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Text 15749, 567 rader
Skriven 2021-02-26 09:05:02 av Sean Dennis (1:18/200.0)
Ärende: The Weekly ARRL Letter
==============================
   The ARRL Letter                                                         
   February 25, 2021                                                       
                                                                           
     * ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA, to Keynote QSO Today Virtual Ham      
       Expo                                                                 
     * ARES and Red Cross Cooperate to Assist Storm-Affected Residents in   
       Texas                                                                
     * ARRL Podcasts Schedule                                               
     * "Whirlwind Boom" Emergency Communications Exercise Set              
     * Amateur Radio Helping to Fill Earthquake Report "Donut Holes"       
     * ARRL Learning Network Webinars                                      
     * Announcements: February 25                                          
     * Amateur Radio in the News                                           
     * Hams Participate in Winter Yellowstone VHF Radio Rally              
     * ARRL Interview Explains Background of Ham Radio in Space Film Short 
     * In Brief...                                                         
     * The K7RA Solar Update                                               
     * Just Ahead in Radiosport                                            
     * Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions              
   ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA, to Keynote QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo    
                                                                           
   ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA, will keynote the QSO Today Virtual Ham   
   Expo March 13 - 14 weekend. Minster's talk -- part of an 80+ speaker    
   lineup -- will begin at 2000 UTC (3 PM EST) on March 13. His appearance 
   will highlight ARRL's featured role at the expo, which will also        
   include "Ask The ARRL Lab." ARRL is a QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo        
   Partner.                                                                
                                                                           
   Minster, who assumed the ARRL Headquarters leadership position last     
   September, has launched major projects and assembled teams to foster    
   innovation and individual skill development in radio technology and     
   communications. In his keynote, Minster will share his enthusiasm for   
   advancing amateur radio and highlight current ARRL initiatives to       
   engage and inspire the current generation of hams. His presentation     
   topics will include:                                                    
     * ARRL's digital transformation, which promises to bring new value to 
       ARRL members. An all-in digital approach will improve the way       
       members access and engage with content, programs, and systems.      
     * The ARRL Learning Center, a hub for members to discover the many    
       facets of amateur radio and develop practical knowledge and skills. 
     * Increasing video content, opening opportunities for amateur radio   
       content creators and member-volunteers to learn, stay informed, and 
       keep connected.                                                     
     * Improving training and tools to engage radio clubs, emergency       
       communication volunteers, and students.                             
                                                                           
   The ARRL expo booth will feature "Ask The ARRL Lab," where Lab staffers 
   will answer questions live. Attendees can come into the booth lounge    
   and ask the Lab's technical wizards for tips about projects or          
   [IMG]suggestions to address various station installations and problems. 
   Attendees can also learn about Product Review equipment testing, see a  
   presentation on how the Lab can help hams with RFI problems, and tour   
   W1AW virtually.                                                         
                                                                           
   QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo Chairman Eric Guth, 4Z1UG, also announced    
   four live group kit-building workshops. Workshop instructors will guide 
   participants through building a variety of kits, which will be          
   available for purchase and delivered prior to the expo so attendees can 
   build them at home. Early-bird discount tickets and links to purchase   
   kits can be found at the QSO Today Expo website. Read an expanded       
   version.                                                                
   ARES and Red Cross Cooperate to Assist Storm-Affected Residents in      
   Texas                                                                   
                                                                           
   ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES^(R)) and American Red Cross  
   volunteers joined forces in Texas under the ARRL/Red Cross memorandum   
   of understanding in responding to the situation resulting from          
   unseasonably frigid weather. Kevin McCoy, KF5FUZ, said the Red Cross    
   formally requested an ARES activation in Texas to address the effects   
   of the natural disaster, which included a lack of drinking water, power 
   outages, fuel shortages, and frozen plumbing. Red Cross in Central      
   Texas supported more than 60 warming shelters at the request of         
   governmental agencies.                                                  
                                                                           
   "We made a special effort to use Winlink email over radio to get        
   reports of infrastructure problems and unmet needs [and to] communicate 
   information about warming centers," McCoy said, adding that Winlink     
   operators provided the most valuable contribution in the disaster       
   response. Several teams deployed to support emergency operations        
   centers (EOCs) in Bexar, Brazos, Kerr, Travis, and Williamson counties, 
   he added.                                                               
                                                                           
   "Our effort in the start of the activity was to focus on folks with     
   medical needs who required power, and to get those folks to safety,"    
   McCoy said. "Reports from operators were passed to Disaster Program     
                                                                           
   Power outages have dropped                                              
   considerably since the publication                                      
   of this February18 status map, and                                      
   damage assessment is under way.                                         
                                                                           
   Managers and Disaster Action Teams and to Red Cross Disaster Mental     
   Health personnel for evaluation. Government partners and citizens       
   provided transportation and Red Cross provided hotel rooms in areas     
   with reliable power to keep these citizens safe while following         
   COVID-19 protocols."                                                    
                                                                           
   On February 20, the Red Cross made a formal stand-down request to Texas 
   ARES sections from the Central and South Texas Red Cross Region.        
   "Transportation, communication, and internet had restored sufficiently  
   to allow for that change of status," McCoy said. "We did let all        
   Winlink operators know that we would still monitor the tactical         
   addresses until the disaster recovery was over."                        
                                                                           
   Key issues remaining include the prolonged power outage and the         
   freezing weather that left Texas with damaged water infrastructure.     
   "Things are improving rapidly," McCoy said on February 22. Read an      
   expanded version.                                                       
                                                                         
   ARRL Podcasts Schedule                                                  
                                                                           
   The latest episode of the On the Air podcast (Episode 14) takes a       
   deeper dive into the subject of HF antenna tuners, including some       
   shopping tips.                                                          
                                                                           
   The latest edition of Eclectic Tech (Episode 28) features a discussion  
   on grabbing NOAA weather satellite images at 137 MHz and a chat with    
   Nigel Vander Houwen, K7NVH, about how he has combined rockets and       
   high-altitude ballooning with amateur radio.                            
                                                                           
   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.                            
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
   "Whirlwind Boom" Emergency Communications Exercise Set                  
                                                                           
   The amateur radio communications team of Florida Baptist Disaster       
   Relief has created a multi-site radio communications exercise dubbed    
   "Whirlwind Boom," designed to bring together volunteers and local       
   agencies across northern Florida and throughout the southeastern US.    
   The 2-hour drill is set for Friday, March 19. Invitations have gone out 
   to Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES^(R)) groups, county-level      
   emergency managers, state communications experts, and federal SHARES HF 
   Radio Program volunteers, and volunteers taking part in the 2021        
   Florida Baptist Disaster Relief on-site training the following day.     
                                                                           
   The exercise scenario involves a swarm of tornadoes coupled with the    
   terrorist bombing of the telephone system, and large numbers of         
   displaced residents seeking shelter. Only radio remains. During the     
   exercise, volunteers will practice transmitting formal reports about    
   the utility, water, and safety situations in their counties (Incident   
   Action Plan). Many participants will communicate using portable radio   
   gear powered by battery or generator. Simulated outbound survivor       
   messages to friends and family will also be sent. Participating groups  
   will receive secret messages advising them of unexpected handicaps that 
   mimic what might happen during an actual disaster -- complicating their 
   tasks.                                                                  
                                                                           
   These exercises are structured in accordance with Department of         
   Homeland Security training guidelines. For more information, contact    
   Gordon Gibby, KX4Z. Read an expanded version.                           
                                                                         
   Amateur Radio Helping to Fill Earthquake Report "Donut Holes"           
                                                                           
   An article describing how radio amateurs can help fill the information  
   "donut hole" by providing post-earthquake "Did You Feel It" (DYFI)      
   reports via Winlink HF radio email appeared on February 22 in the       
   American Geophysical Union (AGU) magazine Eos. As the article points    
   out, "Ham radio networks gear up to provide real-time, on-the-ground    
   information about earthquake shaking and damage when other              
   communication pathways are knocked out of commission." Authors of the   
   article were David J. Wald of the US Geological Survey (USGS), Vincent  
   Quitoriano, and Oliver Dully, K6OLI.                                    
                                                                           
   As the article explains, DYFI uses a questionnaire to gather            
   individuals' experiences and observations, and USGS uses the            
   information to evaluate the shaking intensity at that person's          
   location. DYFI has been in operation since 1999 in the US and 15 years  
   around the world, during which the USGS has gathered more than 5        
   million individual DYFI intensity reports.                              
                                                                           
   The article notes that a potential problem is that "public access to it 
   may be compromised as a result of strong earthquake shaking," with      
   affected individuals experiencing power and communication outages or    
   may be distracted by more immediate priorities.                         
                                                                           
   "USGS and other global seismic network operators have witnessed felt    
   report 'donut holes' in areas of strong shaking due to loss of internet 
   communication," the article said, "most recently during the             
   magnitude-5.7 earthquake that hit near Salt Lake City in March 2020."   
   The article suggested that "alternative pathways" of communication are  
   needed to "gather important ground-truth shaking data with minimal      
   delay." And this is where amateur radio groups come into play.          
                                                                           
   "We now expect to sample the donut hole with the help of amateur radio  
   groups worldwide," the article's authors said. "These groups can        
   mobilize a significant number of licensed radio operators after a       
   strong earthquake, especially near large population centers, ensuring a 
   baseline level of macroseismic intensity reporting even in heavily      
   affected areas."                                                        
                                                                           
   As the article explains, USGS has partnered with Winlink, a radio email 
   platform with more than 28,000 users worldwide, and with ARRL Amateur   
   Radio Emergency Service (ARES^(R)) members. Winlink adapted the USGS    
   DYFI questionnaire to its platform, and this version is now available   
   to all radio amateurs, the article said. Read an expanded version.      
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
   ARRL Learning Network Webinars                                          
                                                                           
   Visit the ARRL Learning Network (a members-only benefit) to register,   
   check on upcoming webinars, and to view previously recorded sessions.   
                                                                           
   Talking to Astronauts: An Elementary School's Exciting ARISS Experience 
   -- Diane Warner, KE8HLD                                                 
                                                                           
   This is a story about Tallmadge Elementary School's participation in a  
   once-in-a-lifetime Amateur Radio on the International Space Station     
   (ARISS) school contact. The excitement of the entire experience was     
   shared not just by the students, but included faculty, parents, the     
   community, and local amateur radio operators. You will also learn how   
   to begin the process of submitting your own ARISS contact proposal.     
                                                                           
   Tuesday, March 2, 2021 @ 1 PM EST (1800 UTC)                            
                                                                           
   Technicians: Life Beyond Repeaters -- Anthony Luscre, K8ZT              
                                                                           
   This presentation takes a new look at the possibilities available to    
   Technician-class operators beyond repeaters. Explore Tech HF and        
   6-meter privileges for SSB, CW, and digital modes such as FT8, RTTY,    
   and PSK31 to expand your operating modes and your station's outreach.   
   Explore other VHF/UHF uses, including SSB, satellites, FM simplex,      
   digital modes, contesting, and more.                                    
                                                                           
   Tuesday, March 9, 2021 @ 1 PM EST (1800 UTC)                            
                                                                           
   The Art and Science of Operating Ultra-Portable -- Mike Molina, KN6EZE  
                                                                           
   Whether for SOTA, POTA, backcountry survival, or just spending time in  
   nature, learning how to operate ultra-portable is a fun and rewarding   
   experience. In this presentation, Mike, KN6EZE, will cover the basics   
   of ultra-portable operating for both the new and experienced ham radio  
   operator.                                                               
                                                                           
   Tuesday, April 6, 2021 @ 8 PM EDT (0000 UTC on Friday, April 7)         
                                                                           
   The ARRL Learning Network schedule is subject to change.                
                                                                         
   Announcements: February 25                                              
     * The W4DXCC DX and Contest Convention is on for September 24 - 25 in 
       Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.                                            
     * Jerry Burke, the primary author of the antenna-modeling software    
       NEC, died on February 14. He had been suffering from cancer. NEC    
       (numerical electromagnetics code) evolved out of a program called   
       BRACT, which Burke and others developed in 1967. The most common    
       public version is NEC-2. -- Thanks to Jim Breakall, WA3FET          
     * The Board of Directors of The Yasme Foundation has announced grants 
       of $5,000 each to the ARRL Foundation and Foundation for Amateur    
       Radio (FAR) 2021 scholarship programs.                              
     * Registration for official stations is open for the 2021             
       International Marconi Day (IMD), April 24 - 26, sponsored by the    
       Cornish Radio Amateur Club. The annual event commemorates the       
       birthday of wireless pioneer Guglielmo Marconi in 1874.             
     * 2Tone, the popular RTTY software by David Wicks, G3YYD, has been    
       updated and is available on the RTTY Contesting website.            
     * The 2021 Southeastern VHF Society Conference scheduled to be held   
       in April has been canceled due to the pandemic. The Southeastern    
       VHF Society Board of Directors will consider alternative solutions  
       for future conferences. SVHFS has published the 2020 Southeastern   
       VHF Society Technical Journal containing all the papers that had    
       been scheduled for presentation.                                    
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
   Amateur Radio in the News                                               
                                                                           
   ARRL Public Information Officers, Coordinators, and many other          
   member-volunteers help keep amateur radio and ARRL in the news. Share   
   any amateur radio media hits you spot with us.                          
     * Over Neighbors' Objections, Shelburne Operator Gets the Green Light 
       for Ham Radio Towers -- Burlington Free Press (Vermont), February   
       19, 2021                                                            
     * Amateur Radio Users Want to Be of Service When Modern Technology    
       Fails -- Nashville Scene (Tennessee), February 18, 2021             
     * FEMA on Twitter: A big #worldradioday shout out to Ham radio        
       operators! -- Twitter, February 13, 2021                            
     * World Radio Day: How Heroic Ham Operators Use Radio Waves to Carry  
       Out Post-Disaster Rescue Ops -- The Weather Channel, February 12,   
       2021                                                                
                                                                           
                                                                         
   Hams Participate in Winter Yellowstone VHF Radio Rally                  
                                                                           
   Wyoming and southern Montana hams belonging to the North Yellowstone    
   Amateur Radio Club and Park County (Montana) Amateur Radio Emergency    
   Service (ARES^(R)) took to the wilderness in late January during heavy  
   snow to take part in an emergency preparedness exercise. The groups     
   have about 15 members in all; many more bison and elk roam the roads    
   than do hams.                                                           
                                                                           
   The critical winter duty for North Yellowstone radio amateurs is        
                                                                           
   Electric Peak in Yellowstone.                                           
                                                                           
   deployment to remote locations of winter emergencies. To train for      
   these responses, the members devised the VHF Radio Relay, a radio       
   scavenger hunt designed to get members out to remote road locations     
   where winter emergencies may require radio communications support. The  
   group uses the Eagle's Nest repeater located at 8,000 feet on Electric  
   Peak southwest of Gardiner, Montana -- the north entrance to            
   Yellowstone National Park. The repeater covers the northern one-third   
   of the vast park and southern half of Park County, Montana.             
                                                                           
   Participants received two pages of instructions. The first contained    
   directions for completing their call-out assignment and listed 15       
   locations that required hams to deploy to the far reaches of the radio  
   coverage area. The second page consisted of a map. Only three roads are 
   in the area, and conditions on one dirt road are typically difficult.   
   Each route had five locations along the way to the terminal checkpoint. 
   The 15 widely spaced locations guaranteed that no operator could visit  
   all of them. Locations were chosen such that hams needed to plan their  
   route strategy -- ideally before leaving the starting point, where      
   odometer readings were recorded.                                        
                                                                           
                                      Bison on northern Yellowstone roads. 
                                      [Reve Susan Carberry, KX4LZ, photo]  
                                                                           
   Each location was assigned a tactical call sign, and communicators had  
   to use GPS to verify that they were in their precise positions. At all  
   locations, hams radioed net control to have their location verified     
   before moving to the next location.                                     
                                                                           
   At the last check-in point, participating hams had to call in and were  
   given instructions on how to find a code word hidden in an interpretive 
   sign to verify their location -- for example, the seventh word in the   
   third paragraph -- and relay it to net control. Each participant had a  
   different code word.                                                    
                                                                           
   Directions included a safety warning about bison and elk on the road,   
   and bad driving conditions due to snow. All departed at 9 AM and were   
   to be back at the starting point at 11:30 AM. A prize was awarded to    
   the ham who visited the most locations with the lowest mileage. First   
   place went to Doug MacCartney, K7GRZ, and second place to Reve          
   Carberry, KX4LZ. Jim Halfpenny, K9YNP, served as net control. -- Thanks 
   to Park County Emergency Coordinator and ARRL PIO Jim Halfpenny, K9YNP  
   ARRL Interview Explains Background of Ham Radio in Space Film Short     
                                                                           
   Josh Tanner, the Australian filmmaker who produced the thriller         
   Decommissioned by Perception Pictures, has explained how he came up     
   with the idea to develop the movie short. In the approximately 6-minute 
   film, SuitSat returns in the future to haunt International Space        
   Station commander "Diaz," played by Joey Vieira, who spots SuitSat, the 
   surplus Russian Orlan spacesuit that Amateur Radio on the International 
   Space Station (ARISS) turned into an amateur radio satellite several    
   years ago .                                                             
                                                                           
   An exclusive ARRL video interview premiering on Saturday, February 27,  
   brings together Tanner, who directed the sci-fi horror film about an    
   eerie ham-radio-in-space reencounter, and ARISS-International Chair     
   Frank Bauer, KA3HDO. In the interview, conducted by ARRL volunteer Josh 
   Nass, KI6NAZ, of the popular YouTube channel Ham Radio Crash Course,    
   Tanner described the uniquely creative and technical aspects of the     
   filmmaking involved in Decommissioned and its connection with the       
   real-life SuitSat-1.                                                    
                                                                           
   "My wife, Jade, who is also a co-writer of this short film, and I are   
   both really obsessed with space, and we discovered SuitSat on           
   Wikipedia," Tanner said in the interview. "It was an initial sort of    
   two-pronged reaction. One, this is genius. It's amazing that they did   
   this; I'd never heard this before. And the second one was, this is      
   kinda creepy...that they had what looks like a stranded, dead astronaut 
   floating around the Earth...and there were voices of children being     
   transmitted from it."                                                   
                                                                           
   SuitSat-1 transmitted a voice message, "This is SuitSat-1 RS0RS!", in   
   several languages, plus telemetry and a slow-scan TV image on an        
   8-minute cycle as it orbited Earth.                                     
                                                                           
   Tanner said a lot of the films he produces involve "pieces of history   
   that are rather quite odd or interesting that maybe a lot of people     
   don't know about."                                                      
                                                                           
   Bauer described the background of the 2006 SuitSat project, which       
   involved ARISS's relationship with Sergey Samburov, RV3DR. Samburov was 
   "the initial brainchild" behind the SuitSat-1 concept, and ARISS ran    
   with it, Bauer recounted.                                               
                                                                           
   "We had 3 weeks to pull it all together and get it ready for launch,"   
   Bauer said, and that included getting safety approvals. SuitSat-1       
   operated for about 2 weeks, and a contest of sorts evolved to guess     
   when it would burn up in the atmosphere, which wasn't until about 6     
   months later. A SuitSat-2 was launched from the ISS several years       
   later.                                                                  
                                                                           
   Tanner said the Decommissioned script was written about 3 years ago,    
   but creating the realistic atmosphere and sets involved a number of     
   complexities, which was "very expensive," he revealed. A big push       
   toward using video game engine technology in feature-film development   
   made it possible. Decommissioned was produced using a game engine       
   called Unreal Engine, which was also used to produce the TV show The    
   Mandalorian.                                                            
                                                                           
   [IMG]Grab your popcorn and avoid a spoiler. ARRL recommends viewing the 
   short film before watching the 45-minute interview. The interview       
   premieres on ARRL's YouTube channel, Saturday, February 27, at 1600     
   UTC.                                                                    
                                                                           
   ARRL reminds interested schools and educational organizations in the US 
   that the latest window to submit proposals to host scheduled ham radio  
   contacts with an ISS crew member opened on February 15. Contacts would  
   be scheduled January 1 - June 30, 2022. Proposals are due to ARISS by   
   0759 UTC on April 1.                                                    
                                                                           
   In the US, ARRL is a partner in the ARISS program, along with AMSAT,    
   NASA, and the ISS National Lab, which has kept amateur radio on the air 
   from the International Space Station for 20 years.                      
   In Brief...                                                             
                                                                           
   Plans remain up in the air for the Youth on the Air (YOTA) in the       
   Americas summer camp. The camp, tentatively set for July 11 - 16, would 
   take place in West Chester, Ohio. "We know that changes in the COVID-19 
   pandemic status between now and July will have an impact on our         
   decision to host the camp," 2021 YOTA Americas Camp Director Neil Rapp, 
   WB9VPG, said. "At this time, we are still hopeful that hosting the camp 
   safely July 11 - 16, 2021 will be possible. Should we not be able to    
   host the camp, we will let everyone know with as much notice as         
   possible and postpone it to 2022. Our plan is to make the final         
   decision in the month of April." Registration will continue until       
   February 28 for campers accepted to the camp for the 2020 session to    
   attend in 2021. At that point, Rapp said, he will evaluate how many     
   positions remain for additional campers from across the Americas in     
   order to fill out the roster of 30 campers and take applications in     
   March for the remaining slots.                                          
                                                                           
   Former ARRL Teachers Institute instructor Miguel Enriquez, KD7RPP, of   
   Tucson, Arizona, died on February 7 as a result of COVID-19. His death  
   came just 3 weeks after that of his wife, Wendy, also a COVID-19        
   victim. Miguel was 72 years old. His wife was 68. Between 2001 and      
   2008, Miguel Enriquez taught sessions of the introductory TI-1 course   
   in Arizona. A February 14 Arizona Daily Star feature, "How Tucson       
   Schools are Helping Kids, Staff Cope with COVID-19 Deaths," includes a  
   photo of Miguel Enriquez when he was conducting an amateur radio        
   demonstration in 2006 at Pueblo High School, where he taught            
   mathematics. "He is a fitting example of our teachers who have braved   
   the pandemic to continue to teach our youth," said Frank Karnauskas,    
   N1UW, AMSAT Vice President-Development.                                 
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
   The K7RA Solar Update                                                   
                                                                           
   Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Sunspots have returned, and solar     
   activity increased on every day over this reporting week.               
                                                                           
   The average daily sunspot number shot up from zero to 19.6, while the   
   average daily solar flux rose from 72 to 75.7. Geomagnetic activity was 
   also higher, with average daily planetary A index increasing from 7.7   
   to 16, and average daily mid-latitude A index rose from 5.6 to 12.4.    
                                                                           
   Predicted solar flux for the next 30 days is 82 on February 25 - 28; 78 
   on March 1; 74 on March 2 - 4; 73 on March 5 - 6; 74, 70, 74, and 76 on 
   March 7 - 10; 72, 71, 72, and 70 on March 11 - 14; 71, 72, 71, 73, 76,  
   and 75 on March 15 - 20; 72 on March 21 - 22; 76 on March 23 - 24, and  
   74 and 73 on March 25 - 26.                                             
                                                                           
   Predicted planetary A index is 12 on February 25; 5 on February 26 -    
   March 1; 15 and 12 on March 2 - 3; 5 on March 4 - 5; 15 on March 6; 5   
   on March 7 - 11; 15, 10, and 5 on March 12 - 14; 15, 5, 8, and 18 on    
   March 15 - 18; 20 on March 19 - 20; 10 and 8 on March 21 - 22, and 5 on 
   March 23 - 26. Geomagnetic activity is expected to increase by March    
   28.                                                                     
                                                                           
   Sunspot numbers for February 18 through 24 were 12, 12, 12, 11, 26, 31, 
   and 33, with a mean of 19.6. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 71.1, 72.9,   
   76.4, 75.3, 75.9, 78.1, and 80.5, with a mean of 75.7. Estimated        
   planetary A indices were 5, 17, 20, 20, 17, 12, and 21, with a mean of  
   16. Middle latitude A index was 2, 13, 15, 18, 13, 10, and 16, with a   
   mean of 12.4.                                                           
                                                                           
   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 K9LA's Propagation Page.                                  
                                                                           
   A propagation bulletin archive is available. For customizable           
   propagation charts, visit the VOACAP Online for Ham Radio website.      
                                                                           
   Share your reports and observations.                                    
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
   Just Ahead in Radiosport                                                
     * February 26 - 28 -- CQ 160-Meter Contest, SSB                       
     * February 27 - 28 -- REF Contest, SSB                                
     * February 27 - 28 -- FTn DX Contest                                  
     * February 27 - 28 -- UBA DX Contest, CW                              
     * February 27 - 28 -- South Carolina QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)   
     * February 27 - 28 -- North American QSO Party, RTTY                  
     * February 27 - 28 -- NA Collegiate Championship, RTTY                
     * February 28 - March 3 -- Classic Exchange, CW                       
     * February 28 -- High Speed Club CW Contest                           
     * February 28 - March 1 -- North Carolina QSO Party (CW, phone,       
       digital)                                                            
     * March 1 -- K1USN Slow Speed Test (CW, 20 WPM max)                   
     * March 1 -- OK1WC Memorial (MWC) (CW)                                
     * March 1 -- RSGB 80-Meter Club Championship (Digital)                
     * March 2 -- Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest                      
     * March 2 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW)                                  
     * March 2 -- RTTYOPS Weeksprint                                       
     * March 2 -- AGCW YL-CW Party                                         
     * March 3 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test (1300 - 1400 and 1900 - 2000 UTC)    
     * March 3 -- VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest                             
     * March 3 -- UKEICC 80-Meter Contest (Phone)                          
     * March 4 -- CWops Mini-CWT Test                                      
     * March 4 -- NRAU 10-Meter Activity Contest (CW, phone, digital)      
     * March 4 -- SKCC Sprint Europe (CW)                                  
     * March 6 - 7 -- ARRL International DX Contest, SSB                   
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
   Upcoming ARRL Section, State, and Division Conventions                  
                                                                           
   Many conventions and hamfests have been canceled or postponed due to    
   the coronavirus pandemic. Check the calendar of canceled events on the  
   ARRL website.                                                           
     * March 13 - 14 -- QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo                         
                                                                           
   Find conventions and hamfests in your area.                             
                                                                           
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                           
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