ARRL News

Solar activity has reached high levels due to a pair of X-class
flares.
 
The first was an X1.8 on November 4 from Region 4274. Associated
with the flare were Type IV radio sweeps, 160 sfu Tenflare, and a
partial halo coronal mass ejection (CME) directed mostly off the NE
limb in coronagraph imagery. Although the majority of the ejecta is
expected to pass behind Earth, there is the possibility of a sh...

Many amateur radio clubs and organizations are planning on-air commemorations and special events for Veterans Day 2025. Visit the ARRL Special Events Stations database, and contact the following stations on-the-air:

• In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Holmesburg Amateur Radio Club will honor the Continental Marines Birthday. Special event station WM3PEN will operate November 8 - 12 from 1300Z - 0...

Six years ago, the Intrepid-DX Group, a international group of amateur radio operators, began their annual youth “Dream Rig” essay contest as a means to reach young people and interest them in amateur radio.

“This year, rather than our past essays, we are seeking well thought-out and clearly communicated project proposals for a public access amateur radio station,” said Paul S. Ewing, N6PSE, pre...

The Murgas Amateur Radio Club is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year with a special event that includes the University of Scranton, Kings College, and amateur radio station W3USR. The station is part of the University of Scranton Physics and Engineering Department, a university student club, and a flagship station for the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) project.

The event...

ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® has introduced a new, fully-interactive two-day online course for ham radio licensing. The ARRL Technician Class LIVE Video Course includes everything needed to prepare for the FCC Technician Class amateur radio license exam. Enrollment is open now for the inaugural course, which will take place December 20 - 21, 2025.

Join ARRL Education Special...

The countdown is on! Full members of ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® have until December 31, 2025, to earn up to six automatic entries for a chance to win the Icom Dream Station -- a complete ham radio station featuring a limited-edition IC-7760 HF/50 MHz transceiver, IC-PW2 amplifier, desktop microphone, and a special Icom 60th Anniversary Seiko watch -- all generously donated...

Radio amateurs from the Radio Society of Sri Lanka (RSSL) will participate in the Indian Ocean Wave 2025 exercise (IOWave25), coordinated by UNESCO’s intergovernmental coordination group for Indian Ocean tsunamis on November 5, 2025. RSSL will support the Disaster Management Centre by operating HF and VHF emergency communication networks during the exercise, which is intended to test tsunami pr...

The Indian Ocean Wave Exercise (IOWave25), coordinated by UNESCO’s intergovernmental coordination group for Indian Ocean tsunamis, will be conducted on November 5, 2025, to test tsunami preparedness and communication readiness across Indian Ocean nations. The Radio Society of Sri Lanka (RSSL) will support the Disaster Management Centre by operating HF and VHF emergency communication networks du...

Solar activity has decreased to very low levels. Region 4266
exhibited signs of slight development as it gained asymmetric
penumbra surrounding its trailing spots. Meanwhile, Region 4267
underwent decay, losing several leading spots. Additional activity
included a coronal mass ejection (CME) off the NE limb on October
29.
 
An associated Type II radio sweep was reported with the CME; however
SUVI 195 i...

The ARRL Foundation Scholarship Program has opened the application window for 2026 scholarships. Applications will be accepted through December 30, 2025, at 12 PM EST. Students are encouraged to apply for more than 170 scholarships ranging from $500 to $25,000. All applicants must be active, FCC-licensed amateur radio operators. 

The scholarships were established by generous donors and are manag...

The October 2025 West Coast Qualifying Run originally scheduled for Saturday,
October 25 at 2 PM PDT (October 25 at 2100z) had to be rescheduled.

The new date and time are Wednesday, October 29 at 9 PM PDT (October 30 at 0400z).

West Coast Station K6XX will transmit the official ARRL Qualifying Run on
3581.5, 7047.5, and 14047.5 kHz.  The speeds will run from 10 to 35 WPM.

Updated Friday, October 31, 2025 @ 8 AM EDT

Hurricane Melissa passed to the northwest of Bermuda on Thursday night and is forecasted to pass south of the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland as a post-tropical cyclone on Friday night. Water levels should continue to subside this morning for Bermuda. Swells generated by Melissa will continue to affect portions of Hispaniola, Cuba, the Bahamas, the Tu...

Updated Monday, October 27, 2025 @ 9 AM EDT (1300 UTC)

ARRL thanks Carlos Alberto Santamaría González, CO2JC, for information included in this update.

CUBA: NATIONAL EMERGENCY NETWORK WILL BE ACTIVATED THIS MONDAY, WITH NETWORKS ALREADY ACTIVATED IN EASTERN PROVINCES

Forecasts indicate Hurricane Melissa will affect Cuba, especially its eastern region.

Starting at noon today (Monday, October 27), th...

Tropical Storm Melissa is nearly stationary in Caribbean on Friday, October, 24, 2025. Forecasters warn it could quickly intensify, impacting Jamaica as a hurricane and causing catastrophic flooding and landslides Haiti and the Dominican Republic. 

The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) a group of licensed Amateur Radio Operators trained and organized to provide essential communications support to the Na...

Solar activity reached moderate levels this past week, but has now
returned to, and remains at, lower levels. Region 4248 produced an
M1.1 flare on October 20, which was the largest event of the period.
Region 4261 was numbered this period as it rotated into better
viewing conditions.

Region 4262 was numbered this period as well, splitting it from
Region 4257. Additionally, new spots were noted near ...

Region AR4246 underwent significant evolution, growing in overall
size while gaining multiple new spots. Subsequently, AR4246 was the
main provider of activity which included an M1.2 flare on October
13. Several coronal mass ejections (CMEs) with potential
Earth-directed components are in the mix at this time.

Additional modeling efforts are underway to perhaps confirm those
suspicions. The largest f...

As part of a much larger overhaul focused on deleting almost 400 obsolete wireless regulations, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced plans to delete or modify four minor provisions of Part 97. 

ARRL’s Washington Counsel has reviewed the proposal and agrees that the deletions are to obsolete rules and will have no impact on today’s modern Amateur Radio Service. One of the del...

Amateur radio operators serve their communities across the United States in many ways, before and When All Else Fails®. Using their skills as communicators, their personal equipment, and the Amateur Radio Service, the “hams” provide a needed boost to public safety radio systems.

The 47th Bank of America Chicago Marathon, held on October 12, 2025, featured 55,000 runners from around the world. An...