 November 2022
In this issue...
A Note from Bob
Over the years, my amateur radio activities have included working satellites, building repeaters, VHF contesting, chasing DX, operating from other countries, teaching license classes, and leading ham radio clubs. In recent years, I've focused on Summits On The Air (SOTA), mostly operating in the VHF and UHF bands. Living in Colorado, with its abundance of summits, certainly helps. I also do some Parks On The AIr (POTA) operating. POTA blends nicely with the RV camping my wife Joyce (K0JJW) and I do. I like to write and often contribute to QST, CQ, QRP Quarterly, and my own blog at k0nr.com. Professionally, I was an executive with a technology company. I’m now retired, but still consult on electronic measurements and wireless communications. Next grant deadline Feb. 1, 2023The last deadline for submitting a proposal in 2022 was October 1. We’re now busily reviewing these proposals. The next deadline for grant proposals is February 1, 2023, but you can submit your proposal at any time. For more information on how to apply for a grant, go to https://www.ampr.org/apply/. Curious About ARDC Finances?
Financially speaking, 2021 was a good year for ARDC – and our grantees. All told, we awarded more than $9 million in grants, more than triple the number in 2020. This increase was fueled by our need to catch up on our minimum required 5% distribution: we missed the 5% mark in 2020 and wanted to make sure we caught up in 2021. To make this happen, we hired additional staff, and the volunteer Grants Advisory Committee (GAC) members and Board members stepped up to review and approve many more grant proposals. Thanks to the stock market, we also saw an increase in our total available capital despite the increase in spending on both grants and operations. For a more detailed recap of our 2021 finances, visit our website. Ham Clubs Build Community
For more information on these two club projects, visit the ARDC website. ARDC Grant Helps Combat RFI in New EnglandSince January of 2022, the ARRL New England Division has been fighting radio frequency interference (RFI) in the seven ARRL sections that comprise the division. One of the first things they did was to set up a series of web pages that help hams troubleshoot the problem on their own. Should following the procedure on these web pages not eliminate the RFI, hams can call on a team of division volunteers to help them. To help the teams help hams, ARDC has awarded the division a $23,640 grant to purchase the equipment they need to troubleshoot and resolve difficult RFI problems. Each team will get an Icom IC-705 transceiver; directional antennas for HF, VHF, and UHF; and the Radar Engineers Model 243 Broadband RFI Locator (see below) for finding power-line noise sources. According to Rob Leiden, K1UI, Assistant Director for Spectrum Protection & Utilization for the New England Division, they have started purchasing the equipment, and once received, they will begin training the teams how to use it. For more information, visit the ARDC website.
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Hi from Monument, Colorado. I am Bob Witte K0NR, ARDC’s Grants Advisory Committee (GAC) chair. The GAC currently has 10 members that review the incoming grant requests and make funding recommendations to the ARDC Board. This work gives us an interesting perspective on what’s happening in amateur radio, digital communications, and technical education. If you'd like to be a part of this work, we are looking for a few new members. 
If you’re curious about ARDC finances, we invite you to peruse our 2021 audited 990-PF (tax return) and financial statements: 
One of the things that’s often overlooked by radio amateurs is the role that community plays. That’s certainly not the case for two ARDC grantees: the 
The 
The Radar Engineers Model 243 Broadband RFI Locator features a tunable receiver (0.5-1000 MHz) and a large LCD to view waveform signatures.