ARDC is Busy With Major Grants

Amateur Radio Digital Communications, or ARDC, administers the AMPRNet (44) internet domain and recently came into lots of money as a result of selling off a portion of that domain that it determined it was unlikely ever to be used by hams. In 2019, it began making grants for various projects and programs involving amateur radio and/or digital communications. It recently made its largest grant ever as well as its first international grant.

The organization donated $1.6 million in May to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to help save its iconic radome and large dish antenna it protects from removal as part of roof renovations on the building where it sits. The dish is used by the MIT Radio Society, W1MX, for moonbounce and other microwave communications, as well as radioastronomy. Plans are being developed for additional uses by the university and the club.

A separate ARDC grant to the Deutscher Amateur Radio Club (DARC, Germany's national ham radio organization), will help in "boosting and securing European HAMNET expansion by providing sponsored hardware for radio links to make use of the AMPRNet IP space in Europe," according to ARDC. It is the group's first grant to an organization outside the United States. HAMNET is a high-speed digital network using amateur radio microwave bands.

Recognition for Slow Speed CW Net

The K1USN Radio Club in Massachusetts has won the 2021 CWOps Award for Advancing the Art of CW, in recognition of its weekly SST, or Slow Speed [con]Test, net. The Morse code promotion group said the net "provides a place for new and unpracticed CW operators to gather and operate at relaxed speeds in a friendly and encouraging manner that helps them continue to improve their CW skills."

K1USN is a club made up of civilian, former and current military radio hobbyists. Information on its SST net may be found at <www.k1usn.com/sst.html>.

CWOps is an organization made up of hams who can send and receive Morse code at speeds of at least 25 words per minute. It sponsors the CW Academy, scholarships, the above award and many on-air activities. For more information, visit <https://cwops.org/>.

ARRL Staff Changes

Several staff changes have been announced by the ARRL as a result of the recent retirements of long-time staffers and an ongoing reorganization of the Field Services Department, which administers the League's volunteer organization along with elected Section Managers.

Regulatory Information Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, retired in early June after nearly 23 years on the ARRL staff. He is being replaced by Field Services Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, who is retaining responsibility for contest management. The new Field Services Manager is Mike Walters, W8ZY, who comes to the position from the volunteer post of Connecticut Section Emergency Coordinator.

Finally, Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, has retired from his job as ARRL Operations Manager and has been replaced by well-known contester (and former CQ World Wide DX Contest co-director) Bob Naumann, W5OV. Naumann most recently worked in sales for DX Engineering.

 On the topic of retirements, former ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, has announced his retirement as of December from another longtime post, as General Counsel for the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE). Imlay has worked with that organization since 1980, according to RadioWorld, which says his roster of other clients has included JVC Kenwood, NASCAR, the National Football League and Goodyear. Imlay served as Counsel and General Counsel for the ARRL from 1982 to 2018. He was recently inducted into the CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame (see announcement below and article in July issue).

Milestones: W1OUN, YV5AM, SKs

Gordon Pettengill, W1OUN, a physicist, radio-astronomer and former director of the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, became a Silent Key in May at age 95. According to the ARRL Letter, Pettengill joined the staff at Arecibo when the facility opened in 1963 and became director in 1968. He was the principal investigator on two missions to Venus and helped make the Arecibo dish available to hams for moonbounce work.

Former IARU (International Amateur Radio Union) Region 2 President Reinaldo Leandro, YV5AM, also passed away in May. He was 79. A Venezuelan lawyer and diplomat, Leandro was posted to a variety of countries around the world during his 36-year career. He held various posts in the IARU Region 2 organization (representing the Americas) and served as its president from 2007-2019. According to the Region 2 website, he also was part of the IARU delegation to World Radiocommunication Conferences (WRCs) in 2008 and 2011.

K7UGA Featured in YouTube Documentary

The late Senator Barry Goldwater,
K7UGA (CQ file photo)

The Arizona Historical Society recently streamed a documentary, "The Senator Was a Ham: Barry Goldwater and Amateur Radio," in a Zoom presentation that remains available on YouTube. According to Air Force MARS, the film focuses on the thousands of phone patches made via K7UGA during the Vietnam War. Goldwater had a network of volunteer operators staffing his station when he wasn't there to operate in person. "The senator from amateur radio" represented Arizona in the U.S. Senate from 1953-64 and again from 1969-87. He was the Republican Party nominee for president in 1964. The program may be viewed at <https://youtu.be/tufY6s8KJBc>.

Equipment Delays and Shortages Persist

Hams ordering new gear may be facing delays and backorders due to continuing problems with the global supply chain network for just about everything as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. As of press time, DX Engineering was advising customers on its website that "(m)any suppliers are behind schedule, (and) you may experience delays in shipping or product availability … We are working hard to ensure the fastest delivery possible, but your order may take longer to arrive due to circumstances beyond our control. We appreciate your patience and understanding." 

And it isn't just one dealer. Ham Radio Outlet's web page advises that "(d)ue to unprecedented shipping volumes, UPS, USPS and FedEx are experiencing delivery delays." Patience is the watchword as you wait for your new gear to be delivered.