• ARRL 2021 Annual Report Now Available to Download
• Races for Director and Vice Director Set in ARRL Southeastern Division
• Masonic Lodges on the Air Event to Take Place on September 24
• Amateur Radio in the News
• ARRL Podcasts Schedule
• Announcements
• In Brief...
• The K7RA Solar Update
• Just Ahead in Radiosport
• Upcoming Section, State, and Division Conventions

ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio^® has published its 2021 Annual Report. The report summarizes ARRL's program and fiscal activity for the year.

In his introductory remarks, ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, said that the organization moved steadily forward in 2021, gaining momentum after the challenges that 2020 brought. "It began bit by bit in the early months of the year with Headquarters staff returning to the office, and reached a turning point on July 15, the day we rededicated ARRL Headquarters and reopened the building and W1AW to our members," Roderick said. He also noted that the rededication ceremony "gave all of us an opportunity to reflect on where ARRL has been, and affirm where we are headed," and expressed excitement for what's coming next.

ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA, dug into some of the organization's 2021 achievements in his opening remarks, citing the success of ARRL's End-Fed Half-Wave Antenna Kit; new forays into video content; and hiring, into key roles, Field Services Manager Mike Walters, W8ZY; Director of Emergency Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, and Education and Learning Manager Steve Goodgame, K5ATA.

The theme of the 2021 report -- "Back Together" -- referred to the many unions and reunions that occurred throughout the year, from being able to attend in-person hamfests once again, to partnering with Netherlands-based HF Kits to produce the antenna kit, as well as teaming up with the Radio Society of Great Britain at the end of the year to commemorate the centenary of the ARRL-sponsored Transatlantic Tests.

Included in the report is ARRL's Report to America, which highlights recent instances of ham radio operators serving their communities by providing emergency communications. These stories include amateur radio activations and response for storms, fire, and other disasters -- When All Else Fails^®.

The 56-page Annual Report also recounts and summarizes the activities of all of ARRL's departments, and includes a complete 2021 fiscal report. ARRL ended 2021 with 158,238 members, a total that was slightly under the year-end goal of 160,084, but gained 29,027 new members, which represented an 11% increase from 2020.

The ARRL 2021 Annual Report is available for download at www.arrl.org/annual-reports.

Members of ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® in the Southeastern Division will choose among three candidates running for Director and four candidates for Vice Director. Those are the only contested races in this year's election cycle for Director and Vice Director.

ARRL is governed by its Board of Directors. Elections are held for five of the 15 ARRL Divisions each year, for terms of 3 years.

Candidates for Director in the Southeastern Division include incumbent Mickey Baker, N4MB, of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and the challengers are current Vice Director James Schilling, KG4JSZ, of Haines City, Florida, and John Willis, KB4DU, of Ozark, Alabama.

Candidates for Vice Director include Jeff Beals, WA4AW, of Loxahatchee, Florida; Andrew Milluzzi, KK4LWR, of Clermont, Florida; Neal Sulmeyer, K4EA, of Canton, Georgia, and Joseph Tiritilli, N4ZUW, of Deerfield Beach, Florida.

All of the candidates have been certified by the Ethics and Elections Committee for the election cycle for positions beginning January 1, 2023. Full (i.e., licensed) ARRL members of the Southeastern Division who are in good standing as of September 10, 2022, will receive a ballot. Ballots will be mailed to members no later than October 1, 2022, and will include instructions for voting by mail or electronically. Ballots, to be counted, must reach the address established for their return no later than noon Eastern Time on Friday, November 18, 2022. Members voting electronically must submit their votes by that same time and date. Votes will be counted, and successful candidates announced, in November.

The incumbents in the other four Divisions, running unopposed in this election cycle, have been declared winners:

In the Pacific Division, Director Kristen McIntyre, K6WX, of San Jose, California, and Vice Director Anthony Marcin, W7XM, of North Las Vegas, Nevada, have been declared elected.

In the Rocky Mountain Division, Director Jeff Ryan, K0RM, of Westminster, Colorado, and Vice Director Dan Grady, N2SRK, of Aurora, Colorado, have been declared elected.

In the Southwestern Division, Director Richard Norton, N6AA, of Topanga, California, and Vice Director Edward Stearns, AA7A, of Scottsdale, Arizona, have been declared elected.

In the West Gulf Division, Director John Robert Stratton, N5AUS, of Austin, Texas, and Vice Director Lee Cooper, W5LHC, of Leander, Texas have been declared elected.

Masonic Lodges on the Air (MLotA), an amateur radio special event, will be on the air Saturday, September 24, 2022, from locations across the county. The event is open to all amateur radio operators, and the idea for the event grew out of the realization that many Freemasons also have a love for amateur radio.

The Fulton County Amateur Radio Club (FCARC) and the Fulton Lodge #248 in Ohio first hosted the event in 2021. Because of its success, the event has now been scheduled for the next 3 years.

The event will be operating K8BXQ from 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM ET, using SSB only on 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters. Please honor all band plans. All contacts must be in the phone portion of the bands. Stations may be contacted once on each band.

Full contest rules and information can be found at cqmorelight.com/rules.

Bob Holstrom, KD2BKD, said that masons in New York and New Jersey will be setting up stations at the historic museum grounds of The DeWint House, George Washington's Headquarters in Tappan, New York. The property is owned and operated by the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York. The special event call sign for that location will be W2QX, operating from 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM ET.

"Everyone is welcome to visit the historic DeWint house," said Holstrom. "The home has been restored and admission is free."

More information about Masonic Lodges on the Air can be found at their website, cqmorelight.com.

Visit the ARRL Special Event Stations database to find other on the air events and commemorations at www.arrl.org/special-event-stations.

ARRL Public Information Officers, Coordinators, and many other member-volunteers help keep amateur radio and ARRL in the news.

"It's very rare for Canada: Cambridge Amateur Radio Club makes contact with ISS." / CTV (Canada) August 21, 2022. -- The Cambridge Amateur Radio Club.

"Field day helps Amateur Radio Club keep in touch with the world." / Crossville Chronicle (TN) August 21, 2022. -- The Cumberland Plateau Amateur Radio Club is an ARRL Affiliated Club.

"Amateur radio enthusiasts to gather for annual festival." / The Shelby Star (North Carolina) August 22, 2022. -- The Shelby Amateur Radio Club is an ARRL Affiliated Club.

Share any amateur radio media hits you spot with us.

The latest episode of the ARRL On the Air podcast (Episode 32) addresses the topic of scanning, with specific discussions about memory scanning, CTCSS tone scanning, priority watch, and more.

The latest edition of the ARRL Eclectic Tech podcast (Episode 67) will feature a discussion of power generation using graphene, synchronizing clocks with cosmic rays, multifrequency "vascular" antennas, and listening to Very Low Frequency atmospheric signals as part of NASA's "Inspire" project.

Both On the Air and Eclectic Tech podcasts are available on iTunes (iOS) and Stitcher (Android), as well as on Blubrry -- On the Air | Eclectic Tech.

National POW/MIA Recognition Day 2022 will be observed on September 16, and special event station K4MIA will be operating from a restored Bell UH-1H Iroquois helicopter from September 10 - 18. The aircraft was the first generation of utility helicopters used in Vietnam and earned the nickname "Huey." In addition to K4MIA, there will be five other stations in operation on September 16: K4MIA/2, K4MIA/4, K4MIA/5, K4MIA/7, and K4MIA/8. The stations will operate on SSB, CW, FT8, and satellite. K4MIA will be on the air throughout the month using slow-scan television (SSTV) and EME. QSL cards will be available via a self-addressed stamped envelope sent to K4MIA Michael N. Bald, 6758 Hall Blvd., Loxahatchee, Florida 33470. National POW/MIA Recognition Day is observed every year on the third Friday in September. This day honors those who were prisoners of war and those who are still missing in action from all wars and conflicts, but it is most associated with those who were POWs during the Vietnam War. Visit the K4MIA listing on QRZ for further details, and the ARRL Special Event Stations database to find other on the air events and commemorations at www.arrl.org/special-event-stations.

JOTA-JOTI 2022 (Jamboree-on-the-Air-Jamboree-on-the-Internet), the world's largest amateur radio Scout event, is set for October 14 - 16, 2022. The event connects millions of young people around the world for a full weekend of amateur radio and online activities that promote friendship and global citizenship. Using both the airwaves and the Internet, JOTA-JOTI enables young people and volunteers to participate in fun and engaging group activities focused on developing 21st century skills through Scouting. JOTA is one of World Scouting's longest-running global events, dating back to 1958. JOTA-JOTI aims to support young people of all ages to learn about communications technology, the values of global citizenship, and their role in creating a better world. To register and learn more about JOTA-JOTI, visit their website at www.jotajoti.info.

The Ohio Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES^®) just completed a dry-run exercise for the Perry Nuclear Power Plant in Lake County, Ohio. ARRL Ohio Section Emergency Coordinator Stan Broadway, N8BHL, said the drill was practice for the federally judged exercise scheduled for September. The Ohio Emergency Operations Center (EOC) amateur station, W8SGT, was utilized and on the air to communicate with several counties in northeast Ohio. Amateur radio serves in the emergency planning as a backup communications resource. The actual exercise is focused more on the power plant and its operation, but the state EOC is involved for the process. "In real life, this was a low-key type of exercise for us. It does not involve a lot of hams or activity, just establishes the line of communication," said Broadway. "It's satisfying to know, through many conversations during the planning stage, that amateur radio is a key ingredient to assure communication with the state." Ohio ARES is also working on a Simulated Emergency Test (SET) drill for October 1, 2022.

(left to right) ARRL members Barbara Shafer, KE5QAT, and Steve Shafer, WA7RC, of Slidell, Louisiana, were among the crowd gathered for the 2022 Huntsville Hamfest.

There was record attendance at the Huntsville Hamfest, which was held August 20 - 21, 2022, in Alabama. The event hosted the ARRL Southeastern Division Convention. Chairman Mark Brown, N4BCD, reported attendance of 5,420.

"The event drew big crowds," said ARRL Director of Public Relations and Innovation Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R. "I was particularly happy to see so many young hams enjoying convention." A youth lounge, sponsored by FlexRadio, attracted the participation of 175 young hams and young prospective hams. The lounge included a variety of hands-on activities, including a demonstration of remotely accessible radio stations. The demonstration was led by team members from the Remote Ham Radio (RHR) Youth Program: Connor Black, W4IPC; Colin Pokowitz, WW0CJ, and Patrick Gawthrop, W9GGG.

Abigail Barker, KI5RCX (right) of Conway, Arkansas, was greeted by ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, at the Huntsville Hamfest.

On Saturday afternoon, 18-year-old Audrey McElroy, KM4BUN, was presented with the 2022 Bill Pasternak WA6ITF Memorial Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year award. Following the award presentation, McElroy said, "I hope that in the future I can continue to bring more youth into amateur radio as well as bring more women into STEM." Also attending the convention was Abigail Barker, KI5RCX, of Conway, Arkansas. Earlier this year, Barker was awarded the Walter Gallinghouse K5DSL Scholarship, administered by the ARRL Foundation.

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

Photo courtesy of NASA SDO/HMI

A new sunspot group emerged on August 18 and August 21, and two more emerged on August 23. Overall, solar activity was down slightly, with the average daily sunspot number declining from 60.8 to 58.7, and average solar flux from 123.7 to 104.5.

Planetary A index changed from an average of 11.7 to 12.6, and middle latitude A index, measured at a single magnetometer in Virginia, was 11, after an average of 10 last week.

The Wednesday night forecast from the 557^th Weather Wing at Offutt Air Force Base showed a probable solar flux peak at 130 on September 11 for the near term.

Predicted solar flux is 105 on August 25 - 26; 108 on August 27 - 28; 110 on August 29 through September 1; 114 on September 2; 116 on September 3 - 4; 112 on September 5; 108 on September 6 - 7; 115, 120, 124, and 130 on September 8 - 11; 128, 120, 118, 105, and 102 on September 12 - 16; 98 on September 17 - 18; 96 on September 19 - 21; 94 on September 22 - 24, and 92, 98, and 100 on September 25 - 27.

Predicted planetary A index has some surprises in store: 5 on August 25 - 26; 8 on August 27 - 28; 5 on August 29 through September 2; then jumping way up to 30, 38, and 20 on September 3 - 5; 15, 18, 10, 12, and 8 on September 6 - 10; 5 on September 11 - 12; 12, 15, and 10 on September 13 - 15; 8 on September 16 - 17; 25, 15, and 8 on September 18 - 20; 5 on September 21 - 22; 12 on September 23, and 8 on September 24 - 26.

My main power supply failed on August 21, so for a week or two I will be unable to make on-the-air observations as I await factory repair.

News about a large sunspot can be found at https://inshorts.com/en/news/huge-sunspot-on-suns-surface-grows-10-times-in-size-in-48-hours-pic-surfaces-1661347322422.

Sunspot numbers for August 18 through 24 were 83, 74, 56, 56, 44, 52, and 46, with a mean of 58.7. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 116.5, 105.4, 101.5, 97, 102.6, 100.9, and 107.8, with a mean of 104.5. Estimated planetary A indices were 26, 20, 14, 14, 7, 4, and 3, with a mean of 12.6. Middle latitude A index was 19, 15, 16, 13, 7, 3, and 4, with a mean of 11.

Send your tips, questions, or comments to k7ra@arrl.net.

A comprehensive K7RA Solar Update is posted Fridays on the ARRL website. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information Service, read "What the Numbers Mean..." and check out the Propagation Page of Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA.

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.

• August 26 - 28 -- RTTYOps WW DX RTTY Contest (digital)

• August 27 - 28 -- ARRL EME Contest (CW, phone, digital)

• August 27 - 29 -- Hawaii QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)

• August 27 - 28 -- W/VE Islands QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)

• August 27 - 28 -- YO DX HF Contest (CW, phone)

• August 27 - 28 -- World-Wide Digi DX Contest (FT4/8) 4-char grid square

• August 27 - 28 -- Kansas QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)

• August 27 - 28 -- Ohio QSO Party (CW, phone)

• August 28 -- SARL HF CW Contest (CW, phone)

• August 30 -- Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest (phone)

• September 1 -- NRAU 10-Meter Activity Contest (CW, phone, digital)

• September 1 - 3 -- G3ZQS Memorial Straight Key Contest (CW)

Visit the ARRL Contest Calendar for more events and information.

• August 26 - 28 | Northeast HamXposition, hosting the ARRL New England and Hudson Division Conventions, Marlborough, Massachusetts

• September 2 - 4 | Shelby Hamfest, hosting the ARRL North Carolina Section Convention, Shelby, North Carolina

• September 9 - 10 | Queen Wilhelmina Hamfest, hosting the ARRL Arkansas State Convention, Mena, Arkansas

• September 11 | ARRL Southern New Jersey Section Convention, Mullica Hill, New Jersey

• September 17 - 18 | QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo (online event). ARRL is a QSO Today partner.

• September 23 - 24 | HRO Superfest, hosting the ARRL Central Division Convention, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

• September 24 | Red River Radio Amateur Hamfest, hosting the ARRL Dakota Division Convention, West Fargo, North Dakota

• September 24 | Spokane Hamfest, hosting the ARRL Washington State Convention, Spokane Valley, Washington

• October 1 | Wichita Area Hamfest, hosting the ARRL Kansas State Convention, Wichita, Kansas

• October 1 | Rock Hill Hamfest, hosting the ARRL South Carolina Section Convention, Rock Hill, South Carolina

• October 7- 8 | Melbourne Hamfest, hosting the ARRL Florida State Convention, Melbourne, Florida

• October 7- 8 | Slidell EOC Hamfest, hosting the ARRL Louisiana State Convention, Slidell, Louisiana

• October 7- 9 | ARRL Rocky Mountain Division Convention, Cheyenne, Wyoming

• October 9 | Nutmeg Hamfest, hosting the ARRL Connecticut State Convention, North Haven, Connecticut

• October 14 - 16 | Pacificon, hosting the ARRL Pacific Division Convention, San Ramon, California

• October 15 | Wisconsin ARES/RACES Conference 2022, hosting the ARRL Wisconsin State Convention, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin

Search the ARRL Hamfest and Convention Database to find events in your area.

Submissions for the ARRL Letter and ARRL News can be sent to news@arrl.org. -- John E. Ross, KD8IDJ, ARRL News Editor

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