ARRL News

Solar activity was at low levels on 18, 20, and 21 August with only C-class flares observed.  Activity increased to moderate levels on 19 August following an M1.1 flare at 19/0439 UTC from an area beyond the Eastern limb.  Moderate levels were also observed on 22 August as Region 4191 produced a long-duration M1.7/Sf flare.  Associated with this flare was a Type II radio sweep with an estimated...

This Labor Day weekend, the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) celebrates its 60th anniversary of providing critical communications support to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) and communities impacted by hurricanes.

As Hurricane Betsy was pummeling the Caribbean on Labor Day weekend 1965, a ham radio operator started hearing calls for information from operators in the Bahamas. Jerry Murphy, K8YUW, spr...

September is National Preparedness Month, which is a good time to look at your personal, family, and community resilience levels. For 2025, the National Preparedness Month theme is “Preparedness Starts at Home.” 

Amateur radio is a valuable resource for communication and community service before and during times of crisis, and can be a significant factor in your home’s level of preparedness.

“Now...

ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® Headquarters will be closed on Monday, September 1, 2025, in observance of the Labor Day federal holiday.

There will be no W1AW bulletin or code practice transmissions. ARRL Headquarters will reopen on Tuesday, September 2, at 8 AM EDT (1200 UTC).

Visit the ARRL Special Events Stations database to find on-the-air events and commemorations this we...

Updated 8/29/25

FCC Batch Filing System Restored

On Friday, August 29, 2025, the FCC’s Electronic Batch Filing (EBF) system was restored. This system is used by all Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) organizations to file exam sessions, individual license applications, and club license applications.

ARRL VEC staff are working diligently to clear the backlog of approximately 300 sessions and appl...

On August 22, Spaceweather.com reports a fast-moving Coronal Mass
Ejection, or CME, left the Sun on August 21.  However, it is not
Earth-directed, and is predicted to strike the planet Mars.

Solar activity has decreased back to low levels with a few weak
C-class flares observed from areas located in the northeast quadrant
of the solar disk. There are currently three sunspot regions on the
solar disk ...

A respected member of the DXing community has passed away. Lou Dietrich, N2TU, became a Silent Key on August 15 at the age of 78. 

Dietrich was the former Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International DX Association (INDEXA). He was known as a dedicated advocate for international goodwill through radio, and a passionate advocate for the mission of INDEXA. He played a pivotal role in gu...

Designs for Discreet Amateur Radio Operating!

Stealth Antennas for Ham Radio is full of antennas to get you on the air no matter where you live. Even radio amateurs who live with antenna restrictions or covenant limitations will find solutions in this book. Learn how to install a multiband vertical that looks like a flagpole, or how to run an end-fed random wire along your roof, so the neighbors...

ARRL honors the work of amateur radio operators who grow the hobby by advancing technology used within, and the operating culture, of the Amateur Radio Service. At the Second Meeting of the ARRL Board of Directors, hams and journalists who have covered amateur radio were honored with awards.

The ARRL Technical Innovation Award is granted annually to individuals who are licensed radio amateurs wi...

ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® has announced that the candidates for the 2025 ARRL Division elections are now official. ARRL members will choose between four candidates for Director in the Southeastern Division, two candidates for Director in the Pacific and Southwestern Divisions, and two candidates for Vice Director in the Southwestern Division. The Directors in the Rocky Mo...

Solar activity has been at low levels with mostly weak C-class flares observed from Regions 4172 and 4180.  The largest flare of the period was a C6.8/Sf at 15/1037 UTC from Region 4172.  There are 12 regions on the disk with most being simple in magnetic complexity.  Region 4172 remained the largest region on the disk and continued to decay with its magnetic field decreasing in complexity. All...

By Phil Temples, K9HI, ARRL New England Division Vice Director

The New England Division RFI Team assisted Tom Lanieri, NU2W, of North Chelmsford, Massachusetts, with a significant RFI problem he’s been suffering with for many years.

Tom writes: “I moved from central New Jersey ten years ago and knew from day one that my experiences with HF and amateur radio were doomed because of the noise and th...

The Kopernik Observatory put out a call last week for hams to receive and decode transmissions from a launch by its High Altitude Balloon Camp. Amateur radio delivered! Social media was abuzz with images decoded from the K2ZRO-9 transmitters. The balloon was launched from Vestal, New York, and ascended over the Catskill Mountains. A crowd gathered at W1AW, the Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Station...

The 2025 hurricane season has been underway for almost two months and there has activity on the both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.   

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted in June there would be 13 to 18 named storms, 5 to 9 hurricanes, and 2 to 5 major hurricanes (Category 3 or greater) for the 2025 season. This aligns with Colorado State University’s forecast ...

Alexia Snethen, KM6LGG, of Fremont, California, has been awarded The Goldfarb Memorial Scholarship by the ARRL Foundation. The award, endowed through the generosity of William R. Goldfarb, N2ITP, in memory of his parents, Albert and Dorothy Goldfarb, covers a significant portion of higher education expenses to the awardee. Snethen, who earned many college credits during high school, will be ent...

Solar activity was at low levels on 28 July to 02 August and moderate levels on 03 August.  The largest flare of the period was an M2.9/2b event observed from Region 4168 on 03 August.  The region also produced numerous C-class events.  Numerous C-class activity was observed from Regions 4153, 4155, and 4167.  No Earth-directed CME activity was observed.

No proton events were observed at geosyn...

Former ARRL Southeastern Division Director Frank Butler, W4RH, has become a Silent Key. He passed away at the age of 100. Butler was an ARRL member for at least 78 years.

He served 29 years as the ARRL Southeastern Division Director until his retirement from 50 years of service as an elected official of ARRL in 2007. He began his elected service as the Western Florida Section Communications Mana...