ARRL

ARRL Education and Learning Manager, and IARU Region 2 Youth Coordinator, Steve Goodgame, K5ATA, gave the keynote address at the 2023 ARRL Pacific Division Ham Radio Convention, also known as Pacificon.

Goodgame was a public-school teacher for 21 years. He carries his experience of bringing ham radio into the classroom into his role at ARRL. "It is safe to say I've learned a thing or two about r...

 ARRL  The National Association for Amateur Radio® welcomes news of a scheduled vote by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to consider removing symbol rate restrictions that restrict digital modes, foster inefficient spectrum use, and dampen incentives for innovation.

In the draft Commission decision, the FCC would replace the current HF restrictions with a 2.8 kHz bandwidth limit. The ...

The recent solar activity decline continues. Weekly average daily
sunspot numbers starting with Propagation Forecast bulletin ARLP039
on September 21 were 170.6, 128.6, 144.1, 89.4, and 41.9 for this
week.

Weekly average daily solar flux for the same period was 168.8,
155.6, 159.1, 145.1 and 123.5.

On October 25 Spaceweather.com noted "Solar Cycle 25 roared to life
in 2021-23, dashing predictions of a...

Amateur Radio has been activated to serve during Hurricane Otis. In an e-mail, WX4NHC Amateur Radio Assistant Coordinator Julio Ripoll, WD4R, wrote:

WX4NHC has been activated today Wednesday October 25th for Hurricane Otis in the east Pacific affecting Mexico. 

Playing chess using amateur radio? The concept may have begun in 1912 when a group of college students from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) wanted to challenge chess players at The Ohio State University (OSU). Though the official origin is still debated, clippings from a 1912 issue of The Case Tech, one of CWRU's former student newspapers, reveal that the challenge was made when the CWRU...

Sunspot activity dropped dramatically this week, with only two new
sunspot groups emerging, on October 14 and 16.

Compared to last week, the average daily sunspot number slipped from
144.1 to 89.4, and average daily solar flux from 159.1 to 145.1.

Average daily planetary A index changed from 7.6 to 6.4, and average
daily middle latitude A index from 8.3 to 5.

Predicted solar flux is 128 and 130 Octob...

The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) is activating for Hurricanes Tammy and Norma. In an e-mail sent on the morning of Friday, October 20, 2023, HWN Net Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, wrote: 

This morning, we have 2 Hurricanes threatening landfall.  

• In the Atlantic, we have Tammy which strengthened into a Cat 1 Hurricane overnight. 
• In the Eastern Pacific, we have Hurricane Norma. Once a Cat 4 Hurricane...

ARRL  The National Association for Amateur Radio® has a new book to help radio amateurs enjoy one of the fastest growing communities within the hobby. Participants in Parks on the Air® (POTA) have built one of the most vibrant on-air communities in contemporary ham radio. Park hunters comb the airwaves for activators operating from the lawns of sprawling public mansions, stoops at urban histori...

On October 8, 2023, more than 140 amateur radio operators from five Midwest states assisted 2,000 volunteer medical personnel at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. This is the 15th consecutive year that amateur radio operators have helped coordinate medical responses and arrange for medical resupplies. About 49,000 runners entered this year’s event.

The city-wide marathon uses six main repe...

The ARRL  The National Association for Amateur Radio® website, ARRL.org, will be unavailable on Monday, October 23, 2023, due to scheduled maintenance. Those needing assistance with joining ARRL or renewing their existing memberships, as well as anyone interested in ordering products offered by ARRL, are invited to call the ARRL Member Services team at 888-277-5289 (toll-free US) or 860-594-020...

Jamboree-on-the-Air (JOTA), the largest Scouting event in the world, takes place on the third weekend of October (10/20 - 10/22).

This annual global operating event allows Scouts to use amateur radio to connect with hams around the world. The event is supported by many local amateur radio clubs and individual operators. JOTA starts Friday and ends Sunday, but there are no offi­cial hours of oper...

Want to get some cool stuff at a great price and help amateur radio at the same time? Bid and to show support for ARRL education programming during the 18th Annual ARRL Online Auction. The auction is open now, and bidding began on Friday, October 13 at 10 AM EDT, and continues through Thursday, October 19 at 10 PM EDT.

RT Systems, Inc. is sponsoring this year's auction, which will feature QST Pr...

By Todd Emmert, W9TWE

Indiana State University Amateur Radio Club, W9ISU, had a successful ARRL Collegiate QSO Party, held October 7 - 8, thanks to the support of local hams.

The club has faced challenges in recent months, including being displaced due to campus renovations and having minimal student involvement; they didn't even have a multimode, multiband transceiver. In an effort to boost inte...

The numbers looked better during this reporting week, October 5-11.

Average daily sunspot numbers rose from 128.6 to 144.1, and average
solar flux from 155.6 to 159.1.

Average daily planetary A index went from 9.1 to 7.6, and average
middle latitude A index from 8.9 to 8.3.

For some reason the middle latitude numbers were not available from
Fredericksburg, Virginia so we used the data from Boulder, C...

Updated 10/30/23

The FCC has extended the public comment period until 11/28/23 with replies to comments due 12/28/23.

ARRL  The National Association for Amateur Radio® is asking that all radio amateurs urge the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to continue the existing use of the 60-meter band. A public comment period is open until November 28, 2023. Replies to comments are due December 28,...

 At 2308 UTC on October 5, the Australian Space Weather Forecasting Centre issued a geomagnetic disturbance warning.

"A recent, mild CME impact, combined with the expected arrival of a coronal hole high speed wind stream on 7 Oct, gives the chance for G1 geomagnetic conditions over 6 and 7 Oct."

Seven new sunspot groups emerged over the past week, but overall solar activity declined.

With conse...

There's a new newsletter in the ARRL repertoire as of this week. The first issue of The NTS Letter was published on October 3, 2023. The NTS Letter is a monthly digest of all things related to the ARRL National Traffic System®. It is edited by Marcia Forde, KW1U, who is a veteran traffic handler and serves as the Section Traffic Manager for the ARRL Eastern and Western Massachusetts and Rhode I...

Amateur radio was represented at the seventh annual WestFest event at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday, September 30, 2023. WestFest is a public engagement event that highlights science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) research, sustainability initiatives, and outreach programs at The Ohio State University. The event featured three behind-the-scenes tours ...

The ARRL Foundation is now accepting grant applications from amateur radio organizations for eligible amateur radio-related projects and initiatives, particularly those focused on educating, licensing, and supporting amateur radio activities. To grow amateur radio's future, youth-based projects and initiatives are especially encouraged. The ARRL Foundation grants program accepts proposals on a ...

Updated 10/10/23

A public period is open until October 30, 2023 for radio amateurs to comment on proposed changes to the 60 Meter band. ARRL  The National Association for Amateur Radio® is asking all radio amateurs to join it in urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to continue the existing use of the band. ARRL is encouraging expressions of support to the FCC for the current 100 wa...