• Proclaiming Field Day!
• AMSAT Field Day to Activate Satellites
• ARRL Field Day Public Relations Tools
• 2023 SEA-PAC: Successful ARRL Northwestern Division Convention
• Australian Government to Resume Amateur Licensure, Deed Delegation Ends
• Amateur Radio in the News
• ARRL Podcasts
• Announcements
• In Brief...
• The K7RA Solar Update
• Just Ahead in Radiosport
• Upcoming Section, State, and Division Conventions

With 2023 Field Day fast approaching, many amateur radio operators are busy scouting their locations and getting their equipment ready for the big event.

State Sections and individual clubs are also working on publicizing Field Day and obtaining proclamations from local and state governments. It's a great way to help get clubs noticed and to draw attention to amateur radio.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine issued a proclamation naming June 24 - 25 2023, as Amateur Radio Operators' Appreciation Days.

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu holds a proclamation declaring June as Amateur Radio Month with Section Manager of the ARRL New Hampshire Section Pete Stohrer, W1FEA. [Barron Clogston, photo.]

In Kansas, Governor Laura Kelly signed a proclamation making June 24 - 25 2023, Amateur Radio Field Days, while Assistant Section Manager of the ARRL Kansas Section Kenneth A. Kopp, AKØA, and others stood at her side.

Amateur Radio Field Day Proclamation, signed by Kansas Governor Laura Kelly. Looking on, from left to right, are Assistant Section Manager of the ARRL Kansas Section Kenneth A. Kopp, AKØA; Joseph Pajor, KBØKFH; Charles Tucker, KBØSQL, and Terryl Pajor.

Many other states, such as Illinois and Virginia, have issued proclamations, and more are pending. See the proclamations, as ARRL receives them, at this link. It's not too late to request a proclamation or resolution.

The ARRL 2023 Field Day Overview is a great place to start and has information on every aspect of getting ready for Field Day. Visit the ARRL Field Day web page for all of the event's rules and regulations. The information is also available in Spanish at: Reglas del Día de Campo de la ARRL 2023.

ARRL will host a livestream on YouTube and other social media platforms during Field Day. The social media team will be sharing images and photos posted with the hashtag #ARRLFD. Remember to post content with the hashtag for a chance to be featured and help spread the message of the event. Also, tag us! Find our social media channels on this page.

The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) promotes its own version of Field Day for operation via the amateur satellites. It's held during the same hours as ARRL Field Day. Making contacts should be as easy as it was last year, as more than 10 transponders and repeaters will be available.

AMSAT's Bruce Paige, KK5DO, gives a full report of AMSAT Field Day on this week's ARRL Audio News. You can hear his report on Friday morning, June 9, 2023.

Those interested in helpful tips and tricks to get the message out about their Field Day event have a new training tool. The ARRL Public Relations Committee (PRC) has published a video webinar with pointers on media and public relations techniques for the event. There's also helpful information on outreach and social media strategy that can be useful throughout the year. The session is 37 minutes long and may be found at this link.

The PRC is a national-level committee appointed annually by the President of ARRL. Comprised of people with extensive experience in different areas of public relations, media work, news, and social issues experience, this committee is the "go-to-" group for making national- level events happen. They provide support, advice, and skilled help.

"Surf a Radio Wave" was the headline for the Pacific Northwest's largest amateur radio convention, SEA-PAC, which held its 41st event, June 2 - 4, 2023, in Seaside, Oregon. The convention hosted the 2023 ARRL Northwestern Division Convention.

ARRL Education and Learning Manager Steve Goodgame, K5ATA, delivered an inspiring keynote address at Saturday's banquet. Goodgame spoke about current and future ARRL initiatives to increase the adoption of amateur radio by more schools as part of a STEM education curriculum. His spouse, Cyndi Goodgame, K5CYN, spoke at the YL Luncheon, on the topic of developing the next generation of young women in amateur radio. She was joined by Katherine Campbell, KE8LQR, of Columbiana, Ohio, and ARDC Executive Director Rosy Schechter, KJ7RYV, of Portland, Oregon. Both offered personal perspectives on being active hams. At age 15, Campbell holds an Amateur Extra Class license, and participates in many hamfests to recruit and encourage other young hams.

Students from Oregon State University Amateur Radio Club representing the ARRL Collegiate Amateur Radio Program at SEA-PAC included (left to right) Charles Chance, KE0IJJ; Preston Crowe, W7PBC, and Club President Declan O'Hara, KG7HTE.

A large student presence at SEA-PAC was organized by Scott Rosenfeld, N7JI, Technical Advisor for the ham radio club at the University of Oregon (UO), Ducks on the Air. Students from three schools supported a booth for the ARRL Collegiate Amateur Radio Program including UO, Portland State University (PSU), and Oregon State University. "It was great to see such enthusiastic participation from the students, such great support from ARRL and the SEA-PAC organizers, and so much personal interaction between attendees and our students supporting collegiate amateur radio," said Rosenfeld. PSU students used the opportunity to present their student-led aerospace project, OreSat, Oregon's first satellite. OreSat0 is a CubeSat that launched In March 2022. Additional OreSats are in various stages of development and launch planning.

ARRL member Kat Ricker, KF7KAT (left), builds an end-fed half-wave antenna during one of the workshops offered at 2023 SEA-PAC. ARRL Alaska Section Manager David Stevens, KL7EB (right) was among the team of instructors who assisted with the kit building.

Students track and receive data from the satellites with amateur radio. "The students enjoyed the experience so much that they've already discussed doing it again next year, and how to make the experience even better," added Rosenfeld, who thanked show attendees for spending time talking with the students.

See ARRL's photo album from SEA-PAC on Facebook.

SEA-PAC is sponsored by the Oregon Tualatin Valley Amateur Radio Club, and co-sponsored by the Clark County Amateur Radio Club. The next SEA-PAC will be held May 30 - June 2, 2024. Visit www.arrl.org/hamfests to find a hamfest near you.

Read more about the event on ARRL News.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) said they will resume responsibility for amateur radio licensing in the country. As first reported by the Wireless Institute of Australia, the "new, more effective arrangements" come as ACMA reported that the Australian Maritime College (AMC) has decided not to extend a deeded arrangement that delegated licensing of radio amateurs to the school beyond February 2024. AMC has been responsible for operator exams, issuing qualifications, and recommending that ACMA issue a call sign to an applicant.

Australia issues three license classes: Foundation, Standard, and Advanced. Currently, tests are administered by volunteer assessors, often associated with radio clubs, who are accredited through the AMC. ACMA proposes to keep that same corps of volunteers, but to have them directly administer testing on behalf of the government. Those interested in being ACMA-accredited assessors may apply to the agency.

ACMA plans to introduce the new accreditation scheme and class licensing arrangements in August 2023.

ARRL Public Information Officers, Coordinators, and many other member-volunteers help keep amateur radio and ARRL in the news.

"Steubenville-Weirton Amateur Radio Club Donates" / The Weirton Daily Times (Ohio), June 2, 2023 -- The Steubenville-Weirton Amateur Radio Club.

"Hamvention 2023 breaks attendance record" / WHIO-TV (Ohio), June 5, 2023 --The Dayton Amateur Radio Association is an ARRL Affiliated Club.

"Amateur Radio Field Day" / paNOW (Canada), June 5, 2023 -- The Melfort Repeater Group.

"McKinney Amateur Radio Club to host annual Field Day event" The McKinney Courier- Gazette (Texas), June 5, 2023 -- The McKinney Amateur Radio Club is an ARRL Affiliated Club.

"Ham radio clubs to test emergency capabilities in June 24-25 event" / Observer (Florida), June 6, 2023 -- The Flagler-Palm Coast Amateur Radio Club is an ARRL Affiliated Club.

Share any amateur radio media hits you spot with us.

On the Air
Sponsored by Icom

With this year's ARRL June VHF Contest fast approaching on the weekend of June 10, seasoned VHF operator Bob Witte, KØNR, joins the podcast to talk about how to prepare yourself and your station to join in the fun of this beginner-friendly event.

ARRL Audio News
Listen to ARRL Audio News, available every Friday. ARRL Audio News is a summary of the week's top news stories in the world of amateur radio and ARRL, along with interviews and other features.

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.

On June 10, 2023, a CubeSat (miniature satellite) that contains a nanobook with messages from Pope Francis will be launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The pope's messages will be transmitted on 427.5 MHz in English, Italian, and Spanish and can be heard on any amateur radio receiver. The new space mission, called Spei Satelles (which can be translated to mean guardian of hope), is promoted by the Dicastery for Communication and coordinated by the Italian Space Agency. The project was unveiled at the Vatican on March 27, 2023, which was the anniversary of the prayer service that Pope Francis led in an empty St. Peter's Square during the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The message on the nanobook is from that event. The nanobook was created by the National Research Council (CNR) of Italy. "The lab converted the 150-page book -- about 86 square feet of printed material -- into binary code that fits on a tiny chip," said Andrea Notargiacomo, head researcher in nanotechnology at CNR. The 2 x 2-millimeter chip is about the size of the tip of a crayon. Two dozen students at the Polytechnic University of Turin built the miniature satellite.

The final numbers are in for the 2023 Dayton Hamvention®. Hamvention General Chairman Jim Storms, AB8YK, reported that there were 33,861 attendees at this year's event, which is 2,000 more than last year. This year's number even surpassed the pre-pandemic attendance record of 32,472. "Things went very smoothly due to the dedication and hard work of close to 700 volunteers," said Storms. Preparations for next year's event on May 17 - 19, 2024, have already begun.

A visit to ARRL. On Thursday, June 8, 2023, ARRL headquarters in Newington, Connecticut, enjoyed a visit from Abdullah Altaleb, HZ1EK from Saudi Arabia.

Altaleb met ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA, (see photo) during his visit, and toured W1AW, the Maxim Memorial Station.

For more information about visiting ARRL HQ and guest operating W1AW, visit our www.arrl.org/visit-us

Tad Cook, K7RA, of Seattle, Washington, reports for this week's ARRL Propagation Bulletin, ARLP023:

Solar activity was up this week, with the average daily sunspot number increasing from 133.7 to 139, and the average daily solar flux increasing from 155.3 to 166.8.

Solar disk image taken June 8, 2023, courtesy of NASA SDO/HMI.

Average daily planetary A index stayed the same at 7.3, and average middle latitude A index went from 7.9 to 8.6.

Predicted solar flux doesn't show any improvement, with peaks at 170 on June 8 and again on June 23 - 25.

The forecast shows 170 on June 8; 165 on June 9 - 11; 160, 155, and 155 on June 12 - 14, then 145 and 150 on June 15 - 16; 155 on June 17 - 20, then 160 and 165 on June 21 - 22; 170 on June 23 - 25, then 168, 165, and 162 on June 26 - 28; 160 on June 29 through July 4, then 155, 150, and 145 on July 5 - 7.

Predicted planetary A index is 12, 8, 5, 10, and 8 on June 8 - 12; 5 on June 13 - 17, then 22, 15, 12, and 10 on June 18 - 21; 5 on June 22 - 26, then 10, 12, 5, and 5 on June 27 - 30, then 8, 12, and 8 on July 1 - 3, and 5 on July 4 - 7.

In some previous bulletins, I observed 10-meter propagation with FT8 into Florida from my QTH in Seattle, and into Mexico at a similar distance.

Recently on 10 meters, propagation has been into VK/ZL and North America, and mostly into southern California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona. There is some seasonal variation.

Sunspot numbers for June 1 through 7, 2023, were 143, 147, 112, 110, 151, 133, and 177, with a mean of 139. 10.7-centimeter flux was 163.9, 162.3, 164.6, 168.3, 169.2, 171.8, and 167.2, with a mean of 166.8. Estimated planetary A indices were 13, 5, 5, 11, 5, 7, and 5, with a mean of 7.3. Middle latitude A index was 14, 8, 5, 11, 6, 10, and 6, 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.

Yearlong -- ARRL Volunteers On the Air (VOTA). See the State Activations Schedule for weekly W1AW Portable Operations, including:

• June 14 - June 20 -- Arkansas W1AW/5

• June 14 - June 20 -- West Virginia W1AW/8

• June 21 - None -- Field Day June 24-25

• June 28 - July 4 -- Maryland W1AW/3

• June 28 - July 4 - Illinois W1AW/9

• June 10 -- VK Shires Contest (CW, phone)

• June 10 -- Asia-Pacific Sprint SSB (phone)

• June 10 -- Portugal Day Contest (CW, phone)

• June 10 - 11 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon (CW)

• June 10 -- AGCW VHF/UHF Contest (CW)

• June 10 - 11 -- GACW WWSA (CW)

• June 10 - 11 -- REF DDFM 6m Contest (CW, phone)

• June 10 - 12 -- ARRL June VHF Contest (CW, phone, digital)

• June 11 -- Cookie Crumble QRP Contest (CW, phone, digital)

• June 12 -- 4 States QRP Group 2nd Sun Sprint (CW, phone)

• June 14 -- NAQCC CW Sprint (CW)

• June 14 -- VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest (FT8)

• June 14 -- RSGB 80m Club Champ (CW)

• June 15 -- NTC QSO Party (CW Max 25 WPM)

Visit the ARRL Contest Calendar for more events and information.

• June 17 | Knoxville Hamfest and Electronics Convention, hosting the ARRL Tennessee State Convention, Knoxville, Tennessee

• June 23 - 25 | HAM RADIO, Friedrichshafen, Germany

• July 8 | SVARC Summer Hamfest Minot, hosting the ARRL North Dakota Section Convention, Minot, North Dakota

• July 15 | SEARC Tailgate Hamfest, hosting the ARRL South Dakota Section Convention, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

• July 29 | CVARC 2023 Hamfest, hosting the ARRL Pennsylvania State Convention, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania

• July 29 | ARRL West Virginia State Convention and Ham Fest, Sutton, West Virginia

• August 19 - 20 | Huntsville Hamfest, hosting the ARRL Alabama State Convention, Huntsville, Alabama

• August 25 - 27 | Northeast HamXposition, hosting the ARRL New England Division Convention, Marlborough, Massachusetts

• September 1 - 3 | Shelby Hamfest, hosting the ARRL North Carolina Section Convention, Shelby, North Carolina

Search the ARRL Hamfest and Convention Database to find events in your area.

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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