• ARRL Field Day is June 24 and 25
• W9BNL's First Field Day
• Cal Poly Amateur Radio Club Achieves 2,000th License Milestone
• Hams Brave Weather at Kutztown Fools Run
• VOTA Update
• Submitting Info for this Newsletter
• How to Plan and Apply for an ARRL Hamfest or Convention
• Important Links

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. And 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.

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.

If you're interested in participating in Field Day this year, the ARRL 2023 Field Day Overview is a great place to start and has information on every aspect of getting ready. 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 live stream on YouTube and other social media platforms during Field Day. We will be posting images and photos with the hashtag #ARRLFD. Remember to post content using 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.

On Friday, May 5, 2023, the Bedford North Lawrence High School Amateur Radio Club, W9BNL, conducted their first full-on, public Field Day operation and rocketry exhibition as part of the 19th Annual NLCC Transportation and Car Show by Taking the BNL Stars to the Stars. With the help of some great mentors -- Mike, W9MDT; Pete, KA1GHF; brand-new ham Bryce, KD9YEY, and Club Sponsor Joe, KC9NVY -- our seven student participants set up four rigs and seven rockets for chats with approximately 1,500 visitors in grades 4 and 9 through 12.

On 2 meters, we used a 15-foot PVC mast to rig a homebuilt coat-hanger antenna (soldered by Club President Koen) onto the VX-6R handheld transceiver, and a Comet GP-3 antenna to the FTM-300D. For HF operations, we rigged a vertical Super Antenna to the FT-897. We also stretched a pair of east- and west-oriented slopers from the 50-foot marching band reviewing stand, rigged an off-center-fed dipole to an IC-705, and rigged the club's EmComm III EFHW through our FT-891/FC-50 tuner. By the way, W9BNL's radio gear was largely purchased from the courtesy of ARRL's ETP School Station Grant and the Lawrence County Community Foundation (LCCF) Classroom Grants. Thank you ARRL, LCCF, and mentors! With your help, we were big-time "ham-ateur" operators.

During this 6-hour event, many students and faculty were introduced to amateur radio by either listening to airband/HF/SWL operations, discussing facets of radio in mini-lessons, or just chatting about the hobby. During the event, we made contacts in Florida and Indiana on 20- and 40-meter SSB and 2-meter C4FM. Certainly a "ham-tastic" event! As a group, we copied many other stations on longwaves that afternoon, including one speaking Russian. Maya did some SWL operating and made her first C4FM contacts on 2 meters here in Indiana with KA1GHF's support. QSL cards have been sent! Chase, a W9BNL student, made our club's first DX contact with Steve, K9DY, a part-time Hoosier in southwest Florida. K9DY was hanging out at a Parks on the Air wire in Collier-Seminole State Park in southwest Florida. He was glad to make a contact with Chase at 17:32Z. Good job on your first contact, Chase!

These excited student radio operators have been invited to take part in our local Field Day event with the Hoosier Hills Ham Club, and in the intensely competitive GOTA operation with Indy United Amateur Radio Club, W9SU, for ARRL Field Day 2023. In the year ahead, we look forward to Youth on the Air operations across the nation and the globe.

By Joe Ladwig, KC9NVY

In a computer science classroom on the California Polytechnic State University campus in San Luis Obispo, iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens, KO6ABA, became the 2,000th licensee of the Cal Poly Amateur Radio Club (CPARC), W6BHZ, on May 23, 2023. CPARC provides a straightforward way for students and community members to take their FCC amateur radio license exam, thereby giving access to the amateur radio frequencies. This milestone reflects the club's commitment to introducing people to the hobby since the licensing team's formation in 2009.

Kyle, a Cal Poly alumnus, was joined by various members of the iFixit staff for the exam. The collaboration originated from a community repair cafe hosted at iFixit HQ a few weeks prior. After learning of the approaching landmark, Kyle expressed immediate interest in being the 2,000th licensee.

CPARC officers Mathew Shaham, KM6WIU, and Hunter Herring-Alderate, KN6RJA, provided a lightning review session for the members of the iFixit team before the exam. In short form, this mimicked the comprehensive Ham-Cram review session offered by CPARC at the start of the fall quarter. The crash course speeds applicants through the question pool, offering connections and explanations for the material.

As the culminating session of the year, the push to reach 2,000 licensees was at a peak. Abbi Outcalt, KN6SOT, Lab Manager for the Cal Poly CubeSat Laboratory, played an instrumental role in recruitment. CubeSat uses the amateur radio band to communicate with satellites developed by the group on campus. In conjunction with an expansion to the ground station team, CubeSat members expanded the test manifest to 28 prospective applications.

The session marked the largest group of the year and was proctored by seven of CPARC's Volunteer Examiners. Volunteer Examiners are certified radio operators who volunteer their time to help license others into the hobby. Alumnus Marcel Stieber, AI6MS, served as session liaison, working closely with student lead Andrew Fahey, KN6FIJ, to coordinate the exam.

CPARC's licensing powerhouse exploded with Dr. Dennis Derickson's, AC0P, Freshman Licensing Initiative that was started in 2011. Up until 2022, when the FCC began issuing a fee for new licenses, the initiative provided class credit in the introductory course, Electrical Engineering E-111, for obtaining an amateur radio license. The effort gave new electrical engineering students a preview of topics covered in further classes. It also afforded students a practical outlet for skills, participating in things from radio contesting to volunteer communications support for events. At the peak of the initiative, CPARC licensed more than 100 operators in one 50-minute class period.

The licensing team traces origins back to Marcel; John Chen, KI6QDF, and Garrett Dong, KI6YML, in 2009. Noticing the difficulty at the time to get licensed as a student, they reached out to community members John Portune, W6NBC, and Milton Davis, AI6MD. Since that point, CPARC has provided over 55 exam sessions to the campus and San Luis Obispo communities.

"It's a big milestone," Marcel said. "Most exam teams do not make it to license number 2,000. I am proud to support the students running these exam sessions." As the last papers were graded, the scores came in: most students passed, in addition to every member of the iFixit crew.

About CPARC

Founded in 1947, the Cal Poly Amateur Radio Club has a long tradition of communications service on campus and in the San Luis Obispo community. The club maintains Emergency Communications Center No. 16 on the Cal Poly Campus for the San Luis Obispo Emergency Communications Council (SLOECC.org), which is equipped with emergency power and radio equipment to support various public safety agencies in the event of a disaster. More information about the club can be found at www.w6bhz.org.

For more information, contact calpolyradioclub@gmail.com.

By Michael Mazzola, KN6RJK

A group of more than six Reading Radio Club (RRC) members from Berks County, Pennsylvania, endured soggy, rainy conditions on Saturday, April 1, 2023, to set up and operate a 2-meter simplex communications network to keep an eye on the more than 450 people who took part in the 32nd annual Kutztown Fools Run.

Crew 59 coordinated the amateur radio participation in the event. The primary mission of the radio operators, positioned at key spots along the 10-mile course, was to report the progress of the leading runners to net control, which was then passed to race organizers - the Optimist Club of Kutztown.

The operators were also prepared to render aid to any runners in need of assistance in the event of injuries. Operators could summon an ambulance that was on standby to their locations at the start/finish line located at College Boulevard.

The main event kicked off at 9:00 AM and was followed by a 5K run and a 2-mile walking event. The final runners in the big race crossed the finish line after 11:00 AM.

RRC operators who responded to the call were Ron, K3RJW; Stan, K3STP; Craig, K3CRG; Jason, K3WDF; Chris, K3ADA; Paul, AE3U, and Mark, NT3V, who operated as net control. Also assisting were NT3V's son, Jon, KC3KUZ; Nick, KC3SGN, from the Education Alliance for Amateur Radio, and Crew 59 members Tom Wolfinger and Scott and Wendy Beck.

All operators and their spotters received a 2023 commemorative green T-shirt in appreciation for their help.

Proceeds from the Kutztown Fools Run fund scholarships to Kutztown University of Pennsylvania for high school seniors from Kutztown, Fleetwood, Brandywine Heights, and Hamburg.

By Mark Abramowicz, NT3V

The yearlong operating event recognizing volunteers continues to attract attention both online and on the bands. With favorable conditions and near-record turnouts for operating events, many hams are getting the chance to contact ARRL volunteers. We encourage you to take a look at the VOTA website for the latest schedule and list of volunteer points. More information is being added as we go. W1AW/ stations are being activated each month, and this is your chance to contact as many as possible.

Field Day is here, and it's a great time to get on the air and contact many of the stations that are worth VOTA points. If you have not already done so, check out the website and get on the air. A special thanks to the volunteers who have built applications for the events.

ARRL Club News is for radio clubs to show how they are working in the community and the hobby to advance amateur radio. If your club completes a project, supports an event, does an EmComm activation, or activates a park, we want to hear about it. You can submit your newsletter article to us at clubs@arrl.org. We like to get them as text or Word files instead of PDFs. If you have pictures, please submit them with caption information, as well as the name and call sign of the photographer. We want to highlight the good work being done by the clubs and show others in the community. Think of this as a chance to show off your club and your programs.

If your amateur radio club is planning to host a convention, hamfest, tailgate, or swapfest, please consider applying for it to be an ARRL-sanctioned event. To learn what it means to be an ARRL-sanctioned event, and to get some ideas on how to prepare for and conduct a hamfest or convention, visit www.arrl.org/arrl-sanctioned-events.

To have your event sanctioned, complete the online application at www.arrl.org/hamfest-convention-application.

The ARRL Hamfests and Conventions Calendar can be found online at www.arrl.org/hamfests. In addition, the Convention and Hamfest Calendar that runs in QST each month also presents information about upcoming events.

ARRL Home: www.arrl.org

Find an ARRL Affiliated Club: www.arrl.org/clubs

Find your ARRL Section: www.arrl.org/sections

Find a license class in your area: www.arrl.org/class

Find a license exam in your area: www.arrl.org/exam

Find a hamfest or convention: www.arrl.org/hamfests

Email ARRL Clubs: clubs@arrl.org