 June 22, 2023 John E. Ross, KD8IDJ, Editor
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Here It Comes! ARRL 2023 Field Day Get ready to tune in the world! ARRL 2023 Field Day weekend is just about here. This year's event will begin at 1800 UTC on Saturday, June 24, and run until 2059 UTC on Sunday, June 25.
ARRL will be live streaming Field Day weekend on YouTube from W1AW, the Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Station at ARRL Headquarters in Newington, Connecticut. Find the link to our live stream at www.arrl.org/live. We plan to check in with Field Day sites from around the country and will also feature social media posts tagged with #ARRLFD. If you use #ARRLFD, you can receive 100 bonus points. An important part of Field Day is making sure your friends, family, and neighbors know what Field Day is all about and why it's important. You can do that by making phone calls or sending emails inviting everyone to watch and listen. Once you get them out to the event, let them experience the joy of making contacts via the Get On The Air (GOTA) station. When you get folks interested in amateur radio, remember the many resources that ARRL offers to help them get licensed. Our getting licensed web page outlines the pathway from observer to ham. Our ARRL Ham Radio License Manual will provide everything they need to know to get licensed and get on the air. The ARRL Learning Center is a valuable resource as well. Local amateur radio clubs have also found unique ways to publicize Field Day activities. The Jupiter Tequesta Repeater Group (JTEG) was able to grab some airtime on iHeartRadio station WJNO in West Palm Beach, Florida. Their 10-minute interview about Field Day aired on June 15, 2023. You can listen to it here. Grab your gear and get ready to be part of ARRL Field Day 2023! AMSAT Field Day on the Satellites 2023 AMSAT Field Day is ready to go.It's held concurrently with ARRL Field Day, and the hours are the same. The event begins at 1800 UTC on Saturday, June 24, and run until 2059 UTC on Sunday, June 25. The rules are different for AMSAT Field Day. You can find all of the rules and additional information in a downloadable format here. For more information about ASMSAT, visit their website at AMSAT - The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. FCC ULS Reopened, Except Electronic Batch Filing System On Wednesday morning, June 21, 2023, the FCC reopened the Universal Licensing System (ULS) and supporting systems, according to an email distributed to VEC organizations. However, as of 3:00 PM on Thursday June 22, the Electronic Batch Filing (EBF) system, used by VEC organizations for filing exam sessions, individual applications, and club license applications, was still not available as promised. Unfortunately, this means applications for new and upgraded licenses, and individual and club license filings still cannot be uploaded in the system for issuance. You can read the Full Story here. For the latest information, watch the ARRL News feed. Women of Influence in Engineering 2023 Ham Honoree Michelle Thompson, W5NYV, Cofounder and CEO of the Open Research Institute (ORI), has been selected as a 2023 honoree for the Women of Influence in Engineering section published by the San Diego Business Journal. The publication celebrates female trailblazers and highlights the honorees careers and accomplishments.
Thompson has been an amateur radio operator for more than 25 years and was drawn to the hobby by her father and grandfather, who were amateur radio operators. "We were a family of tinkerers, and my dad and granddad were always fixing and building things, including amateur radios," said Thompson. "Because of their influence, I was drawn to the vocation of helping people navigate difficult rules and regulations that impeded their learning and success." In 2020, Thompson founded ORI, a nonprofit research and development organization that provides all of its work to the general public under the principles of Open Source and Open Access to Research. She is responsible for amateur satellite service regulatory reform and is a member of the FCC Technological Advisory Council. Thompson is also chair of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) San Diego Section. She founded the IEEE Information Theory Society, as well as the local Open Source Digital Radio Group. Thompson serves the ARRL Field Organization Southwestern Division as a Technical Specialist for the San Diego Section, and she is an ARRL Life Member. HAM RADIO Exhibition Ready in Germany HAM RADIO, one of the largest amateur events in the world, kicks off its 46th international amateur radio exhibition in Friedrichshafen, Germany on June 23 - 25, 2023.
This year's theme, We're all about STEM, is a reference to science, technology, engineering, and math disciplines that are being integrated into education to help students better prepare for a changing world. "We're pleased to have added a Career Day to the well-established concept of fascinating lectures, live radio contract events, and exams for the first time this year," said Project Manager Petra Rathgeber. "After all, the field of amateur radio is perfectly suited to teaching interested children and young people about natural sciences and awakening an enthusiasm for technology in them." You can read more about HAM RADIO 2023 at the event website. Amateur Radio in the News ARRL Public Information Officers, Coordinators, and many other member-volunteers help keep amateur radio and ARRL in the news. "Alachua County Amateur Radio Emergency Services Field Day" / Alachua Chronicle (Florida), June 15, 2023 -- The Alachua County Amateur Radio Emergency Service®, (ARES®). "See ham radio in action at Amateur Radio Field Day event in Eastvale" / Daily Bulletin (California), June 16, 2023 -- The GOTAhams Amateur Radio Club is an ARRL Affiliated Club. "Ham radio operators to participate in nationwide event" / The Star (Indiana), June 17, 2023 -- The Northeastern Indiana Amateur Radio Association is an ARRL Affiliated Club. "Amateur Radio clubs prepare for field day event" / Fredericksburg Free Lance Star (Virginia), June 18, 2023 -- The King George Amateur Radio Operators is an ARRL Affiliated Club. Share any amateur radio media hits you spot with us. ARRL Podcasts On the Air For the June 2023 episode of the On the Air podcast, ARRL Radiosport & Regulatory Information Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, and ARRL Contest Program Manager Paul Bourque, N1SFE, join us to talk about a popular Field Day fixture known as the GOTA (Get On the Air) Station. If you're a newer ham, or new to Field Day operating, you can find a local Field Day setup that's running one of these beginner-friendly stations. Tune in to find out how, so you can make plans to operate from a Field Day GOTA Station during Field Day weekend, June 24 and 25. ARRL Audio News 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 | ARRL Audio News. Announcements The Dave Kalter Memorial Youth DX Adventure is proud to announce that the special event station, W3Y, will be in operation on July 29, 2023. The K3LR contest group is hosting this event at their station and the trip is being sponsored by the Dayton Amateur Radio Association. This is the first time the Dave Kalter Memorial Youth DX Adventure special event station will be hosted in the USA. K3LR is considered to be one of the largest stations in the world, and this adventure is expected to be truly special for the Dave Kalter kids and their parents. The Dave Kalter Memorial Youth DX Adventure is an organization that sends young hams, ages 12 to 17, and a parent on a summer DXpedition. The organization is named in remembrance of Dave Kalter, KB8OCP (SK), who passed away in 2013. Listen for W3Y on July 29 for an opportunity to make QSOs. The team is currently being formed, and more information will be available soon. The organization is anticipating a team of 4 to 5 youth operators. Please contact Jim Storms, AB8YK, at ab8yk@hotmail.com with any questions. In Brief... The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) continues to monitor the progress of Tropical Storm Bret. Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, Hurricane Watch Net, Manager / Webmaster reports that as of 1500 UTC, Bret was located at 13.8N 57.7W, or about 130 miles (205 km) east-northeast of Barbados and about 220 miles east of St. Lucia, with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (110 km/h). Movement was to the west, or 280 degrees, at 14 mph (22 km/h). The minimum central pressure was 999 mb or 29.50 inches. Bret is well within the 300-mile activation range for a hurricane. The current forecast keeps Bret just below Cat 1 Hurricane strength. Bret, however, could produce wind gusts well above 75 mph. The HWN will remain in Monitoring/Standby Mode. Should Bret intensify into Hurricane status, the HWN will announce plans of activation via their email distribution and website homepage at www.hwn.org. For additional updates also watch the ARRL News feed. The K7RA Solar Update Tad Cook, K7RA, of Seattle, Washington, reports for this week's ARRL Propagation Bulletin, ARLP025:
Sunspot numbers and solar flux rose this week. There were two new sunspot groups on June 15, another on June 17, one more on June 18, three more on June 19, two more on June 20, and another on June 21. The average daily sunspot number increased from 122 to 143, and the average daily solar flux rose from 154.8 to 165.4. The average daily planetary A index jumped from 5.7 to 15.4, while the middle latitude numbers increased from 6.7 to 13.1. Predicted solar flux is 175, 180, and 180 on June 22 - 24; 185 on June 25 - 27; 180 on June 28; 175 on June 29 through July 1; 180 on July 2 - 3; 175 on July 4 - 5; 170 on July 6 - 10; 165, 160, and 160 on July 11 - 13; 165, 160, and 160 on July 14 - 16; 155, 160, and 160 on July 17 - 19, and 165 on July 20 - 24. Predicted planetary A index is 12, 15, 10, and 8 on June 22 - 25; 5, 5, and 12 on June 26 - 28; 5, 5, and 12 again on June 29 through July 1; 8 on July 2; 5 on July 3 - 7; 12 on July 8; 5 on July 9 - 11; 20 and 30 on July 12 - 13; 8 on July 14 - 15, and 12 on July 16 - 17. These predictions are from forecasters Reilly and Kiser of the US Air Force 557th Weather Wing at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. See https://bit.ly/3qRNJnr for more details. So, what does this forecast show for ARRL Field Day this weekend? Geomagnetic numbers are a bit more unsettled than what was shown in last week's bulletin, which had an A index of 5 for Friday through Sunday. The latest shows 15, 10, and 8. Predicted solar flux looks excellent at 180, 180, and 185. Of course, Field Day does not begin until Saturday morning, but here is data for the day prior. Watch a video on the X1.1 solar flare at https://bit.ly/3CI0OCA. There was another report from South Asia regarding solar flares as some sort of existential threat. Don't worry, there was nothing terrifying about what they reported, but there is a nice description of what the NASA-ESA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) does to monitor it at https://bit.ly/444VhSk. Visit SOHO's website at https://soho.nascom.nasa.gov. Look for an updated forecast for ARRL Field Day in Friday's bulletin. Sunspot numbers for June 15 - 21 were 112, 120, 110, 133, 181, 155, and 190, with a mean of 143. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 153.1, 157.2, 158.1, 164.1, 168.8, 180.1, and 176.4, with a mean of 165.4. Estimated planetary A indices were 24, 38, 8, 10, 10, 10, and 8, with a mean of 15.4. Middle latitude A index was 17, 24, 8, 12, 9, 13, and 9, with a mean of 13.1.
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.
Just Ahead in Radiosport Yearlong -- ARRL Volunteers On the Air (VOTA). See the State Activations Schedule for weekly W1AW Portable Operations, including:
Upcoming Contests:
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 news@arrl.org. -- John E. Ross, KD8IDJ, ARRL News Editor
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ARRL's Field Day
HAM RADIO is a platform for radio enthusiasts to get together and exchange information and experiences. The event features commercial exhibitors, worldwide networked associations, and Europe's largest radio flea market with more than 300 participants from 16 countries. ARRL is an active partner at HAM RADIO and will be represented at the 2023 event..jpg)
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