 May 2, 2024 John E. Ross, KD8IDJ, Editor
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Students to Promote Collegiate Amateur Radio at the 2024 ARRL National Convention at Dayton Hamvention® Young adults planning to attend the 2024 ARRL National Convention at Dayton Hamvention® can look forward to meeting many other young hams at the event, including college students representing the ARRL Collegiate Amateur Radio Program (CARP). CARP will occupy a booth in the large ARRL exhibit area, which will be staffed with college students and advisors for the program. CARP will also have a forum at the end of the ARRL Youth Rally on Saturday, May 18, at 4 PM in Forum Room 3. The forum will be followed by a pizza party at a nearby restaurant. "The CARP booth will be a great place to connect with other college-aged hams, and to learn more about the extensive network of college amateur radio clubs across the nation," said Andy Milluzzi, KK4LWR, from Clermont, Florida.
Andy and his brother Tony Milluzzi, KD8RTT, from Lenexa, Kansas, are co-advisors for CARP, and they moderate a monthly Zoom meetup to help network college radio clubs. The brothers have recruited many college students who are regular CARP participants to support the booth and related activities at Hamvention. Morgan Lyons, KI5SXY, is one of the volunteers. The energy around CARP is exciting. Lyons, whose other interests include rocketry, is an aerospace engineering major and serves as president of the ARRL-affiliated Missouri S&T Amateur Radio Club, W0EEE, which recently celebrated 100 years of existence. She says that legacy is one she's proud to carry at the National Convention. "I love representing the college students in ham radio and showing folks that ham radio [will continue with the future generations]!" Additional student volunteers will include Andrej Antunovikj, K8TUN, and Adam Goodman, W7OKE, both undergraduates attending Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and members of the Case Amateur Radio Club, W8EDU -- also an ARRL Affiliated Club. "I'm looking forward to going to an amateur radio convention and meeting other students from the CARP program in-person," said Antunovikj. The ARRL Collegiate Amateur Radio Program is sponsored in part by the W1YSM Snyder Family Collegiate & ARRL Affiliated Club Endowment Fund. The program was first established in 2017, and today includes an extensive community of participating students, alumni, and faculty. In addition to its monthly Zoom meetups, students can make connections through the ARRL CARP Facebook group and Discord. For more information about CARP, visit www.arrl.org/WeWantU. See the full list of ARRL National Convention activities at www.arrl.org/expo. Buy tickets for the convention on the Hamvention website. MFJ Ceasing On-Site Production MFJ Enterprises, Inc. founder Martin F. Jue, K5FLU, announced that as of May 17, 2024, the company will cease on-site production at their Starkville, Mississippi, facility. In a letter posted to social media, Jue said he is looking forward to retiring: Times have changed since I started this business 52 years ago. Our product line grew and grew and prospered. Covid changed everything [for] businesses, including ours. It was the hardest hit that we have ever had, and we never fully recovered. I turned 80 this year. I had never really considered retirement, but life is so short, and my time with my family is so precious. Jue founded MFJ Enterprises in 1972, after building a CW filter kit that sold for less than $10. Since 1990, the company has acquired several other legacy brands within the amateur radio market. Jue shared that the company will remain open to sell existing inventory because they have "a lot of stock on hand." They will also continue to offer repair services for the foreseeable future. Jue expressed gratitude to the many longtime employees of MFJ, some of whom have been with the company for 40 years.
He also thanked MFJ dealers and radio amateurs for their patronage over the decades. He also sent a special message to ARRL Members and loyal QST readers: "I give my deepest heartfelt thank you to my fellow hams all over the world, and especially to ARRL members and QST readers. In my youth, I was given a second-hand set of 1958 QSTs. I read them over and over until I practically memorized every word. This gave seed to MFJ. MFJ became a worldwide ham radio leader only because of you. As I turned 80, I cannot thank you all enough for 52 wonderful ham radio years. Thank you, 73s . . . Martin F. Jue, k5flu" Changes in the ARRL San Joaquin Valley Section Steven Hendricks, KK6JTB, has been appointed as Section Manager of the ARRL San Joaquin Valley Section.
He fills the vacancy left by John Litz, NZ6Q, who was appointed as Vice Director of the ARRL Pacific Division. Hendricks has always had a love for radio, and he first earned his amateur radio license a decade ago. "In 2014, I became licensed as a Technician, and in 2015 I became a General," he said. Hams in the area helped him get active in the local radio community. He held several elected leadership positions within the Sierra Amateur Radio Club, an ARRL Special Service Club. "With amateur radio, it's easy to operate in many different ways. Currently I'm having fun on HF all while exploring FT8, Winlink, and emergency communications," said Hendricks. Hendricks has previously served as an Assistant Section Manager. His appointment was effective on April 24, and it will run through the remaining term until June 31, 2025. Storms and Tornadoes: Amateur Radio Ready Strong storms and reports of at least 60 tornadoes have wreaked havoc in the Central U.S. for nearly two weeks. Homes and businesses across Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, and Iowa were destroyed, and power is still down for more than 30,000 residents. On May 1, 2024, President Joe Biden declared a major disaster exists in Oklahoma, making federal aid available to those affected by last weekend's severe storms in Hughes, Love, and Murray counties.
Section Manager of the ARRL Iowa Section Lelia Garner, WA0UIG, reported that in Iowa, they have moved from response to recovery. Currently, nine counties are under the Iowa State Individual Assistance Grant Program and the Disaster Case Advocacy Program. "Amateur Radio has served our local agencies well. We recently networked at a central Iowa hamfest and are building our emergency communications capacity primarily through [the Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®). ARES resources [include] personnel, experience, meetings, training, [communications] equipment, [and] operating trailers. The opportunity to share our experience and knowledge gained in the field has been critical to supporting ARES in Iowa," said Garner. Garner added that awareness is the best tool. She stressed that amateur operators and ARES members work to help the National Weather Service and other served agencies in order make their work and the community safer. ARRL Emergency Management Director Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, agrees that everyone should stay vigilant in their awareness and preparations, even during periods of less activity. Make sure you are prepared at home and that your family has a severe weather plan. This is extremely important if you plan to be mobile or away from your home during a severe weather event. Your safety is the most important thing if you plan to be active during severe weather. Every ham who is interested in severe weather should take the SKYWARN storm spotting class offered by the National Weather Service," said Johnston. He added that some of the most important aspects of preparation are communication and building relationships. These activities, including drills and exercises, need to be done during blue - sky days to ensure you will be ready during days with severe weather. The ARRL Learning Center offers courses like on Basic EmComm and Intro to Radio for Emergencies & Disasters. CQ Magazine Publisher Dick Ross, K2MGA, SK Longtime amateur radio publisher Dick Ross, K2MGA, has become a Silent Key. He passed away on April 27, 2024. His colleagues respected him greatly.
"Dick was a friend as well as my boss, and we saw eye-to-eye on most things regarding amateur radio. Dick was a leader in the ham radio industry for decades and an innovator in ham radio publishing. He also built the CQ brand into worldwide leadership in many aspects of the radio hobby, particularly contesting and DXing," said CQ Editorial Director Rich Moseson, W2VU. Ross had been Publisher of CQ magazine since 1979. Ross was given the Dayton Hamvention® 2010 Special Achievement Award for his work on CQ: (https://www.arrl.org/news/dayton-hamvention-announces-2010-award-winners). "I will greatly miss his ideas, his insights, and his friendship. His passing is a great loss for our hobby," added Moseson. More information about Ross' distinguished life and career may be found on ARRL News. Amateur Radio in the News ARRL Public Information Officers, Coordinators, and many other member-volunteers help keep amateur radio and ARRL in the news. "A Stroudsburg teens' passion for radio" / WBRE - TV (Pennsylvania) April 24, 2024 "Local radio operators prepare for the next weather emergency" / WPSD - TV (Kentucky) April 27, 2024 -- The Paducah Organization of the Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES®). "The world of amateur, or HAM radio, and its role during emergencies like Hurricane Ian" / WGCU (Florida) April 29, 2024 -- The Fort Myers Amateur Radio Club is an ARRL Affiliated Club. ARRL Podcasts On the Air Served Agencies: Who They Are and How We Serve Them We often hear about served agencies when hams talk about disaster response and emergency communications. ARRL Director of Emergency Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, joins the podcast this month to discuss exactly what and who served agencies are, and where the Amateur Radio Service fits into their responses. ARRL Audio News The On the Air podcast and ARRL Audio News are available on blubrry, iTunes, and Apple Podcasts -- On the Air | ARRL Audio News. Announcements The High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) will be conducting a new research campaign on May 8 - 10, 2024, and amateur radio operators can participate by monitoring signal reports. Using high-powered transmitters located at the HAARP facility at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, HAARP transmissions will be between 2.8 MHz and 10 MHz, although operating frequencies and transmitting times may vary depending on propagation. Transmitting times scheduled on May 8 - 9 are 2000 - 0200 UTC and 2000 - 0230 on May 10. The experiment is designed to study mechanisms for the detection of orbiting space debris, which are a major risk to space operations, including manned spacecraft and communications satellites. The experiments being performed at HAARP will help identify ways to improve collision detection on satellites. Amateur radio operators, shortwave listeners, and radio astronomers with receivers or software-defined receivers (SDRs) capable of 8 MHz bandwidth can monitor the entire frequency band during the experiments and report band conditions. A HAARP QSL card for reception reports will also be available to those who send reports to: HAARP, P.O. Box 271, Gakona, Alaska 99586 USA. More information about HAARP experiments can be found at FAQ | HAARP (alaska.edu). The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is seeking to hire two people for the role of Electronics Engineer (Field Agent) in Los Angeles, California. Applications will be taken until May 23, 2024.The incumbent will resolve radio frequency (RF) interference, educate users, and enforce regulations. They will investigate all services for violations of Title 47 U.S. Code Section 301 and unlicensed operations of radio transmitting equipment. They will perform and direct fieldwork in matters of importance to communications involving safety of life and property. They will also serve as a point of contact for FCC licensees and the U.S. government in matters of fixed and mobile radio-direction finding and interference resolution. The position will further involve participation in unique enforcement and engineering projects that have regional or national applications. Complete information for this position, DEU-EB-2024-0009, and how to apply, can be found at https://www.usajobs.gov/job/787941000. The ARRL Public Relations Committee will offer PR training workshops for 2024 ARRL Field Day. The training sessions are slated to be a series of live webinars held on Wednesday, May 22, at 7:30 PM EDT and 10:00 PM EDT (7:00 pm PDT), and Wednesday May, 29, at 8:00 PM EDT (5:00 PM PDT). Registration information will be available soon. Experts in media, public relations, and outreach will share best practices to help equip public information officers and club leadership to get the local spotlight on their activities. In Brief... The Tennessee Maneuvers special event station, W4T, will be in operation on May 3 - 5 from 1300Z to 0100Z on AM and CW. The event honors a former military training area where more than 850,000 troops trained for WWII. The location was selected because the terrain closely resembled locations in Germany, France, and Belgium where part of the war was fought. Frequencies may change, and updated information can be found at www.w4t.us. The location, in downtown Carthage, Tennessee, will be open to the public on Saturday, May 4, and it will feature displays of WWII radio equipment and other memorabilia. The event will also include WWII military reenactors, military vehicles, and a WWII aircraft flyover. Additional information is available on the organization's Facebook group. The K7RA Solar Update Tad Cook, K7RA, of Seattle, Washington, reports for this week's ARRL Propagation Bulletin, ARLP0018:
After the record sunspot numbers in last week's bulletin, ARLP017, the April 25 - May 1 reporting week, has more modest numbers. In fact, the average daily sunspot number (124.6) is less than half the value (265.9) in the previous bulletin. Seven new sunspot groups appeared this week. One sunspot group emerged on April 25, another appeared on April 27, two more on April 29, and one each on April 30 and May 1. Average daily solar flux shifted from 216 to 144.9. Average daily planetary A index dropped from 13.9 to 9.6. The solar flux estimate for this month and the next month has values peaking at 205 on May 15 - 16 and again on June 11 - 12. The values are 134 and 130 on May 2 - 3; 132 on May 4 - 5; 134, 136, 138, and 140 on May 6 - 9; 155 on May 10 - 11; 160, 175, and 180 on May 12 - 14; 205 on May 15 - 16; 200, 195, 190, 185, 180, and 165 on May 17 - 22; 145 on May 23 - 24, and 140, 135, 130, and 125 on May 25 - 28. Predicted planetary A index is 20, 18, 16, 12, and 10 on May 2 - 6; 5 on May 7 - 22; 15 on May 23; 12 on May 24 - 25, and 10, 8, 15, 18, and 10 on May 26 - 30. Sunspot numbers for April 25 through May 1, 2024, were 196, 154, 126, 119, 88, 85, and 104, with a mean of 124.6. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 166.7, 152.6, 152.6, 140.1, 137.6, 130.2, and 134.8, with a mean of 144.9. Estimated planetary A indices were 3, 19, 12, 7, 6, 12, and 8, with a mean of 9.6. Middle latitude A index was 3, 11, 12, 7, 7, 10, and 10, with a mean of 8.6. 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. Just Ahead in Radiosport
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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The convention is on May 17 - 19, 2024, at the Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center in Xenia, Ohio.
She's a student at the Missouri University of Science and Technology and a very active radio amateur. "I'm super excited to be working with ARRL at the CARP booth at Hamvention! This will be my second time at Dayton Hamvention, and I had so much fun last year. I'll also be helping with the Collegiate Amateur Radio Forum," she said.
Ameritron, Hy-Gain, Cushcraft, Mirage, and Vectronics brand products will be affected by the shutdown. 
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