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Subj: The ARRL Letter for October 28, 2021
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********************************************
The ARRL Letter
Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************
October 28, 2021
Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME <ww1me@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
- ARRL Concurs with Two FCC WRC-23 Advisory Committee Draft Positions
- President Names Rosenworcel FCC Chair, Announces Planned Nominations
to FCC, NTIA
- ARRL Podcasts Schedule
- ARRL Foundation Scholarship Program to Accept Applications Starting
on November 1
- US and Region 2 Amateur Radio Direction Finding Championships Results
are In
- ARRL Learning Network Webinars
- 3Y0J DXpedition to Bouvet Island Confirms November 2022 Activation
- Amateur Radio in the News
- Announcements
- Indian Radio Amateurs Help to Coordinate Disaster Relief in the Wake
of Flooding
- Well-Known Amateur Radio Contester and DXer Will Roberts, AA4NC, SK
- In Brief...
- The K7RA Solar Update
- Getting It Right!
- Just Ahead in Radiosport
- Upcoming Section, State, and Division Conventions
==> ARRL CONCURS WITH TWO FCC WRC-23 ADVISORY COMMITTEE DRAFT POSITIONS
ARRL has said <https://tinyurl.com/m45ytc35> it agrees with the draft
positions of the FCC's World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC)
Advisory Committee (WAC) on WRC-23 agenda items 1.13 and 9.1 (Topic A).
ARRL is represented on the WAC and participating in its work. The FCC
International Bureau issued a call for comments
<https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-21-1235A1.pdf> earlier this
year.
With respect to agenda item 1.12, ARRL recommends that the US support
"studies and possible consideration of a new allocation to the Earth
Exploration-Satellite Service
<https://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-r/opb/hdb/R-HDB-56-2011-PDF-E.pdf>
(Active) on a secondary basis within the frequency range of 40 - 50
MHz" for spaceborne radar sounders.
"Our support for the draft recommendation is conditioned on explicitly
including in the recommendation the need to provide protection and not
impose constraints on incumbent services in adjacent frequency bands,"
ARRL said. "Our expectation is that such studies will identify the
capability and adequate means to protect the weak-signal operations of
the Amateur Radio Service on the adjacent 50 - 54 MHz band without
imposing any restraint on those operations, if the need to use this
spectrum for spaceborne radar sounders is confirmed."
In its remarks, ARRL noted Draft Preliminary Views on WRC-23,
WAC-23/034 (13.09.2021) appended to the FCC's Request for Comment that
use of 50 - 54 MHz by radio amateurs was recently studied and
documented in ITU-Radiocommunication Report M.2478-0
<https://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-r/opb/rep/R-REP-M.2478-2019-PDF-E.pdf>,
"Spectrum needs for the amateur service in the frequency band 50 - 54
MHz in Region 1 and sharing with mobile, fixed, radiolocation, and
broadcasting services."
ARRL also expressed its support for the WAC's draft recommendation on
Agenda Item 9.1, Topic A, Space Weather Sensors. The agenda item calls
on the Conference to consider and approve the Report of the Director of
the ITU Radiocommunication Bureau reviewing the results of studies
relating to space weather sensors "with a view to describing
appropriate recognition and protection ... without placing additional
constraints on incumbent services."
The WAC draft recommendation is that the view of the US be "that
changes to the Radio Regulations are outside the scope of Agenda Item
9.1" and that the US express its support for "conducting the studies
called for in Resolution 657
<https://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-r/oth/0C/0A/R0C0A00000F00138PDFE.pdf>
(Rev. WRC-19)."
"Completion and consideration of these studies are essential to
achieving the desired objective of not placing any additional
constraints on incumbent services," ARRL said.
ARRL represents the interests of radio amateurs through its
participation on World Radiocommunications Conference and FCC advisory
committees.
Read an expanded version
<http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-concurs-with-two-fcc-world-radiocommunication-conference-advisory-committee-draft-positions>.
==> PRESIDENT NAMES ROSENWORCEL FCC CHAIR, ANNOUNCES PLANNED
NOMINATIONS TO FCC, NTIA
President Joe Biden this week designated FCC acting Chairwoman Jessica
Rosenworcel as Chair and announced that he intends to re-nominate her
and nominate another to fill the open seats on the Commission.
Rosenworcel, a Democrat, is the first woman to head the Commission. She
has served on the FCC since 2012.
Prior to joining the FCC, Chairwoman Rosenworcel served as Senior
Communications Counsel for the US Senate Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation. Before entering public service, she
practiced communications law. She is a graduate of New York University
School of Law.
The President also announced that he plans to appoint Democrat Gigi
Sohn to fill the other Democratic slot on the Commission. Sohn is a
Distinguished Fellow at the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law
and Policy and a Benton Senior Fellow and Public Advocate. She served
from 2013 until 2016 as counsel to former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler.
Sohn earned her law degree at the University of Pennsylvania Law
School.
Biden also announced his intention to nominate Alan Davidson as
Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information at the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) within the US
Department of Commerce. Read an expanded version
<http://www.arrl.org/news/president-names-rosenworcel-fcc-chair-announces-planned-nominations-to-fcc-ntia>.
==> ARRL PODCASTS SCHEDULE
The latest episode of the On the Air podcast (Episode 22) features a
discussion with Chris Plumblee, W4WF, about contesting and what this
activity has to offer new amateurs.
The latest edition of Eclectic Tech (Episode 45) features a discussion
about the current status of amateur television with Jim Andrews,
KH6HTV, as well as a brief description of an unusual "sound dampening
screw."
The On the Air and Eclectic Tech podcasts are sponsored by Icom. Both
podcasts are available on iTunes (iOS) and Stitcher (Android) as well
as on Blubrry -- On the Air <https://blubrry.com/arrlontheair/> |
Eclectic Tech <https://blubrry.com/eclectictech/>.
==> ARRL FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM TO ACCEPT APPLICATIONS STARTING
ON NOVEMBER 1
The ARRL Foundation <http://www.arrl.org/the-arrl-foundation> will
start accepting applications
<http://www.arrl.org/scholarship-application> for its 2022 scholarship
program on November 1. The submission deadline is December 31. More
than 100 scholarships ranging from $500 to $25,000 will be awarded in
2022. The 2022 scholarship year totals an eligible amount of over
$800,000 to be awarded.
All applicants must be FCC-licensed radio amateurs (active non-US radio
amateurs are eligible for scholarships sponsored by ARDC), and many
scholarships have specific requirements, such as intended area of
study, or residence within a particular ARRL Division, Section, or
<http://www.arrl.org/the-arrl-foundation>state, and license class. Some
scholarships also require additional documentation, such as letters of
recommendation.
The ARRL Foundation will be utilizing a new Scholarship Management
Platform for the 2022 ARRL Foundation Scholarships. Applicants no
longer choose specific scholarships but will be matched with all
scholarships for which they qualify. Transcripts and any additional
required documents must be submitted with the application, not emailed
separately as was done in the past. Applications without accompanying
transcripts and applicable required documentation will not be
considered.
The ARRL Foundation Scholarship Committee will review all applicants,
and scholarship recipients will be notified in May 2022 via USPS mail
and email. For more information, visit the ARRL Foundation Scholarship
Program <http://www.arrl.org/scholarship-program>.
==> US AND REGION 2 AMATEUR RADIO DIRECTION FINDING CHAMPIONSHIPS
RESULTS ARE IN
The results are in for the 20th US ARDF Championships and 11th IARU
Region 2 Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF). Four days of
competitions were held October 14 - 17 in North Carolina. The results
will help determine the makeup of the US ARDF team at the 20th ARDF
World Championships, set for summer 2022 in Serbia. The US
Championships and the World Championships were rescheduled from 2020
after they had to be canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions. Visitors
from outside the US were unable to attend this year's competition due
to continued travel restrictions.
Competitors ranged in age from 14 to 74. Competitive events were held
in the Birkhead Mountains Wilderness Area just south of Asheboro, North
Carolina. Events began on October 14 with sprint events
<https://backwoodsok.org/ardf-usa-championships-sprint>, a fast-paced
competition in which two sets of five transmitters operating on two
different 80-meter frequencies transmit nonconsecutive 12-second bursts
every minute. Two elite competitors completed the sprint course in just
over 15 minutes, a world-class time.
Two classic events
<https://backwoodsok.org/ardf-usa-championships-2021-classic-day-1>
were held on October 15. The longer courses for the younger adult
categories took place on 2 meters, and the shorter courses for the
older adult and youth categories took place on 80 meters.
Foxoring <https://backwoodsok.org/ardf-usa-championship-2021-fox-o>, a
combination of radio direction finding and classic orienteering on 80
meters, followed the next day. "Foxoring tests the map-and-compass
navigation skills of the participants," ARRL ARDF Co-coordinator Gerald
Boyd, WB8WFK, explained. Competitors try to hear the weak signals of
very-low-power transmitters until they arrive very close to the marked
locations and make a quick sprint to find its exact location."
Competitions concluded on October 17 with a different map and two
more classic events
<https://backwoodsok.org/ardf-usa-championships-2021-classic-day-2-results>,
this time with the bands swapped for those on the longer and shorter
courses.
"Two standout youth competitors turned in impressive times on adult
courses in the womens' W19 category," Boyd said. Youths included Adalia
Schafrath-Craig (14 years old) of North Carolina who picked up classic
and foxoring golds, and Elizabeth (Lisa) Afonkin (15 years old) of
Massachusetts who won the sprint gold.
For more information on amateur radio direction finding, visit the ARRL
ARDF website <https://www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-direction-finding>.
Read an expanded version
<http://www.arrl.org/news/us-and-region-2-amateur-radio-direction-finding-championships-results-are-in>.
==> ARRL LEARNING NETWORK WEBINARS
Visit the ARRL Learning Network
<http://www.arrl.org/arrl-learning-network> (a members-only benefit) to
register, check on upcoming webinars, and to view previously recorded
sessions.
More webinars are coming soon!
ARRL members may register for upcoming presentations and view
previously recorded Learning Network
<http://www.arrl.org/arrl-learning-network> webinars. ARRL-affiliated
radio clubs may also use the recordings as presentations for club
meetings, mentoring new and current hams, and discussing amateur radio
topics.
ARRL members interested in presenting a webinar can complete the online
Speakers Form
<http://www.arrl.org/arrl-learning-network-speakers-form>.
==> 3Y0J DXPEDITION TO BOUVET ISLAND CONFIRMS NOVEMBER 2022 ACTIVATION
The 3Y0J Bouvet Island DXpedition <http://www.3y0j.no/> team says that
with its first deposit on its contract to have the SS Marama provide
transportation to Bouvet, it has confirmed its plans to activate the
second most-wanted DXCC entity in November 2022.
"It is a huge task and undertaking to go to Bouvet, and we still
critically need additional upfront support to close the budget," said
the amateur radio DXpeditions team of co-leaders Ken Opskar, LA7GIA;
Rune 0ye, LA7THA, and Erwann Merrien, LB1QI. The DXpedition announced
that two more operators will join the adventure, taking the number to
13.
Dave Jorgensen, WD5COV, is an avid DXer and experienced DXpeditioner.
He is vice president of the Intrepid-DX Group, which had hoped to mount
a DXpedition to Bouvet before its plans broke down.
The second new team member, identified as Peter, is described as "an
experienced captain and expedition leader." He will oversee the Zodiac
landings and serve as a digital mode (FT#) operator.
"Our preparation for Bouvet includes planning, constructing, and
testing a system for landing Zodiacs safely, [and] this will be tested
in rough sea in Norway before and after Christmas," the 3Y0J team said
in its news release.
"We plan for safely landing the Zodiacs in different manners also
with some swell, unmanned, and with less risk for operators. And we
prepare for the event that Zodiacs are capsizing, and we still can
retrieve the equipment. We have done the first prelim sea trials of the
Zodiac equipment in Norway and will continue sea trials to further
mature the concept."
According to the announcement, the team plans to use a gasoline-engine
powered winch to lift equipment up a cliff to the operating site. This
will also be tested in Norway. "We plan to access the 25-foot cliff
with professionals means and, if needed, prepare for climbing and
bolting a short route to gain access."
Follow the DXpedition team's plans from its website and the 3Y0J
Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/groups/3093983840726129> page. Read
an expanded version
<https://www.arrl.org//news/3y0j-dxpedition-to-bouvet-island-confirms-november-2022-activation>.
==> 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>.
- Medford students take part in Great American Shake Out; learn to use
Emergency Radio
<https://ktvl.com/news/local/medford-students-take-part-in-great-american-shake-out-learn-to-use-emergency-radio>
/ KTVL News 10 (Oregon), October 21, 2021
- Mary Hare pupils make contact with International Space Station in
world first for deaf children with Newbury Amateur Radio Society
<https://www.newburytoday.co.uk/news/mary-hare-pupils-reach-for-the-stars-in-contact-with-interna-9220499/>
/ Newbury Weekly News, UK, October 13, 2021
Share <newsmedia@arrl.org> any amateur radio media hits you spot with
us.
==> ANNOUNCEMENTS
- The San Francisco Radio Club <http://www.sfarc.org/> has announced it
will be running its second club OTA Trifecta event this year on Angel
Island in San Francisco Bay on November 6. Special event station W6P
will be on the air. The OTA-Trifecta is single event that combines
simultaneous Parks on the Air (POTA), US Islands on the Air (US Islands
OTA), and Summits of the Air (SOTA) activations. Separate stations will
be on the air 1830 - 2130 UTC to represent the three activities. All
stations will be battery operated.
- Finnish radio operators OH2BH, OH2TA, OH5BM, and OH5LLR will join the
Amateur Radio Society of Kosovo (SHRAK) team at Z60A for the CQ World
Wide SSB Contest. They will activate two stations on all bands.
- Arunava Dey, VU3XRY, has reported what he is calling the first-ever
Parks on the Air (POTA) activation from India. He and Abhrajit Das,
VU3YDA, operated from Kanchanjungha National Park (VU-0081), he said.
- ARRL Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrl-audio-news>(c) is available
free each Friday, providing a look at the week's ham radio news
happenings. Contact <audionews@arrl.org> ARRL Audio News with questions
and comments. The webcast is available on the ARRL website as well as
on Blubrry <https://blubrry.com/arrlaudionews/> and may be transmitted
freely via repeater at no cost.
==> INDIAN RADIO AMATEURS HELP TO COORDINATE DISASTER RELIEF IN THE
WAKE OF FLOODING
The administration of the Thrissur District in Kerala, India, sought
the service of radio amateurs to support communications during disaster
relief operations in the wake of incessant rain and resultant flooding
that disrupted lives across central Kerala, The Economic Times has
reported
<https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/ham-radios-to-the-rescue-in-rain-hit-kerala/articleshow/87153088.cms?utm_sourc
e=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst>.
The hams have set up stations in the district to overcome the
possibility that conventional telecommunications may fail.
"Communication turns out to be a major challenge when natural
calamities strike," Sarachandran C. S., VU2SCV, told the Press Trust of
India news agency. "During heavy floods, there are chances that the
power supply will be down for days, which will affect the communication
systems, including the mobile phones." Sarachandran, a former merchant
navy officer, was one of 10 operators volunteering to help the Thrissur
administration to handle emergency communication.
CNN reports
<https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/18/india/kerala-rains-flooding-intl-hnk/index.html>
that at least 27 people were killed after heavy rain triggered floods
and landslides in southern India. According to their report, torrential
rain in mid-October caused rivers to swell and flooded roads, leaving
vehicles submerged in muddy water. Some houses were "reduced to
rubble," CNN said.
Ham radio volunteers have been recruited to assist during previous
natural disasters in India, including an August 2018 flood that ravaged
Kerala state. Sarachandran recounted that during the August 2018 event,
as the state flooded and power outages affected communication, the
district administration sought the assistance of radio amateurs.
==> WELL-KNOWN AMATEUR RADIO CONTESTER AND DXER WILL ROBERTS, AA4NC, SK
An experienced and successful member of the amateur radio contesting
and DX community lost his life on October 21 as the result of a small
plane crash. ARRL Life Member William "Will" Roberts, AA4NC, of Apex,
North Carolina, was piloting the plane, which went down not long after
take-off in a wooded area of Onslow County, North Carolina, near the
Holly Ridge/Topsail Island Airport, killing Roberts and another
passenger, identified as Willie Hobbs, Jr. Two children were
hospitalized with injuries. Roberts, 61, was the owner of the Mooney
M20J aircraft and held a commercial pilot's license.
A licensed radio amateur since 1976, Roberts became interested early on
in contesting and DXing and enjoyed being "on the DX end of the
pileup," as he said in his QRZ.com profile
<https://www.qrz.com/lookup/aa4nc>. Over the years, Roberts operated
from many locations, including some in South and Central America and
others in more exotic locales. He was a regular at the Dayton
Hamvention®. He is on the DXCC Honor Roll, had achieved nine-band DXCC
on HF, and VUCC on 6 meters. He also enjoyed RTTY. AA4NC took part
regularly in events like the ARRL 160-Meter Contest and ARRL November
Sweepstakes. He participated in the first World Radiosport Team
Championship (WRTC) event in 1990 in Seattle and served as a judge at
WRTC 2018 in Germany.
A member of the Potomac Valley Radio Club (PVRC), Roberts was the
trustee of W4MR, used occasionally in contests from his home contest
station.
Roberts was also a guitarist and vocalist who played solo acoustic
shows in the coastal Carolinas and belonged to the Flying Musicians
Association (FMA <https://flyingmusicians.org/>).
A graduate of North Carolina State University, Roberts was an
electrical engineer, specializing in telecommunications.
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are
looking into the cause of the crash.
==> IN BRIEF...
<http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Regulatory/Band%20Chart/Band%20Chart%20-%2011X17%20Color.pdf>Watch
those Band Edges! With the CQ World Wide SSB Contest
<https://www.cqww.com/> this weekend, it's an appropriate time to
remind phone contesters to pay attention to band edges. If you're
operating near the upper or lower band margins (or near the limits of
your operating privileges), be aware that your signal's bandwidth may
extend beyond the frequency displayed on your radio. For example, if
your radio reads 7.125 MHz on lower sideband phone, your signal will
extend outside of the US phone band (and into the CW portion of the
band). In the quick pace and excitement of a contest, it's easy to lose
track of upper and lower band edges, as well as of your license
privileges. It's always best to review the amateur allocations before a
contest and to keep a copy at hand. If using spotting assistance, be
aware that operators in other countries often have frequency
allocations that differ from those in the US, and they may spot
stations on frequencies that are off limits for US amateurs. Always
check that the frequencies of the spots you click on are within your
privileges. ARRL offers a handy, printable US Amateur Radio Bands
<http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Regulatory/Band%20Chart/Band%20Chart%20-%2011X17%20Color.pdf>
chart for quick reference. For additional HF contesting tips, ARRL
members can enjoy the special insert in the November issue of QST
<http://www.arrl.org/qst> magazine for the 2021-2022 Contest Season,
sponsored by Ham Radio Outlet <https://www.hamradio.com/>.
<https://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/Release_Notes.txt>The
WSJT-X development team has announced the general availability release
of WSJT-X version 2.5.1. This release mainly contains improvements and
repairs defects related to Q65 and JT65 when used with nonstandard and
compound call signs. Those planning to use Q65 or JT65 to make
weak-signal contacts involving a nonstandard call sign should upgrade
to this version. Also included is a new feature for microwave aircraft
scatter, as well as repairs for bugs detected since the general
availability release of version 2.5.0. A complete listing of changes is
available in the Release Notes
<https://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/wsjtx.html>. Links to WSJT-X
2.5.1 installation packages
<http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/wsjtx.html> for Windows,
Linux, and Mac are available.
<https://www.iaru-r1.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/IARUMS-Newsletter-2021-09.pdf>The
Russian-Ukrainian "radio war" on and around 7055 kHz continues to be a
major source of frustration. That was the word from the International
Amateur Radio Union Region 1 Monitoring System (IARUMS
<https://www.iaru-r1.org/about-us/committees-and-working-groups/iarums/>).
IARUMS Region 1 Coordinator Peter Jost, HB9CET, reports in the IARUMS
September newsletter that the on-the-air conflict "has been bothering
us to an unbearable extent for a very long time and is still
continuing." Earlier this year, IARUMS reported that the
Russian-Ukrainian radio war had escalated. "In June, they used more
frequencies than before, affecting our bands very hard." Jost
recounted. "It is a great annoyance and a big shame." Jost has pointed
out that the IARU Monitoring System has little opportunity to stop the
on-the-air conflict. "Only national authorities can hopefully do
something against international complaints," he said. "It is very
important and very helpful that many other [IARU] member-societies also
observe these frequencies and make complaints to their regulators." The
long-standing conflict has also affected 7050 and 7060 kHz.
<http://www.fcc.gov>The federal government is accepting applications
until November 10 for a telecommunications specialist
<https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/617826400>. The position is
at the FCC's high-frequency direction finding (HFDF) facility in
Columbia, Maryland. This is a full-time position, and no travel is
required. The individual hired would perform watch duty and serve as a
technical authority for communication systems users in resolving radio
interference complaints and problems, among other responsibilities.
This position requires US citizenship, a security clearance, and
education transcripts. Anyone hired to fill this position would be
required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of
proof of vaccination. A resumé is considered an integral part of the
process to determine if an applicant meets the basic qualifications for
the position and if the applicant is among the best qualified. To learn
more and to apply, visit the USAJobs website
<https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/617826400>.
==> THE K7RA SOLAR UPDATE
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Sunspot activity was up this week,
with the average daily sunspot number increasing by nearly five-fold
from 11.3 to 54.9. Average daily solar flux rose from 78.6 to 95.7. The
sunspot number peaked on Tuesday at 95, and daily solar flux peaked on
Wednesday at 110.9.
Geomagnetic indicators were quiet. Daily average of planetary A index
went from 8.4 to 4.4, and average daily middle latitude A index
declined from 5.4 to 3.6.
Predicted solar flux looks quite promising at 111 and 112 on October 28
- 29; 110 on October 30 - 31; 108 on November 1 - 3; 90 and 88 on
November 4 - 5; 86 on November 6 - 7; 85 on November 8 - 9; 83 on
November 10; 82 on November 11 - 15; 85 on November 16 - 20; 94 on
November 21; 95 on November 22 - 23; 96 on November 24; 95 on November
25 - 29, and 92, 90, 88, and 86 on November 30 - December 3.
Predicted planetary A index is 5 and 8 on October 28 - 29; 10 on
October 30 - 31; 5 on November 1 - 5; 12, 10, and 8 on November 6 - 8;
5 on November 9 - 14; 10 and 8 on November 15 - 16; 5 on November 17 -
22; 8 on November 23 - 24; 10 on November 25 - 26; 5 on November 27 -
28; 8 on November 29, and 5 on November 30 - December 2.
This weekend is the CQ World Wide SSB DX Contest. The CW weekend is
November 27 - 28. ARRL November CW Sweepstakes is next weekend,
November 6 - 8.
Sunspot numbers for October 21 through 27 were 11, 28, 32, 46, 81, 95,
and 91, with a mean of 54.9. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 81.9, 86.9,
86.8, 93.2, 100.6, 109.3, and 110.9, with a mean of 95.7. Estimated
planetary A indices were 7, 4, 3, 4, 5, 5, and 3, with a mean of 4.4.
Middle latitude A index was 9, 3, 2, 2, 4, 3, and 2, with a mean of
3.6.
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 <k7ra@arrl.net> your reports and observations.
==> GETTING IT RIGHT!
A news brief in The ARRL Letter for October 14, 2021
<http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter?issue=2021-10-14>, regarding operations
from Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), should have mentioned that
operations by Romeo Vega, 3W3RR (aka Romeo Stepanenko), are invalid for
DXCC credit. The ARRL Awards Committee voted in 1996 to disqualify him
from participation in the DXCC program.
==> JUST AHEAD IN RADIOSPORT
- October 30 - 31 -- CQ World Wide DX Contest (SSB)
- November 1 -- K1USN Slow Speed Test (CW, 20 WPM max)
- November 1 -- Silent Key Memorial Contest (CW)
- November 1 -- RSGB 80-Meter Autumn Series (digital)
- November 2 -- Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest
- November 2 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW)
- November 2 -- RTTYops Weeksprint
- November 3 -- Phone Weekly Test - Fray
- November 3 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test (CW, two events)
- November 3 -- VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest
- November 3 -- UKEICC 80-Meter Contest (phone)
- November 4 - 5 -- Walk for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW, 13 WPM max)
- November 4 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test (CW, two events)
- November 4 -- RTTYops Weeksprint
- November 4 -- NRAU 10-Meter Activity Contest (CW, phone, digital)
- November 4 -- EACW Meeting (CW)
- November 4 -- SKCC Sprint Europe (CW)
- November 6 - 8 -- ARRL November Sweepstakes (CW)
<http://www.arrl.org/sweepstakes>
==> UPCOMING SECTION, STATE, AND DIVISION CONVENTIONS
- November 6 - 7 -- ARRL Georgia State Convention
<http://www.stonemountainhamfest.com/> (Stone Mountain Hamfest),
Lawrenceville, Georgia
- November 13 -- ARRL Wisconsin State Convention
<http://wi-aresraces.org/> (Wisconsin ARES/RACES Conference) -- Online
- November 13 - 14 -- ARRL Central Division Convention
<http://acarts.com/hfmain.htm> (Fort Wayne Hamfest & Computer Expo),
Fort Wayne, Indiana
- December 10 - 11 -- ARRL West Central Florida Section Convention
<http://www.fgcarc.org/> (Tampa Bay Hamfest), Plant City, Florida
Search the ARRL Hamfest and Convention Database
<http://www.arrl.org/hamfests> to find events in your area.
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