ARRL News

December 2, 2023

ARRL Advocacy Win: FCC Approves Request for Pearl Harbor Day Crossband Operations

ARRL  The National Association for Amateur Radio® sought a waiver on behalf of the activators, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted it. The waiver allows amateur radio operators to participate in a special event commemorating the 82nd annual National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.

The Battleship Iowa Amateur Radio Association (BIARA), with authority from the US Navy and Sou...

December 1, 2023

The K7RA Solar Update

"GEOMAGNETIC DISTURBANCE WARNING 23/74 ISSUED AT 2321UT/29 NOVEMBER 2023 BY THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE WEATHER FORECASTING CENTRE.

"Several CMEs are expected to impact Earth over 30 Nov and 01 Dec. Two CMEs were observed on 27 Nov that were expected to arrive on 30 Nov, followed shortly by a very mild glancing blow from a third.

"One or possibly two halo CMEs were observed on 29 Nov which are Earth d...

December 1, 2023

WX1AW Active for 2023 SKYWARN™ Recognition Day

As part of the celebrations for SKYWARN™ Recognition Day (SRD) on December 2, 2023, hams will be on the air as WX1AW from the ARRL® Radio Laboratory station, W1HQ. ARRL Director of Emergency Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, and other amateurs plan to be on the air for several hours Saturday morning and midday. 

The event honors all SKYWARN storm spotters and amateur radio operators for their co...

December 1, 2023

ARRL RF Safety Committee Develops New Guidelines to Communicate RF Safety

Radio amateurs now have a new tool from ARRL  The National Association for Amateur Radio® to help answer questions about their stations. Neighbors of amateur radio operators are sometimes concerned about transmissions and radio frequency exposure from amateur stations. The ARRL RF Safety Committee, with their international counterparts at the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB), the Irish Rad...

November 27, 2023

The K7RA Solar Update

Geomagnetic conditions were very quiet last weekend, good conditions
for the ARRL Phone Sweepstakes. But there was much more geomagnetic
activity toward the end of the reporting week, when the planetary A
index jumped to 30 and Alaska's College A index reached 60, a very
high value.

This past weekend was the CW portion of the CQ World Wide DX
Contest.

Solar activity really picked up in the past few da...

November 22, 2023

2023 Fall Section Manager Election Results

 

Two balloted Section Manager elections were conducted this fall. Ballots were counted on Tuesday, November 21, at ARRL Headquarters. All two-year terms of office will begin on January 1, 2024.

For Section Manager of the ARRL Alaska Section:

• David Stevens, KL7EB (incumbent), received 105 votes

• Jeffrey Wolf, N8EX, received 72 votes

David Stevens, KL7EB, of Anchorage, Alaska, has been declared re-el...

November 21, 2023

ARRL Headquarters to Be Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday

ARRL  The National Association for Amateur Radio® Headquarters in Newington, Connecticut, will be closed in observance of Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 23, 2023, and Friday, November 24, 2023. There will be no W1AW bulletins, code practice, or visitor operations during that time.

ARRL Headquarters will reopen at 8:00 AM Eastern Time on Monday, November 27, 2023. We wish you and yours a hap...

November 21, 2023

Former Illinois Section Manager Tom Ciciora, KA9QPN, SK

ARRL is sad to report that Thomas "Tom" T. Ciciora, KA9QPN, of Sandwich, Illinois, has become a silent key. He was 66 years old. Ciciora served as the Section Manager of the ARRL Illinois Section from 2006 - 2017. He was an ARRL Life Member.

According to an obituary, Ciciora was active in several amateur radio clubs and had been the director of the Sandwich Emergency Management Agency.

Ciciora w...

November 17, 2023

2023 ARRL Board of Directors Election Results

ARRL  The National Association for Amateur Radio® announces the results of the 2023 ARRL Division elections.

ARRL Great Lakes Division Vice Director Scott Yonally, N8SY (2,175 votes), of Lexington, Ohio, defeated candidate Michael Kalter, W8CI (2,023 votes), for the position of Division Director. Yonally will assume the role when Director Dale Williams, WA8EFK, who has held the seat since 2014, ...

November 17, 2023

The K7RA Solar Update

"ASWFC GEOMAGNETIC DISTURBANCE WARNING ISSUED AT 2306 UTC 16 NOVEMBER 2023 BY THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE WEATHER FORECASTING CENTRE.

"Two recent CMEs associated with small solar filament eruptions are
expected to increase geomagnetic activity from mid 19-Nov to 20-Nov.

"INCREASED GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY EXPECTED DUE TO CORONAL MASS EJECTION FROM 19-20 NOVEMBER 2023."

Solar activity was lower this week, Nove...

November 17, 2023

SKYWARN Recognition Day Is Ready to Go

The 2023 SKYWARN Recognition Day (SRD) is December 2 from 0000z to 2400z.

The event honors all SKYWARN storm spotters and amateur radio operators for their contributions to the National Weather Service (NWS) during severe weather. Amateur radio operators also provide vital communication to the NWS and emergency management when normal communications fail.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin...

November 17, 2023

The University of Scranton Amateur Radio Club, W3USR, Got a Facelift

With a grant from Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) for almost $200,000 and private donations of more than $20,000, the University of Scranton Amateur Radio Club in Scranton, Pennsylvania, has installed new amateur radio equipment and antennas for its station, W3USR.

The station is now located on the fifth floor of the university's Loyola Science Center and features state-of-the-art op...

November 17, 2023

2023 ARRL November Sweepstakes Continues

The second part of the ARRL November Sweepstakes is for phone contacts, and it begins Saturday, November 18 at 2100 UTC, and runs through Monday, November 20 at 0259 UTC.

The contest objective is to support amateur self-training in radiocommunications, including improving amateur operating skills, conducting technical investigations, and intercommunicating with other amateurs. Amateur stations i...

November 14, 2023

The K7RA Solar Update

"ASWFC GEOMAGNETIC DISTURBANCE WARNING ISSUED AT 2310 UTC/09 NOVEMBER 2023 BY THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE WEATHER FORECASTING CENTRE:

"G1-G2 geomagnetic conditions are expected over 11-12 Nov, with a
slight chance of G3 due to the anticipated arrival of a halo CME
first observed 09-Nov. Conditions are expected to ease to background
levels on 13-Nov."

A great, big geomagnetic storm on Sunday disrupted the s...

November 13, 2023

ARRL Hails FCC Action to Remove Symbol Rate Restrictions

ARRL  The National Association for Amateur Radio® reports that earlier today, the FCC Commissioners unanimously voted to amend the Amateur Radio Service rules to replace the baud rate limit on the amateur HF bands with a 2.8 kHz bandwidth limit to permit greater flexibility in data communications.

“The Federal Communications Commission today adopted to incentivize innovation and experimentation ...