ARRL

The first Youth on the Air (YOTA) camp for young radio amateurs in the Americas wraps up on Friday in West Chester, Ohio. Among other activities, the campers have been operating special event station W8Y from both the National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting and from the camp hotel.

“Things are going really well,” Camp Director Neil Rapp, WB9VPG, said on Wednesday evening. The earlier l...

On Thursday, July 15, at 10 AM EDT, ARRL Headquarters in Newington, Connecticut, hosted a rededication ceremony, recognizing ARRL’s commitment to all radio amateurs who enhance the communications capability and security of the nation. The event coincided with the attendance of ARRL’s all-volunteer Board of Directors, who had traveled in from across the country for in-person committee and Board ...

The first Youth on the Air (YOTA) camp for young radio amateurs in North, Central, and South America is now under way in West Chester, Ohio. Among other activities, campers are operating special event station W8Y from both the National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting in West Chester Township and from the camp hotel. The camp will run until Friday, July 16.

The approximately two dozen ca...

With a population just north of 71,000, the Caribbean island country of Dominica (J7) boasts a modest but active ham radio population. Given Dominica’s vulnerability to hurricanes, the ham radio emphasis often focuses on emergency communication support. In 2017, after Hurricane Maria hit the tiny island, ham radio filled a huge telecommunications gap. Now the country’s telecommunications regula...

The June 2021 activity report of the Volunteer Monitor (VM) Program has been released. The VM Program is a joint initiative between the ARRL and FCC to enhance compliance in the Amateur Radio Service.

• The FCC was requested to review a vanity call sign application filed by a Georgia licensee because of an apparently false answer to the question regarding a felony conviction.

• A licensee in Massach...

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Solar activity continues to increase. In last week’s bulletin ARLP027 average daily sunspot number was 34.7. This week it jumped to 55.6. Average daily solar flux increased from 86.9 to 88.9.

Despite solar flare activity pushing a sudden ionospheric disturbance and a dramatic HF radio blackout (on July 3), the average daily planetary A index for the week was onl...

To keep member records up to date, ARRL emailed Life Members on June 16 and will be sending a follow-up email in the next few days, asking them to verify their mailing address. Be assured that it is a legitimate request sent from ARRL. Thank you to all those who responded.

If you need to update your address information, call (860) 594-0200, email membership@arrl.org, or respond to the email you ...

A lot of radio amateurs may have been wondering, “Where did the bands go?” as the first X-class solar flare in 4 years blacked out HF propagation for a time on July 3.

“Many American radio amateurs reported sudden HF propagation blackouts on Saturday morning, July 3, when solar active region 12838 produced an X1.5 major solar flare that reached maximum intensity at 1429 UTC, the first X-class so...

Briefly a hurricane, Tropical Storm Elsa is moving northward, nearly parallel to Florida’s western coast, bringing heavy rain and gusty winds, which continue spreading inland across the western Florida peninsula. As of 0900 UTC, the storm was 50 miles south-southwest of Cedar Key, and 70 miles west-northwest of Tampa with maximum sustained winds of 65 MPH. It’s moving to the north at 14 MPH. El...

The National Hurricane Center in Miami has forecast that Elsa will reach hurricane strength later this afternoon or early this evening (Tuesday, July 7). Given the storm’s very close proximity to land, with any slight jog to the right, Elsa would make landfall much sooner than forecast. The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) has announced plans to activate at 2200 UTC today on 14.325 MHz and remain acti...

Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES®) volunteers are preparing to act, if needed, as Tropical Storm Elsa approaches the Florida Keys. The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a Hurricane Watch for the west-central and Big Bend coasts of Florida, from Egmont Key to the Steinhatchee River, although Elsa has not regained hurricane status. The NWS has issued a Tropical Storm Watch for the Ge...

ARRL Headquarters will be closed on Monday, July 5, for the Independence Day holiday. There will be no W1AW bulletin or code practice transmissions. ARRL HQ will reopen on Tuesday, July 6, at 8 AM EDT. Have a safe and enjoyable holiday! 

The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) activated this morning at 1300 UTC for Hurricane Elsa, which became a Category 1 storm earlier today. As of 1800 UTC, Hurricane Elsa was about 95 miles west-northwest of St. Vincent, and 580 miles east-southeast of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The storm is packing maximum sustained winds of 85 MPH and is moving to the west-northwest at a brisk 29 MPH.

“Because...

The first Youth on the Air (YOTA) camp for young radio amateurs in North, Central, and South America begins on July 11 in West Chester, Ohio. Among other activities, campers will be operating special event station W8Y from the National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting in West Chester Township, and also from the camp hotel. The camp will run until July 16.

“We are at 23 campers,” said Cam...

The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) is currently active on 14.325 MHz for Hurricane Elsa.

“Elsa surprised us all by strengthening overnight into a Category 1 hurricane,” HWN Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, said. The storm is currently in between Barbados and St. Lucia with maximum sustained winds of 75 MPH. The storm is moving to the west-northwest at 28 MPH. At this clip, the storm should be past the W...