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The ARRL Letter

Published by the American Radio Relay League
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September 28, 2023

John E. Ross, KD8IDJ, Editor <news@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

- Solar Eclipse QSO Party Seeks Amateurs and Radio Enthusiasts for
Global Experiment
- Students Wanted: Talk to an Astronaut via Amateur Radio in 2024!
- AMI Jamboree Scheduled for November
- Amateur Radio in the News
- ARRL Podcasts
- Announcements
- In Brief...
- The K7RA Solar Update
- Just Ahead in Radiosport
- Upcoming Section, State, and Division Conventions

==> SOLAR ECLIPSE QSO PARTY SEEKS AMATEURS AND RADIO ENTHUSIASTS FOR
GLOBAL EXPERIMENT

ARRL is proud to partner with HamSCI to help promote participation in
the Solar Eclipse QSO Party (SEQP). SEQPs are a series of global
experiments -- and you can be a part of them. Solar eclipses will pass
across the continental United States on October 14, 2023, and April 8,
2024. During these celestial events, you can join thousands of fellow
amateurs as part of the largest crowd-sourced event for ham radio
scientific exploration. The SEQP is part of the Festivals of Eclipse
Ionospheric Science and is for learning more about how the ionosphere
works.

All radio amateurs need to do is operate using any mode and any band
for all or part of the day, then upload their logs. Participation can
be from anywhere; you don't need to be near the path of the eclipse to
contribute valuable data. You don't even have to be a licensed ham to
participate in the experiment (only to transmit).

- For SEQP contest and rules, visit www.hamsci.org/contest-info
<http://www.hamsci.org/contest-info>.
- For information on the Gladstone Signal Spotting Challenge using CW,
WSPR, and FST4W, go to www.hamsci.org/contest-info
<http://www.hamsci.org/contest-info>.
- If you're an SWL or AM DXer, you might be interested in the Medium
Wave Recording Event. Go to www.hamsci.org/mw-recordings/
<http://www.hamsci.org/mw-recordings/> for more information.

Or just get on the air and help provide data to better understand the
ionosphere.

The first SEQP is on Saturday, October 14, 2023, from 1200 - 2200 UTC,
and participants may use any band or mode (except WARC bands).
Researchers will take the submitted logs and work to derive meaningful
observations from the data.

ARRL members can find out more about the SEQP by reading "The Solar
Eclipse QSO Party: A Fun Way to Support Radio Science" in the
September/October 2023 issue of On the Air magazine. The On the Air
podcast will feature the article's author, Gary Mikitin, AF8A, talking
about the event. The episode will go live on October 12.

==> STUDENTS WANTED: TALK TO AN ASTRONAUT VIA AMATEUR RADIO IN 2024!

There's an opportunity for STEM education via amateur radio that will
put students in contact with astronauts. The Amateur Radio on the
International Space Station (ARISS) program is seeking formal and
informal education institutions and organizations, individually or
working together, to host an amateur radio contact with a crew member
aboard the International Space Station (ISS). ARISS anticipates that
the contacts will be held between July 1 and December 31, 2024. Crew
scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates.

To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for
organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and
integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The
voice-only radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes long and allow
students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer
session. Students also have an opportunity to learn about satellite
communication, wireless technology, and radio science.

The deadline to submit a proposal is November 10, 2023. Proposal
information and more details, such as expectations, proposal
guidelines, and the proposal form, can be found at www.ariss.org
<http://www.ariss.org/>. An ARISS proposal webinar session will be held
on October 5, 2023, at 7 PM ET. Visit
https://ariss-proposal-webinar-fall-2023.eventbrite.com
<https://ariss-proposal-webinar-fall-2023.eventbrite.com/> sign up.

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 -- Space Station Explorers,
ARRL <http://www.arrl.org/>, and AMSAT.

Additional information is available at ARISS.org
<https://www.ariss.org/>.

==> AMI JAMBOREE SCHEDULED FOR NOVEMBER

The 2023 Amplitude Modulation International (AMI) Jamboree
<https://www.aminternational.club/ami-jamboree/> will be held over the
Thanksgiving weekend, starting at dusk on November 24 and ending at
dawn on November 27.

AMI Executive Director John C. McGrath, N9AMI, said the jamboree is not
a contest but rather an AM-only operating event. "Everyone is welcome
to participate, and there is a certificate available for those who
contact 25 stations and submit a log," said McGrath. "Each class winner
will receive a certificate, and a short biography will be posted on the
AMI website. While the age of the equipment doesn't matter, there must
be an AM mode selection on the radio," he added.

The preferred AM bands for operation are:

- 160 meters: 1.885, 1.900, 1.945, 1.985

- 80 meters: 3.870 to 3.890

- 40 meters: 7.175, 7.290, 7.293, 7.295

- 20 meters: 14.286 and the upper end of 20 meters

According to the club's history, AMI was formed in 1993. The name was
taken from a west coast amateur radio club that was no longer in
operation. AMI is now dedicated to the enjoyment, promotion, and
preservation of AM. Club memberhips include numbered membership
certificates, an organization of 10 regions with directors, annual
operating events, local club support, and the monitoring of activities
that affect AM operations. While the FCC reduced the peak-envelope
power measurement for AM, they also issued a statement in support of
continuing the mode's important place in amateur radio.

More information is available on the AMI
<https://www.aminternational.club/> 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
<http://www.arrl.org/media-hits>.

"Meet the Gaston County man who is the oldest living ham radio operator
in the U.S.
<https://news.yahoo.com/meet-gaston-county-man-oldest-091652112.html>"
/ The Gaston Gazette (North Carolina) September 22, 2023 -- The Gaston
County Amateur Radio Society is an ARRL Affiliated Club.

"Ham radio event set for Sept. 30 in South Point
<https://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/ham-radio-event-set-for-sept-30-in-south-point/article_6ca1204c-55fa-5d74-8c1d-ddee03a8a877.html>"

/ The Hearld - Dispatch (Ohio) September 22, 2023 -- The Southern Ohio
Amateur Radio Association is an ARRL Affiliated Club.

"Amateur radio emergency test drill Sept. 30
<https://www.monroenews.com/story/news/local/2021/09/28/simulated-emergency-test-saturday-local-ham-radio-operators/5882226001/>"

/ The Monroe News (Michigan) September 26, 2023 - The Monroe County
Amateur Radio Public Service Corps.

"Longmont Amateur Radio Club to celebrate Peak to Peak Byway
anniversary
<https://www.timescall.com/2023/09/27/longmont-amateur-radio-club-to-celebrate-peak-to-peak-byway-anniversary/>"

/ Times - Call (Colorado) September 27, 2023 -- The Longmont Amateur
Radio Club is an ARRL Affiliated Club.

"Volunteer Amateur Radio Operators restore vital communication link in
Waushara County
<https://www.wausharaargus.com/news-latest/volunteer-amateur-radio-operators-restore-vital-communication-link-waushara-county>"

/ Waushara Argus (Wisconsin) September 27, 2023 -- Waushara County
Amateur Radio Emergency Service®.

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

==> ARRL PODCASTS

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

The cover story of On the Air's September/October 2023 issue,
"Foxhunting Basics," doesn't have anything to do with chasing down a
woodland creature. Foxhunting is a radio direction-finding activity
that you can enjoy with a radio club or group, or even with just one
other friend -- and they don't even have to be a ham! Rob Zielfelder,
N1NUG, explains how to get started with a couple of handheld radios and
a directional antenna that you can make from inexpensive hardware store
materials. One player hides somewhere with a radio, and sends
intermittent transmissions, while the other player tracks them with the
help of the radio's signal meter and a map. Listen to this month's
episode for more information on how to join the fun.