Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC)
July 2022

In this issue...

Merideth Stroh KK7BKI headshotA Note from Merideth

Hello friends! I’m Merideth Stroh, KK7BKI, ARDC’s Operations Manager. 

As the Operations Manager, I think about how to help ARDC function as a well-oiled machine. I’ve been with ARDC for just shy of a year and the transformation I have witnessed is incredible. We have really been able to dial-in our workflows which lets us focus more on creativity and strategy. My personal goal is to empower both my colleagues and our community to be able to put their big ideas into action. This is an exciting time as ARDC evolves alongside amateur radio, preparing the way as best we can for the current and future generations. I am grateful for the supportive environment that everyone associated with ARDC has built together.


Director of Technology Interviews Underway

We received more than 100 responses to our job posting for a Director of Technology. Thanks! We’re happy that so many of you took the time to apply. We are now actively interviewing candidates and hope to have the new Director of Technology on board soon.


Next Grant Application Deadline October 1

The next deadline for submitting a grant application in 2022 is Sunday, October 1. After that date, you will be able to submit applications, but they won’t be reviewed until early 2023. Get your application in here: https://grants.ardc.net/


New Grants Management System

The next time you submit an application, you’ll be using our new grants management system The new system has a much better user interface than our old system. It will also make it easier for us to review applications, send messages to grantees when an application has been awarded or rejected, and track our awards. The new system, called Hypha, is more customizable too, and we plan to add features that will help us manage active grants as well as grant applications. Check it out here:

https://grants.ardc.net/

If you have submitted an application using the old system after July 15, 2022, or have an incomplete application, you’ll need to enter your information in the new system. The questions are all the same, so it should be a fairly easy process.

For more information about the new grants management system, go to https://www.ampr.org/new-grants-management-system-to-make-applying-for-and-tracking-grants-easier/.


July Community Meeting Covered Wide Variety of Topics

On July 16, 2022, ARDC held its second community meeting of the year. As usual a wide variety of topics were discussed, including:

  • Staffing update. ARDC has started contracting with Tim Požár, KC6GNJ, as a technology management consultant, and we are now in the interviewing stage for the Director of Technology position.

  • Grants update. Chelsea, KF0FVJ, updated the group on our new grants process and first-half grants. Some of the more notable grants included an $1,800 grant to the Sangamon Valley Radio Club to start an amateur radio direction finding (ARDF) program in Illinois, a $300,00 grant to the National Radio Observatory to develop and pilot a program to educate emerging generations about the electromagnetic spectrum, particularly BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ students, and a $250,000 grant to the Central Michigan Emergency Network to update and expand their network across the State of Michigan.

  • Hamfests and more hamfests. John, K7VE, reported that in the first half of the year, ARDC attended Hamcation (January 2022), the Dayton Hamvention (May 2022), and HAM Radio Friedrichshafen (June 2022). We’re going to be even busier in the second half of 2022. See below for details.

  • 44Net update. The remainder of the meeting was given over to  a discussion of 44Net, including the portal upgrade and the 44Net assessment. 

For a full recap of the meeting, including a video recording, go to https://www.ampr.org/july-2022-community-meeting-recap/.


Come see us at DEFCON, Huntsville Hamfest, ARRL/TAPR DCC, HamXposition, GNU Radio Conference

It looks like a busy summer and fall for ARDC staff. Look for us at the following hamfests and conferences:

  • DEF CON 30DEFCON 30, Las Vegas, NV, August 11-14, 2022. Dan Romanchik, KB6NU will be attending this event. We don’t have a booth, but Dan will be teaching a one-day Tech class in the Ham Radio Village. 

  • Huntsville Hamfest, Huntsville, AL, August 20-21, 2022. Look for John Hays, K7VE, and Bob McGwier, N4HY, in Huntsville.

  • HamXposition 2022, Marlboro, MA, August 26-28, 2022. Dan Romanchik, KB6NU, will attend this Boston-area hamfest, teaching a one-day Tech class on Saturday, August 27, as well.

  • ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference (DCC), Charlotte, North Carolina, September 16-18, 2022
. John Hays, K7VE, will be attending this event.

  • GNU Radio Conference (GRCon22), Washington, DC, September 26-30, 2022. We won’t have a table at GRCon, but Dan Romanchik, KB6NU, will be attending GRCon and conducting a study session for those who will be taking the Technician Class license test there. The date and time of the study session is tbd. If you’d like to talk to Dan while he’s there, email contact@ardc.net, and we’ll set something up.


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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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