It was a successful 2024 ARRL Field Day, despite severe weather and extreme temperatures impacting much of the country. Social media has hundreds of photos and stories from the United States. By Wednesday morning, nearly 2200 log entries had been received, with more arriving hourly. Just a reminder, the deadline for entries is July 23, 2024. Check out the ARRL Field Day website for the latest updates and information.
ARRL member-volunteers on the Board of Directors, along with Section Managers and other Field Organization staff fanned out to visit as many of the sites as possible in their areas. We’ve collected some of their photos and reports from the road on 2024 ARRL Field Day.
Kenzie Denton, KO4GLN, is the Assistant Section Manager for Youth in the ARRL Virginia Section, and she is the 2023 winner of the Roanoke Division Service Award, the Division's highest honor. A junior at Old Dominion University (ODU) majoring in pre-med, she is president of the ODU Amateur Radio Club, and undertakes many youth outreach initiatives. Her latest was a fox hunt aimed at encouraging girls to participate by using the legacy of Amelia Earhart as inspiration. The Williamsburg Area Amateur Radio Club (WAARC) is known for having a high percentage of active YL members.
Denton and her mother, Nicole, handmade 62 pennants to memorialize Silent Key members of the Williamsburg Area Amateur Radio Club (WAARC). The pennants were strung on two lines which hung adjacent to the park shelter where the club was operating category 3A. It took about 30 minutes to make each pennant, and the collection will remain a fixture for future club events.
Kenzie Denton, KO4GLN. [Photo courtesy of Bill Morine, N2COP, and Jim Boehner, N2ZZ]
At the Albemarle Amateur Radio Club (AARC) in Earlysville, Virginia, several youth built 2-meter fox hunt antennas using tape measures at the Field Day location. Pictured are (left to right) Deanna Soika, KQ4BCP; Zeph Soika, KQ4BIM; Noelle Soika and on the far right, their father, Len Soika, KQ4BBR. [Photo courtesy of Bill Morine, N2COP, and Jim Boehner, N2ZZ]
(Left to right) International Amateur Radio Union Secretary Joel Harrison, W5ZN, and ARRL Delta Division Director David Norris, K5UZ, operating Field Day with the North Central Arkansas Amateur Radio Service, Searcy, Arkansas - CW station 2F AR. [Photo credit to David Norris, K5UZ]
Steve Cranny, KN6ZJJ, president of the Stockton-Delta Amateur Radio Club in California, reports this is a pretty good picture of Charlie Johnson, WB6NVB, previous club president (left) and Matthew Cranny, KO6DHJ, on 40-meter phone. It shows exactly what Field Day is all about, more experienced ham operators giving new hams a chance to experience broader communication skills. [Photo courtesy of Steve Cranny, KN6ZJJ]
Andrew Adrian, W9AMA, from Ohio’s Clinton County Amateur Radio Association (CCARA), operating at 1:00 AM with an empty plate of steak and eggs. [Photo courtesy of Roy Hook, W8REH]
(Left to right) Todd Stambaugh, W8TBS, with Jennifer Bailey, N8JEN, and Mike Bailey, N8MRB, [Photo courtesy of Roy Hook, W8REH].
ARRL Treasurer John Sager, WJ7S, joined the Utah Valley Amateur Radio Club (UVARC) at their Field Day operation in Trout Creek, Utah. “I joined what was supposed to be a three-man team of CW operators, John Mitton, KK7L, Ralph Nunn, K7RLN, and me ... as a 3A station operating under the UVARC callsign of K7UVA,” said Sager. “We were joined by Forrest Stephenson, KI7QCF, a fairly new CW operator and POTA activator, who wanted to see our CW effort in action. We ended up making about 500 CW 3A QSOs during Field Day for the K7UVA effort.
Trout Creek, Utah, about 90 miles east of Salt Lake City at Strawberry Reservoir. John Sager, WJ7S, is the “small” operator next to the RV. [Photo courtesy of John Mitton, KK7L].
Ed Wilson, N2XDD, Vice Director of the Hudson Division, drove a total of 947 miles to visit 18 different Field Day sites within the Division. He started on Saturday morning visiting the Warren County (NY) Amateur Radio Club. After a last-minute cancellation of their original site, they quickly scrambled and secured a new location in Lake George, New York. “It was great visiting all the clubs and speaking about my passion for bringing more clubs together on joint efforts, as well as my strong beliefs on increasing education outreach within the hobby,” said Wilson. “Along the way I got to meet various club officials and members, listening to their concerns and sharing my visions for the future. I was also able to meet 10-year-old Michael Jones and his 12-year-old brother, Zaydin Jones, grandchildren of April MacMurray, WU2BBY, at the Schenectady Curling Club joint site. On Long Island, at the Long Island Mobile Amateur Radio Club (LIMARC) site, met two more kids, Aiden Reiter, KE2BXH, and Caleb Sullivan, who were busy making contacts when I arrived.”
Future amateur radio operators 10-year-old Michael Jones and his 12-year-old brother Zaydin (yellow shirt), grandchildren of April MacMurray, WU2BBY. [Photo courtesy of Ed Wilson, N2XDD]
Aiden Reiter, KE2BXH, and Caleb Sullivan (back to the camera) busy making contacts. [Photo courtesy of Ed Wilson, N2XDD]
ARRL and Momobeam Introduce Dual-band Beam Antenna for 6- and 10-Meters
As Solar Cycle 25 continues to increase HF radio propagation on the upper bands, ARRL has partnered with the Italian antenna manufacturer Momobeam to design a dualband beam antenna to help take full advantage of the exciting opportunities for distant contacts. The ARRL Dual-band Momobeam 6/10 Antenna is an easy-to-use antenna with a small footprint and a big reach. The beam features a 10 meter Moxon (28 MHz) and 6 meter Yagi (50 MHz).
At just over 10 pounds and with a turning radius of approximately 6.5 feet, the design is compact enough to fit places that otherwise wouldn’t have space for a beam antenna. It comes with two sets of hardware for both permanent installation and portable use for temporary deployments such as 2024 ARRL Field Day or park activations.
The ARRL Dual-band Momobeam 6/10 Antenna is ideal for Technician-class operators to be able to work DX. “This is a great ‘first’ beam antenna for every ham,” said ARRL Director of Marketing and Innovation Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R. “If you’ve ever been intimidated by the prospect of owning a beam antenna, this one will allay your fears and give you a whole lot of fun. Radio clubs will want to add this beam to their deployment gear, as it’s a great fit for field operating and special event stations. College radio clubs that don’t have room for a large beam, or another beam, will enjoy adding this antenna for some gain on 6- and 10-meters. It is lightweight and can be turned with a simple TV rotator.”
The 10-meter Moxon is an effective design for this dual-band antenna, as it’s around 30% smaller than a traditional Yagi and uses no traps or other shortening techniques that reduce performance. A Moxon antenna includes a number of antenna configurations that were referred to by Les Moxon, G6XN (SK), and have received attention over the years in QST and editions of The ARRL Antenna Book.
The feed system uses an open sleeve feed method, coupling the driven element of the 50 MHz section by proximity and length to the 10-meter driven element with minimal loss. “Just attach a single coaxial cable to included SO-239 equipped coaxial pigtail, and you’re ready to go on two bands!” said Inderbitzen.
The antenna debuted at the 2024 ARRL National Convention hosted at Dayton Hamvention® in May. The first run sold out at the show, but ARRL has taken delivery of more units, available now.
“It’s surprising how few amateurs have experience with antennas beyond basic wire designs,” said Inderbitzen. “Our interest in introducing this antenna is to increase the depth and breadth of knowledge and experience among our members.” Inderbitzen added that members should watch for more content, including video tutorials, coming from ARRL about the antenna. More information about the antenna can be found at www.arrl.org/beam where future content will also be published.
While this antenna was produced exclusively for ARRL, Momobeam offers many of its popular antenna designs in the US through its partnership with Ham Radio Outlet.
The ARRL Dual-band Momobeam 6/10 Antenna is available from the ARRL Store at www.arrl.org/shop (ARRL Item No. 0084, $299.95 retail plus shipping, handling, and sales tax where applicable. Available to ship in the US, only. Call 860-594-0355 or, toll-free in the US, 888-277-5289).
ARRL Club Grant Program — Application Deadline Approaching
Now is the time to gather your club members and start thinking about how you can make your community a better place through amateur radio — and we have funding available to help!
The ARRL Foundation is pleased to announce the return of the Club Grant Program for 2024. This is an opportunity for clubs to apply for grants up to $25,000 to fund projects in their community, with an emphasis given to projects that are of a “transformational” nature. Consider applying TODAY to support a project or activity from which your club and community would benefit.
Can your club create a plan to improve the community through education and training in, recruiting for, and promotion of amateur radio? This is for you! The application period is NOW OPEN and runs through Friday July 26, 2024 at 4:00PM Eastern Time. Clubs across the country are encouraged to apply, even if your club is not an ARRL Affiliated Club or not a 501(c)(3) organization—all are welcome to apply.
Grant recipients will be required to share progress reports and updates with ARRL. Information about the Club Grant Program can be found at:
ARRL Radiosport and Regulatory Information Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, and ARRL Contest Program Manager Paul Bourque, N1SFE, joined the June episode of the podcast to spread the excitement about ARRL Field Day, which was held on June 22 - 23.
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 and ARRL Audio News are available on blubrry, iTunes, and Apple Podcasts.
Get ready for the 25th anniversary of Route 66 On the Air. The 2024 event will start Saturday, September 7 and run until Sunday, September 15. The event, sponsored by the Citrus Belt Amateur Radio Club, celebrates the “Mother Road,” U.S. Highway 66, which was established in 1926 and was the first major roadway improvement to link the West Coast with the nation’s heartland. Joining the celebration for the 18th year will be the Barstow Amateur Radio Club with special event station W6E. There will be 21 (1x1) special event stations along the route from Santa Monica, California, to Chicago, Illinois. In 2023, there were 77 such stations, making a total of 623 contacts during the 9-day event. Email route66ota@yahoo.com with questions or for additional information.
Announcements
ARRL Headquarters will be closed on Thursday, July 4, 2024, for Independence Day. There won't be any W1AW code practice or bulletins that day. Next week ‘s ARRL Letter will be published July 3, with ARRL Audio News on Friday, July 5.
HamCon: Zion 2024 is a new amateur radio convention and expo event that takes place July 12 – 13 in St. George, Utah. Presented by the Dixie Amateur Radio Club, an ARRL Affiliated club, the event will feature the 2024 ARRL Rocky Mountain Division Convention, the 2024 Young Ladies Radio League (YLRL) 85th Convention celebration, and the RV Radio Network's 2024 Western Rally. Included will be presentations, workshops, and Gordon West, WB6NOA, author of popular books, classes, audio courses that have been a mainstay of amateur radio licensing for over 40 years. ARRL is the new publisher of the Amateur Radio License Preparation books and related resources authored by West. For more information visit HamCon: Zion 2024 or their website on Facebook.
The K7RA Solar Update
This image was taken on June 27, 2024. [Photo courtesy of NASA SDO/HMI]
For Friday's ARLP026 bulletin:
Nine new sunspot groups emerged over this reporting week, June 20 - 26.
Two appeared on June 21, four on June 23, two more on June 25 and one on June 26.
Average daily sunspot number declined from 149.6 to 141.6, but average daily solar flux increased from 178 to 195.1.
Average planetary A index declined from 10.3 to 7,
Predicted solar flux over the next few weeks is 180 on June 27 through July 3, 185 and 190 on July 4 - 5, 180 on July 6 - 7, then 165, 165 and 180 on July 8 - 10, 170 on July 11 - 13, then 180, 190 and 195 on July 14 - 16, and 200 on July 17 - 18.
Predicted planetary A index is 5, 12 and 15 on June 27 - 29, 5 on June 30 through July 13, then 10, 10 and 8 on July 14 - 16, and 5 on July 17 - 19.
Sunspot numbers for June 20 through 26 2024 were 138, 133, 139, 176, 141, 129, and 135, with a mean of 149.6. The 10.7 -centimeter flux was 203.3, 196.9, 195.7, 195.8, 198.7, 193.7, and 181.4, with a mean of 178. Estimated planetary A indices were 7, 5, 4, 10, 5, 9, and 9, with a mean of 10.3. Middle latitude A index was 8, 4, 6, 12, 7, 9, and 8, with a mean of 10.1.
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.
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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