Commons in
Building L at York Technical College, 452 South Anderson Rd., Rock
Hill, South Carolina on Saturday, May 20, 2023, at 1:00 PM.

==> NASA ASTRONAUT TO CONTACT TWO SCHOOLS FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE
STATION

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received
schedule confirmation from NASA for two radio contacts from Astronaut
Warren Hoburg, KB3HTZ, aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Both contacts will take place on Friday, May 19, 2023.

The first contact will be with students at Webb Bridge Middle School
in Alpharetta, Georgia, at 18:20:31 UTC. A livestream will be available
at www.ariotti.com <http://www.ariotti.com/> 15 minutes before the
contact begins.

Webb Bridge Middle School is a public school with a total enrollment of
1,188 students in grades 6 through 8. Alpharetta is a northern suburb
of Atlanta. The primary audience for the ARISS contact will be their
6th-grade students, ages 11 and 12, who study geology and space
sciences during the year.

The second contact will be at 18:58:08 UTC with Fairview Elementary
School in Olathe, Kansas. A livestream will be available for the
contact at https://youtube.com/live/7eSFpxe0Fro?feature=share.
<https://youtube.com/live/7eSFpxe0Fro?feature=share.%0d>

Fairview Elementary School is a Title 1 public elementary school with a
total enrollment of 250 students in grades Pre-K through 5. Olathe is
just outside Kansas City and has a population of 140,000.

ARISS conducts 60 - 80 of these special amateur radio contacts each
year between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio
licenses aboard the ISS.

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>.

"Red River Valley Amateur Radio Club celebrates 50th Anniversary
<https://eparisextra.com/featured/red-river-valley-amateur-amateur-radio-club-celebrates-50th-anniversary/>"

/ eExtra News (Texas), May 10, 2023 -- The Red River Amateur Radio Club
is an ARRL Affiliated Club.

"Knights statewide share mission via ham radios
<https://catholicstarherald.org/knights-statewide-share-mission-via-ham-radios/>"

/ Catholic Star Herald (New Jersey), May 15, 2023 -- The New Jersey
Knights of Columbus, K0C, Special Event Station.

"Heavy traffic expected in Greene County this weekend due to Hamvention
<https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/heavy-traffic-expected-in-greene-county-this-weekend-due-to-hamvention/ar-AA1bi1sE>"

/ WHIO TV (Ohio), May 17, 2023 -- Hamvention, the world's largest
amateur radio show.

Share <news...@arrl.org> any amateur radio media hits you spot with
us.

==> ARRL PODCASTS

On the Air
Sponsored by Icom <http://www.icomamerica.com/en/>

With this year's ARRL June VHF Contest fast approaching on the weekend
of June 10, seasoned VHF operator Bob Witte, K0NR, joins the podcast to
talk about how to prepare yourself and your station to join in the fun
of this beginner-friendly event.

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

AMSAT is seeking nominations for the 2023 AMSAT Board of Directors
election. The election will be held in the third quarter of this year.
The seats of the following four incumbent Directors expire in 2023:
Jerry Buxton, N0JY; Joseph Armbruster, KJ4JIO; Robert Bankston, KE4AL,
and Zach Metzinger, N0ZGO. Two alternate Directors may also be elected
for one-year terms. A valid nomination for Director requires either one
Member Society or five current individual members in good standing to
nominate an AMSAT member. The nomination must be written and include
the nominee's name, call sign, and contact information, as well as the
nominators' names, call signs, and contact information. Nominations
should be sent to AMSAT Secretary Jeff Davis, KE9V, at PO Box 11,
Yorktown, Indiana 47396, or to his email at jda...@amsat.org. The
deadline for nomination is June 15, 2023. For additional information,
contact AMSAT. <https://www.amsat.org/>

A special thanks to Jeff Davis, KE9V, AMSAT Secretary, for the
information.

==> IN BRIEF...

May 31, 2023, will be the 25th anniversary of the May 31, 1998, severe
storm outbreak locally known as the F3 Mechanicville, New York,
tornado. The severe thunderstorms produced 20 tornadoes along with
hundreds of damaging winds and large hail reports within a two-hour
drive of Albany, New York. This link
https://www.weather.gov/aly/31May1998Severe from the National Weather
Service has details and a radar image of the storms, examples of the
extensive damage, and a National Disaster Survey report that details
amateur radio's assistance with warning and recovery. It also outlines
the changes and improvements that led to today's storm warning
procedures.

==> THE K7RA SOLAR UPDATE

Tad Cook, K7RA, of Seattle, Washington, reports for this week's ARRL
Propagation Bulletin, ARLP020:

This reporting week, May 11 - 17, the average daily sunspot number was
marginally lower at 118.6 compared to 119.3 last week.

The average daily solar flux dropped from 167.8 to 143.2.

Geomagnetic indicators were quieter, with both planetary and middle
latitude A index at 9.6. Last week the two numbers were 15.1 and 11.9.

10.7-centimeter solar flux is forecast to peak at 165 on June 8.

The predicted solar flux numbers are 140 and 138 on May 18 - 19; 135 on
May 20 - 21; 130 on May 22 - 24, then 154, 140, and 145 on May 25 - 27;
155 on May 28 - 30; 160 on May 31 and June 1; 155 on June 2 - 3; 160 on
June 4 - 7, then 165, 160, 150, 145, and 150 on June 8 - 12, then 155
on June 13 - 17.

Predicted planetary A index is 5 on May 18 - 19; 8 on May 20 - 21; 5 on
May 22 - 23, then 12, 15, and 15 on May 24 - 26; 10, 10, and 8 on May
27 - 29; 5 on May 30 through June 1, then 16, 12, 16, and 12 on June 2
- 5; 8 on June 6 - 8, and 5 on June 9 - 18.

Check out NASA's sunspot picture from May 17 at https://bit.ly/458DrPw.

Check out a video of the recent solar eruption at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rm7M5pqjCgY.

Read about how the solar flare caused a radio blackout at
https://bit.ly/434c5bw.

Read about a solar storm threat at https://bit.ly/3pSK4p2.

Sunspot numbers for May 11 through 17, 2023, were 152, 134, 120, 109,
103, 106, and 106, with a mean of 118.6. 10.7-centimeter flux was
163.4, 149.1, 143.8, 139.7, 134.5, 134.3, and 137.9, with a mean of
143.2. Estimated planetary A indices were 9, 19, 13, 8, 6, 8, and 4,
with a mean of 9.6. Middle latitude A index was 10, 15, 12, 9, 6, 10,
and 5, with a mean of 9.6.

Send your tips, questions, or comments to k7...@arrl.net.

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 <k7...@arrl.net> your reports and observations.

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

==> JUST AHEAD IN RADIOSPORT

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

- May 24 - May 30 -- New York W1AW/2

- May 24 - May 30 -- Colorado W1AW/0

- May 31 - June 6 -- Wyoming W1AW/7

- May 31 - June 6 -- Missouri W1AW/0

==> UPCOMING CONTESTS:

- May 20 - 21 -- SARL VHF/UHF Digital Contest (digital)

- May 20 -- UN DX Contest (CW, phone)

- May 20 - 21 -- NZART Sangster Shield Contest (CW)

- May 20 - 21 -- His Maj. King of Spain Contest, (CW)

- May 20 - 21 -- EU PSK DX Contest (digital)

- May 20 - 21 -- Arkansas QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)

- May 20 -- Feld Hell Sprint (digital)

- May 21 - 22 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW)

- May 22 -- RSGB FT4 Contest (digital)

- May 24 -- SKCC Sprint (CW)

- May 25 -- RSGB 80m Club Champ (CW)

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

==> UPCOMING SECTION, STATE, AND DIVISION CONVENTIONS

- May 19 - 21 | Dayton Hamvention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/dayton-hamvention-arrl-great-lakes-division-convention>,

hosting the ARRL Great Lakes Division Convention, Xenia, Ohio

- June 2 - 4 | SEA-PAC
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/sea-pac-arrl-northwestern-division-convention-1>,

hosting the ARRL Northwestern Division Convention, Seaside, Oregon

- June 3 | Atlanta Hamfest
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/atlanta-hamfest-arrl-georgia-section-convention>,

hosting the ARRL Georgia Section Convention, Marietta, Georgia

- June 4 | BreezeShooters Hamfest
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/breezeshooters-hamfest-arrl-western-pennsylvania-section-convention>,

hosting the ARRL Western Pennsylvania Section Convention, Prospect,
Pennsylvania

- June 17 | Knoxville Hamfest and Electronics Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/knoxville-hamfest-and-electronics-convention-arrl-tennessee-state-convention-1>,

hosting the ARRL Tennessee State Convention, Knoxville, Tennessee

- June 23 - 25 | HAM RADIO <http://www.hamradio-friedrichshafen.com/>,
Friedrichshafen, Germany

- July 8 | SVARC Summer Hamfest Minot
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/svarc-summer-hamfest-minot-arrl-north-dakota-section-convention>,

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

- July 15 | SEARC Tailgate Hamfest
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/searc-tailgate-hamfest-arrl-south-dakota-section-convention>,

hosting the ARRL South Dakota Section 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
ne...@arrl.org. -- John E. Ross, KD8IDJ, ARRL News Editor
<ne...@arrl.org>

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