Amateur radio operators are known for their desire and unique ability to provide public service through communications. Whether activated for a severe weather event or a local event such as a marathon or bike ride, the utility value and versatility of the Amateur Radio Service is enjoyed by communities around the country. One critical aspect of coordinating the communications is the role of net...

Spaceweather.com reports that sunspot 3981 has produced more than 20
M-class solar flares, including two that almost reached category X.

The activity is likely to continue today. The sunspot retains a
delta-class magnetic field that harbors energy for frequent
explosions.

The current solar forecast calls for there to be no G1 (Minor) or
greater geomagnetic storms.  A potential glancing blow is possib...

ARRL is helping members get the most out of amateur radio through On the Air Live, a monthly series of training sessions. The live events are hosted by ARRL Education Specialist Wayne Greene, KB4DSF, and offer a deep dive into topics hams will find useful. “We had a great crowd at January’s On the Air Live,” said Greene. “We showed folks how to get started in slow scan television (SSTV).”

The ne...

Paul Szczerbinski, W9KHO, an employee of Ham Radio Outlet in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, received a Certificate of Honor from HRO President Robert Ferrero, W6KR, for 60 years as an amateur radio operator. This is just the second time the award has been presented.

Szczerbinski’s history in radio dates to 1964, when, after being honorably discharged from the United States Air Force, he began working for...

By Ward Silver, NØAX

Imagine a weekend without a single full-bore pro football game. (American football, my DX and soccer-aficionado friends.) Not one. No hours of pre-game jabber. No amazing on-screen graphics and gadgets. No breathless half-time reports or injury updates. What is a right-thinking person to do? How about the CW Sprint?

The NCJ North American CW Sprint runs on Saturday evening, F...

ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® celebrates that the first field session of the ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology reached nine New York City area educators, but the ripple effects will reach thousands of students. The session was held at the Staten Island Technical High School, home of a thriving and active amateur radio club. It was led in part by Everton Henriques...

Solar Update Report January 30, 2025

The sun has been moderately active this past week. The greater than 2 MeV (solar particle event) electron flux at geostationary orbit is expected to remain mostly at normal to moderate levels January 30 - 31. A coronal hole high-speed stream is expected to arrive February 1. Particle injection during this time will likely elevate the 2 MeV electron flux to hi...

Brett Pruitt, K7BDP, has been named the new Section Manager of the ARRL Utah Section. He has previously served as the Section Emergency Coordinator and has been active in leadership of his local Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®) group. Pruitt has been instrumental in expanding use of AREDN networks within Utah.

Pruitt was appointed to the role effective February 1, 2025. The change comes ...

Pine View School for the Gifted (PVS) in Osprey, Florida, has an opportunity to achieve a historic milestone on Tuesday, January 28, at 12:21 PM (EST), when students and faculty make live contact with astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The event marks the first time any school in Sarasota County has been selected to take part in the Amateur Radio on the International Space...

Thirty-seven amateur radio clubs benefitted from $500,502 in grants through the ARRL Club Grant Program to implement projects that educate, recruit, train, and promote amateur radio in their communities. Funding for the grants comes from Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC).   

There were 110 applicants to the 2024 ARRL Club Grant Program, with applicants from all ARRL Divisions and 40 st...

Dr. Emil Pocock, W3EP, has become a Silent Key. He passed away on January 10, 2025, at the age of 78. From 1992 to 2002, Pocock edited “The World Above 50 MHz” for ARRL’s membership journal, QST. He served as a volunteer in the ARRL Laboratory for many years. 

Pocock was first licensed at the age of 12 and found a career as an academic. He was well-regarded by colleagues at ARRL as always being ...

To help promote amateur radio science and technology, and to honor the 100th anniversary of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU), ARRL is inviting radio clubs and schools to organize a Ham Radio Open House in April, built around World Amateur Radio Day (WARD) on April 18.

The event is intended to highlight the Amateur Radio Service for its development and practice of the latest radio com...

Camp Family Justice serves pediatric survivors of violence in Contra Costa County, California, providing them with an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors in a safe environment surrounded by support services, including a medical clinic. The camp provides the opportunity for children to decompress, learn resiliency skills and build a path forward. Children who applied this year, and attended last y...

ARRL will be closed on Thursday morning, January 23, 2025, for a company-wide meeting. During the short closure, members are encouraged to use the ARRL website, www.arrl.org, for membership renewals, publication purchases, and to access most benefits, services, and programs. The ARRL Headquarters lobby & store, and W1AW will be re-open to visitors at 12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (1700 UTC) on...

There are two great contests for amateur radio operators this weekend, January 18 - 20, 2025, and a bonus opportunity for a college club station to win a national championship.

Whether you’re interested in contesting on the HF bands, the VHF bands of 50 MHz and above, or both, there’s likely a contest to fit your needs this weekend. ARRL Contest Program Manager Paul Bourque, N1SFE, said there i...

Sorry to say this is the last ARRL Propagation Forecast Bulletin I
will write.  I took over in 1991 from Ed Tilton, W1HDQ when he was
too ill and weak to continue, and now with ALS I have similar
problems.

Geomagnetic influencers were more stable this week (planetary A
index shifted from 16.9 to 10.7) and solar indicators were weaker.
Average daily sunspot number changed from 159.1 to 103.3 and avera...

DXCC® application processing is back to typical processing times.

In October, we reported that the ARRL DXCC® System had been returned to service following work that was completed to ensure the security and integrity of the system following the cyber-attack in May. Over 4,000 DXCC applications have been logged into the system for processing since returning the system to service.

We are currently ...

Former ARRL and Yaesu employee, World Radiosport Team Championship competitor, and award-winning radio amateur Dennis Motschenbacher, K7BV, has become a Silent Key. Motschenbacher passed away on January 9, 2025, after a long illness.

Motschenbacher was first licensed at the age of 13. According to his obituary, “His Amateur Radio activities took him to 35 countries and his ham radio call sign, K...