Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC)
January 2023

In this issue...


A Note from Jon

Jon Kemper KA6NVY headshotHappy New Year, everyone. 2023 is off to a great start for ARDC. We are pleased to announce the expansion of our Technical advisory Committee (TAC) to include five new volunteer members, bringing the 2023 total membership to 10 volunteers.

The TAC and its subcommittees focus on advancing 44Net technologies and policies. Building upon the work accomplished in 2022, we have an ambitious set of goals for 2023, including:

  • Review and catalog dominant 44Net use cases
  • Create a uniform policy for 44Net coordination
  • Substantive updates to the Wiki knowledge base
  • Development of a new 44Net Portal

I appreciate the support of our Executive Director Rosy, the staff, board, consultants, and our many community volunteers who make it all possible. Thank you, and I hope to see everyone at our upcoming January community meeting (see details below).


Grant Review Dates for 2023

While grant proposals can be submitted at any time during the year, we review them in four separate cycles. In 2023, these cycles begin on:

  • February 1
  • April 1
  • July 1
  • October 1

October 1 is also the deadline for scholarship program grant applications. After this date, we will review all of the scholarship program applications we have received throughout the year as a group.

It takes approximately four to six weeks after this date to review all of the proposals.

If last year was any indication, this year is going to be even more competitive. To make your grant proposal the best it can be, be sure to review our grantmaking categories and goals and instructions for submitting a grant application.


GAC, TAC Welcome New Members

Some of the most important people in the ARDC organization are the volunteers serving on the Grants Advisory Committee (GAC) and Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). Their terms start in January and run through December. Advisory committee members may serve up to three terms, meaning that every year we say goodbye to some volunteers and welcome new ones. 

This year we have seven new people joining the GAC and five joining the TAC. For more information on who’s leaving and who’s joining, see our latest blog post.


Next Community Meeting Saturday, January 21

Illustration of a group of people holding hands in a circleThe next Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) Community Meeting will take place on Saturday, January 21, 2023, at 1800 UTC. Topics to be discussed include:

  • A review of ARDC’s 2022 grants,
  • Introduction of the new Grants Advisory Committee and Technical Advisory Committee members, and
  • A report on the recently-concluded 44Net Assessment.

The meeting will take place on Zoom. To register for the meeting, go to https://www.ampr.org/community-meeting-registration/. The Zoom information will be emailed to everyone who has registered a day or two before the event.


Come See Us at HamCation, HamSCI, QSO Today Virtual Expo

ARDC will be on the road again in 2023. On our schedule are the following hamfests and conferences:

  • Orlando HamCationHamCation 2023, February 10 - 13, 2023, Orlando, FL. Executive Director Rosy Schechter, KJ7RYV; Technical Director Jon Kemper, KA6NVY; and Outreach Manager John Hays, K7VE will be attending. We’ll be in booth #186, and all three will be talking about ARDC on Friday at 3 pm.
  • HamSCI Workshop 2023, March 17 - 18, 2023, Scranton, PA. John Hays, K7VE, and Dan Romanchik, KB6NU, will be attending this event.
  • QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo, March 25 - 26, 2023. ARDC will once again have a presence at this event. We won’t be speaking at this event, but you can visit our booth in the exhibit hall for more information about ARDC.

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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