• Amateur Radio Helps Rescue Injured California Outdoorsman
• ARRL EXPO at Dayton Hamvention May 20 - 22, 2022
• ARRL Podcasts Schedule
• Amateur Radio in the News
• In Brief...
• Announcements
• The K7RA Solar Update
• Just Ahead in Radiosport
• Upcoming Section, State, and Division Conventions

A relaxing weekend of camping and fishing did not go as planned last

REACH 5 helicopter ready to transport with injured outdoorsman on board. [Dave Johnson, KL7DJ, photo]

Friday when a member of a California outdoors club fell and broke his hip.

The Old Goats Mountain Club (OGMC) had worked their way along an old Forest Service Road into a rugged, off grid location in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. Dave Johnson, KL7DJ, said his friend slipped and fell while trying reel in a catch. The injury was so severe that the man could not be moved safely with a trip that could take at least 2 hours over the rough terrain.

Johnson is the only licensed amateur radio operator in the group and using the California Amateur Linking Radio Association (CARLA) system, he was able to call for emergency help from this vehicle. Greg Stamback, KD6VEN, located in the San Francisco Bay area responded and contacted the Shasta County EMS which dispatched a REACH 5 rescue helicopter from their base in Redding, California.

The entire rescue took about 1 hour and before the helicopter landed a local ambulance company arrived and was able to stabilize the injured camper. After surgery and 3 days in the hospital he is now at home recovering.

Johnson's wife Linda, KL7ISN, helped coordinate getting their friend's vehicle back to Redding. Using pre-planned contact schedules for Friday and Saturday and, after several makeshift auto-patches, the car was driven to a nearby highway where two other club members were able to take the car safely back home.

But the weekend was not over for amateur radio help. While the rest of the group was making their way out of the mountains on Sunday they were flagged down by a stranded motorist. His car's gas tank had been punctured and his cell phone would not work. He was taken to a small community along the way where there was a landline, and he was able to call for help from AAA.

Johnson said the motorist was thankful for the help and another member of the OGMC suggested the motorist might want to consider getting an amateur radio license.

While waiting for a tow truck to arrive, Johnson and a couple of OGMC members talked about amateur radio and how it had helped over the last few days. One member suggested maybe even he should have a transceiver installed in his vehicle. Johnson plans to make sure his friend, and the motorist, get a complete demonstration.

ARRL, in partnership with Dayton Hamvention^®, is preparing its exhibits and forums for the 2022 event. ARRL's large exhibit area will be located in "Tesla" Building 2, at the Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center in Xenia, Ohio.

ARRL Booths

• Radio Clubs. Take the Radio Club Health Check!

• ARRL Development and ARRL Foundation. Raising resources to extend the reach of ARRL programs and services beyond membership dues.

• ARES^® - The ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Service^® - and featuring ARRL Ham Aid.

• Meet the Authors. Meet ARRL authors and editors who are inspiring today's radio experimenters, operators and innovators. (see schedule in the ARRL exhibit area)

• ARRL Collegiate Amateur Radio Initiative. We Want U to help advance ham radio among college and university students: www.arrl.org/WeWantU

• ARRL Laboratory: Get Your Handheld Radio Tested!

• ARRL Learning Center.

• ARRL Teachers Institute. Meet ARRL Education and Technology Program Instructors and explore the resources available for introducing radio science and wireless technology to everyone! Find ways to make, discover, experiment, explore, and build.

• ARRL Great Lakes Division - Visit this gathering area for ARRL Field Organization networking, hosted by the ARRL Great Lakes Division and feature these ARRL Sections: Ohio, Kentucky, and Michigan.

• Radiosport and DXCC. DXCC Card Checking, ARRL Contests and Awards, ARRL's Logbook of The World (LoTW), and QSL Bureau.

• ARRL VEC and ARRL Volunteer Monitor Program.

• The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) - Meet representatives from the IARU.

ARRL-sponsored Forums
A complete list of Hamvention forums can be found at hamvention.org

Friday May 20, 2022

Friday, 9:15 AM to 10:20 AM (Room 3)
2022 ARRL Field Day - Ready, Set, GO!

Friday, 1:15 PM to 2:25 PM (Room 3)
ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Service -- ARES Forum
Presenter: Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, ARRL Director of Emergency Management

Friday, 2:35 PM to 3:45 PM (Room 3)
Youth Outreach
Presenter: Steve Goodgame, K5ATA, ARRL Education and Learning Manager

Saturday May 21, 2022

Saturday, 12:00 PM to 1:20 PM (Room 3)
Good Operators and the ARRL Volunteer Monitor Program
Presenter: Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, ARRL Volunteer Monitor Program Administrator

Saturday, 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM (Room 3)
ARRL Membership Forum
Moderator: Dale Williams, WA8EFK, ARRL Director -- Great Lakes Division

Saturday, 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM (Room 3)
ARRL Collegiate Amateur Radio Forum

Sunday May 22, 2022

Sunday, 9:15 AM to 10:20 AM (Room 2)
Take the ARRL Radio Club Health Checkup
Presenter: Mike Walters, W8ZY, ARRL Field Services Manager

Sunday, 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM (Room 2)
How to Comply with the FCC RF Exposure Rules
Presenter: Ed Hare, W1RFI, ARRL Laboratory Manager

A complete list of Hamvention forums can be found at hamvention.org.

The latest episode of the ARRL On the Air podcast (Episode 28) features a discussion of digital multimeters with practical usage examples and shopping tips.

The latest episode of the ARRL Eclectic Tech podcast (Episode 57) features an interview with Carl Nord, WA1KPD, about experiments he has been doing with WSPR at very low power levels.


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 | Eclectic Tech.

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

• "When all other communication systems fail, El Dorado County's amateur radio groups step in" / ABC 10 (California), March 29, 2022.

Share any amateur radio media hits you spot with us.

The 2022 AMSAT President's Club Coins Have Arrived. Each year, AMSAT, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, introduces a commemorative coin for the annual AMSAT President's Club. For the 2022 President's Club, AMSAT has issued a coin with an image of the AMSAT-OSCAR 6 satellite, which launched nearly 50-years ago, on October 15, 1972.

The Nashua Area Radio Society will hold their next online Ham Bootcamp on Saturday May 14 from 10 AM to 6 PM Eastern time. Ham Bootcamp includes a series of demonstrations and tutorials designed to help newly licensed Technician-, General-, and Amateur Extra-class license holders get on the air and use their amateur radio license. Bootcamp is also a great opportunity for prospective hams who are interested in seeing what the hobby has to offer. Ham Bootcamp activities are provided online via a series of sessions. Bootcamp participants will find all of this material interesting and fun no matter what their focus or license level.

The online Bootcamp program is available to all licensed and prospective hams in North America. You can register for the next Ham Bootcamp session in May 2022 by on the Nashua Area Radio Society website.

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports:

At 0010 UTC on April 14, the Australian Space Forecast Centre issued

This Solar Dynamics Observatory Image was taken on April 14, 2022. [Photo courtesy of NASA SDO/HMI]

a Geomagnetic Disturbance Warning that stated, "Increased geomagnetic activity expected due to coronal mass ejection from April 14 - 15 2022."

Sunspot numbers and solar flux declined this reporting week (April 7 -13), although solar activity was not really down, Instead, there were solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) every day, causing disruptions to HF radio communication.

There was a new sunspot appearance on April 7, and another on each day from April 11 - 13. Yet, average daily sunspot numbers declined from 94.6 to 34.4, and average daily solar flux dropped from 135.3 to 103.1.

Average daily planetary A index increased from 14.4 to 15.9. Average middle latitude A index, measured at a single magnetometer in Virginia, went from 10.9 last week to 12.6 this week.

The latest solar flux prediction from the US Air Force Space Weather Squadron, via he National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), shows modest activity for the next month at 100, 103, 105, and 106 on April 14 - 17; 105 on April 18 - 19; 108 and 106 on April 20 - 21; 110 on April 22 - 23; 115 on April 24; 118 on April 25 - 28; 116 on April 29 through May 6; 112 and 98 on May 7- 8; 95 on May 9 - 11; 98 and 102 on May 12 - 13, and 106 on May 14 - 18.

Predicted planetary A index is 35, 20, 12, 8, and 5 on April 14 - 18; 10, 8, 10, 5, 15, 10, and 8 on April 19 - 25; 5 on April 26 - 28; 18, 12, and 8 on April 29 through May 1; 5 on May 2 - 5; 8, 15, and 12 on May 6 - 8; 5 on May 9 - 11; 12 and 8 on May 12 - 13; 5 on May 14 - 16, and 10 on May 17 - 18.

Sunspot numbers for April 7 - 13 were 52, 55, 37, 13, 24, 23, and 37, with a mean of 34.4. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 111.1, 108.9, 107.1, 101.1, 98.7, 96.2, and 98.7, with a mean of 103.1. Estimated planetary A indices were 15, 9, 19, 34, 13, 12, and 9, with a mean of 15.9. Middle latitude A index was 12, 9, 17, 18, 13, 10, and 9, with a mean of 12.6.

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.

• April 15 -- Holyland DX Contest (CW, phone, digital)
• April 16 -- ES Open HF Championship (CW, phone)
• April 16 -- Worked All Provinces of China (CW, phone)
• April 16 -- YU DX Contest (CW, phone)
• April 16 -- CQMM DX Contest (CW)
• April 16 -- Michigan QSO Party (CW, phone)
• April 16 -- EA-QRP CW Contest (CW)
• April 16 -- Feld Hell Sprint (digital)
• April 16 -- Ontario QSO Party (CW, phone)
• April 17 -- Dutch PACCdigi Contest (digital)
• April 17 -- Quebec QSO Party (CW)
• April 17 -- Run for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW)
• April 18 -- DARC Easter Contest (CW, phone)
• April 19 -- 222 MHz Spring Sprint (CW, phone, digital)
• April 19 -- Walk for the Bacon Contest (CW)
• April 23 -- International Spring Contest (digital)
• April 23 -- QRP to the Field (CW, phone)

Visit the ARRL Contest Calendar for more events and information.

• April 16 -- ARRL Roanoke Division Convention (Raleigh Hamfest), Raleigh, North Carolina

• April 23 -- ARRL Delaware State Convention (Delmarva Amateur Radio and Electronics Expo), Georgetown, Delaware

• May 1 -- ARRL Eastern Pennsylvania Convention (Warminster Amateur Radio Club Hamfest), Bristol, Pennsylvania

• May 7 -- ARRL Indiana State Convention (North Central Indiana Hamfest), Peru, Indiana

• May 14 -- ARRL Nebraska State Convention, Lincoln, Nebraska

• May 20 - 22 -- Dayton Hamvention^®, Xenia, Ohio, and featuring ARRL EXPO

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.

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