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The ARRL Letter

Published by the American Radio Relay League
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March 28, 2024

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

- Amateur Radio Importance Highlighted at National Hurricane Conference
- World Amateur Radio Day is April 18, 2024
- Reminder: Solar Eclipse April 8
- New Training Course Offered by the ARRL Puerto Rico Section
- Amateur Radio in the News
- ARRL Podcasts
- Announcements
- In Brief...
- The K7RA Solar Update
- Just Ahead in Radiosport
- Upcoming Section, State, and Division Conventions

==> AMATEUR RADIO IMPORTANCE HIGHLIGHTED AT NATIONAL HURRICANE
CONFERENCE

The National Hurricane Conference <https://hurricanemeeting.com/> was
held March 25 - 28, 2024, in Orlando, Florida. Amateur radio was well
represented at the event. A series of workshops were held that focused
on amateur radio's involvement in hurricane tracking, coverage, and
recovery.

Among the presenters was the Assistant Amateur Radio Coordinator of
WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center <https://w4ehw.fiu.edu/> (NHC)
Julio Ripoll, WD4R.

Ripoll gave a history of amateur radio's involvement in NHC,
including the use of tube radios in the 1980s and the Yaesu FTDX-1200
used today. WX4NHC is also equipped with VHF/UHF radios to access the
Florida Statewide Amateur Radio Network (SARnet), as well as digital
equipment to communicate with the VoIP Hurricane Net
<https://voipwx.net/>, IRLP, and Winlink to receive emails via amateur
radio.

"We were the only means of communication between the National Hurricane
Center and the National Weather Service Field Office in Slidell,
Louisiana, during Hurricane Katrina," Ripoll said. He went on to
highlight other instances of reports given by ham radio that provided
mission-critical information that had a major impact on the way NHC
handled a storm.

ARRL Director of Emergency Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, gave a
presentation to the crowd of hurricane experts, meteorologists, and
emergency managers about the Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®).

He spoke of ARRL's role on the board of SAFECOM, a program managed
by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) that
sets the standards of interoperability procedures. Being a part of the
group solidifies the Amateur Radio Service as a robust resource before
and during times of crisis.

Johnston shared that in 2023, ARES volunteers contributed at least
$21.8 million in volunteer hours to their local communities. "Is
amateur radio still relevant? Absolutely! Are we still involved in the
places that are doing things the right way? Amateur radio absolutely
is," he said.

Johnston highlighted the relationship between ARRL and the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
<https://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-and-fema-sign-agreement-ham-radio-is-as-relevant-as-ever>,

as well as ARRL's position as a net control station within the SHAred
RESources High Frequency Radio Program (SHARES)
<https://www.cisa.gov/resources-tools/programs/shared-resources-shares-high-frequency-hf-radio-program>

managed by CISA.

Among other presenters was ARRL's The ARES Letter
<http://www.arrl.org/ares-letter/> Editor Rick Palm, K1CE.

He shared a harrowing tale of his family riding out a direct hit
from Hurricane Idalia in August 2023. The damage and impact he felt
gave him a new perspective on emergency communications, as he went from
a volunteer communicator to a storm victim. Read more about his
experience in the "Public Service" column in the January 2024 issue of
QST.

Watch a video of the amateur radio workshops
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-43X6wVrqwA> at the 2024 National
Hurricane Conference on YouTube, courtesy of Jim Palmer, KB1KQW.

==> WORLD AMATEUR RADIO DAY IS APRIL 18, 2024

World Amateur Radio Day
<https://www.iaru.org/on-the-air/world-amateur-radio-day/> (WARD) is
celebrated each year on April 18.

The theme for 2024 is, "A Century of Connections: Celebrating 100 Years
of Amateur Radio Innovation, Community, and Advocacy." The global event
covers all of the International Amateur Radio Union
<https://www.iaru.org/> (IARU) regions and spans 2 days: Thursday,
April 18, 2024, 0000 UTC to Friday, April 19, 2024, 0000 UTC.

On April 18, 1925, the IARU was formed in Paris and will celebrate its
centenary in 2025. American Radio Relay League (ARRL) Co-Founder Hiram
Percy Maxim was the organization's first president.

All radio amateurs are invited to take to the airwaves to enjoy the
global friendship with other amateurs and to show their skills and
capabilities to the public. WARD is not a contest but rather an
opportunity to talk about the value of amateur radio to the public and
fellow amateur colleagues. It is also a great opportunity to talk about
local radio clubs and amateur radio in local media as a lead-up to ARRL
Field Day <http://arrl.org/field-day>, which is held each year during
the fourth full weekend in June. You can also promote your personal
WARD activities on social media platforms like X and Facebook by using
the hashtag #WorldAmateurRadioDay.

For more ideas and information, visit World Amateur Radio Day
(arrl.org) <https://www.arrl.org/world-amateur-radio-day>.

==> REMINDER: SOLAR ECLIPSE APRIL 8

Amateur radio will play many roles in the upcoming solar eclipse that
will cross much of North America. Radio amateurs are welcome to
participate in ionospheric research that is being conducted. Find
information about the Solar Eclipse QSO Party on the HamSCI web site
<https://hamsci.org/eclipse>.

Many emergency communications groups, including those affiliated with
the Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®) <http://www.arrl.org/ares>
in the areas near totality are planning to be active surrounding the
event. Hams will provide communications to served agencies, such as
local governments, relief oranizations, and other groups that could
benefit from resilient communications during a time when millions are
expected to travel.

==> NEW TRAINING COURSE OFFERED BY THE ARRL PUERTO RICO SECTION

The ARRL Puerto Rico Section has a new online training course for
prospective amateur radio operators. Fifty-three students have enrolled
in the course, taught by ARRL Technical Coordinator and Instructor
Carlos Roig, WP4AOH, who draws from the ARRL License Manual and the
National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators pool of
questions for the Spanish Zoom course. The course is open to anyone who
is interested in becoming an amateur radio operator. In advance of the
course, on March 16, 2024, Assistant Section Manager (ASM) Leyda Rios,
WP4RBK, offered a Technician training demonstration to 10 registered
students at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus.

Assistant Section Manager of the ARRL Puerto Rico Section Leyda Rios,
WP4RBK, talks to the training course students. [Photo courtesy of Luis
E. Collazo, WP4RAQ]

The session was an overview of amateur radio and its various
activities. Students were most interested in the band plan, the
phonetic alphabet, and how to communicate with others. The instruction
session also included an introduction to amateur radio equipment and
antennas, including how to operate and set up the equipment. There was
also a demonstration of a VHF/UHF radio to establish a simple repeater
contact. "The range of amateur communication and the capabilities
astounded the students," Rios said.

Several students were also interested in learning more about how to
utilize the radio equipment and how to establish their first contact,
while others have an interest in emergency communications for this
year's hurricane season.

For additional information about the training course, contact Leyda
Rios, WP4RBK, at wp4rbk@gmail.com.

For information on how to become an amateur radio operator, visit ARRL
| Licensing, Education & Training | Getting on the Air
<http://arrl.org/licensing-education-training>.

==> 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>.

"Hamateur Hour: Radio operators prepare for total solar eclipse
what-ifs
<https://www.14news.com/2024/03/21/hamateur-hour-radio-operators-prepare-total-solar-eclipse-what-ifs/>"

/ WFIE (Indiana) March 21, 2024

"Fulton County Amateur Radio Club ready to assist during April 8 total
solar eclipse
<https://www.wtol.com/article/news/world/solar-eclipse/fulton-county-amateur-radio-club-providing-communication-lines-for-critical-services-on-eclipse-day/512-48401f82-575e-4f8e-94c7-c927c039af6c>"

/ WTOL (Ohio) March 25, 2024 -- The Fulton County Amateur Radio Club is
an ARRL Affiliated Club.

"GEARS promotes radio use for emergencies in Butte County, preparing
for future events
<https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/gears-promotes-radio-use-for-emergencies-in-butte-county-preparing-for-future-events/ar-BB1kArS9>"