Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC)
February 2022

In this issue...

A Note from Rosy

Rosy Schechter KJ7RYV headshotIn 2022, we’re already breaking records. As of February 15th, we’ve received over 40 grant requests, totalling about $4 million - which is almost $4 million more than we had this time last year. It’s going to be a lot of work, but we’ve got a new process, a larger Grants Advisory Committee, and a brilliant Grants Advisory Committee Chair – Bob Witte, K0NR. All told, it’s exciting to see ARDC’s grants pipeline fill up with cool projects. We knew that our application process was going to get more competitive, but I honestly did not believe that it would happen so quickly. And yet - here we are! Good luck to everyone in this first round of applications. The next round is due on May 1. 

2021 Annual Report now available!

Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) 2021 Annual ReportWe’re excited to announce the publication of the ARDC 2021 Annual Report. Highlights include:

  • 5 new staff members.
  • A new values statement.
  • Grants amounting to more than $9 million USD, including:
    • $3.7 million for amateur radio infrastructure and development projects
    • $4.1 million for education projects, including 1.5 million for scholarships
    • $1.2 million for technical innovation projects
  • A report on our efforts to reach out and engage our communities.
  • A look ahead to 2022.

Download our annual report and contact us if you have any comments or questions.

New grant application review process for 2022

ARDC is receiving more grant applications than ever before! To accommodate the increase in requests, we’re updating our application and review process. You can still submit an application at any time, but we will now review them in batches four times a year. The deadlines for being included in one of these batches are:

  • Tuesday, February 15
  • Sunday, May 1
  • Friday, July 15
  • Saturday, October 1

Applications received after October 1, 2022 will be reviewed in early 2023. 

In addition, we have expanded the Grants Advisory Committee (GAC) and created two subcommittees. The first will be reviewing applications that are for the support and growth of amateur radio, while the second will be reviewing applications that are for education and research and development (formerly technical innovation) projects.

GAC members have been assigned to these subcommittees based on their interest and expertise. After each subcommittee has reviewed the applications assigned to them, the GAC will meet as a whole and select the top-ranked applications from each category to send to the board for final approval. 

If you have any questions, please contact us for more information.

Welcome new advisory committee members

ARDC is pleased to welcome new members to our 2022 Advisory Committees.

2022 Grants Advisory Committee (GAC)

  • Staff Lead: John Hays – K7VE
  • Chair: Bob Witte – K0NR
  • Dewayne Hendricks – WA8DZP
  • Douglas Kingston – KD7DK
  • Hank Magnuski – KA6M
  • Steve Stroh – N8GNJ
  • Brian Mileshosky – N5ZGT
  • Leandro Indrusiak – 2E1LSI
  • Randy Neals – W3RWN
  • Don Prosnitz – N6PRZ
  • Dave Pascoe – KM3T

2022 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC)

  • Staff Lead: Rosy Schechter – KJ7RYV
  • Chair: Pierre Martel – VE2PF
  • Tim Požár – KC6GNJ
  • Adam Lewis – KC7GDY
  • Zachary Seguin – VA3ZTS
  • Rob Janssen – PE1CHL
  • Paul (Chip) Eckardt – W9OQI

Jann Traschewski – DG8NGN - will now be supporting us as a Community Ambassador, with an eye on potential international projects. Many thanks to this new round of volunteers, and to those returning, for stepping up to the plate.

Community Meeting looks back at 2021, ahead to 2022

Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) at the January 29, 2022 community meeting

On Saturday, January 29, 2022, ARDC held its first community meeting of the year. In the meeting, we:

  • Recapped some of the highlights of 2021, including reports on staff additions, grants awarded, and our communication efforts. 
  • Discussed the changes to the Grants Advisory Committee (GAC) and Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). 
  • Looked forward to 2022, including the publication of our new values statement, changes to our grantmaking process (see above), and our in-progress schedule of events for 2022. 

The meeting concluded with a spirited Q&A session. For a more detailed report on the community meeting, visit our website. A recording of the meeting is available on our Vimeo channel.

ARDC gets a warm reception at HamCation

Adam Lewis, KC7GDY, Dan Romanchik, KB6NU, and John Hays, K7VE, at the Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) booth at HamCation

The Orlando HamCation gives those of us who live in colder climates the opportunity to thaw out a little, meet old ham radio friends and make new ones, and keep up with what’s going on in amateur radio. On all counts, this year’s event did not disappoint in any way. The weather was near perfect; many old and new friends stopped by our booth or attended the talk by John, K7VE. We even managed to learn a thing or two. For example, we learned that the ARRL has a revamped Learning Center, with online courses on a variety of topics. 

To everyone we got to see at the event, it was great meeting you all and discussing your ideas for amateur radio projects. We hope that you’ll keep in touch and let us know how we might be able to help.

Shown in photo, the ARDC team at HamCation included from L to R: Adam Lewis, KC7GDY; Dan Romanchik, KB6NU; John Hays, K7VE.

Visit us at QSO Today Virtual Expo, and Hamvention

The next event that ARDC will be attending is the QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo, March 12-13, 2022. John Hays, K7VE, or Dan Romanchik, KB6NU, will be at the virtual booth on Saturday, March 12th, 2022, from 1600 UTC - 0100 UTC, and on Sunday, March 13th, 2022, from 1600 UTC - 2100 UTC.

The one we’re all looking forward to is the Dayton Hamvention, in Xenia, OH, May 20-22, 2022. We’ll be at booth 1302 in the Maxim Building, Building 1. If you’ve ever been to Hamvention, you know what a crazy time it can be. To make sure that you get to talk to one of us while we are there, please contact us at comms@ardc.net so we can set up an appointment.

Contact us!

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Our Mission

The mission of Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) is to support, promote, and enhance digital communication and broader communication science and technology, to promote amateur radio, scientific research, experimentation, education, development, open access, and innovation in information and communication technology.

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