ARRL News

4/27/2022

On Wednesday, April 27, in a notice to all VECs, the FCC again asked them to refrain from submitting any amateur radio exam session or license application files while the Commission works to resolve an issue with the Universal Licensing System (ULS) application filing system.

The ULS application filing system was not functioning properly last week and then the FCC indicated the problem ...

 Solar activity was up, up, up this week, with average daily sunspot numbers increasing from 74.4 to 134.1, and average daily solar flux from 120.3 to 157.3.

To get some perspective, I averaged the weekly averages for sunspot number and solar flux from this bulletin and the previous three, then compared them to the bulletins from one year earlier.

A year ago, the averages for 2021 Propagation For...

We saw some evidence of sporadic-e propagation this week on 6 and 10 meters, always surprising and exciting.

Solar activity was about the same as last week, at least going by the numbers.

Average daily sunspot numbers rose slightly from 68.6 to 74.4, while average daily solar flux only budged from 120 to 120.3.

Geomagnetic indicators were quieter, with average daily planetary A index shifting from...

The latest edition of ARRL Audio News podcast for May 13, 2022 is available for listening now. This week's edition includes an update for the upcoming Dayton Hamvention®, an announcement for the Armed Forces Day Cross-Band Exercise which be held on May 14, and much more.

ARRL Audio News is a summary of the week’s top news stories in the world of amateur radio, along with interviews and other fe...

To help with emergency communications support following an outbreak of tornadoes that hit this past week, the Oklahoma Department of Emergency of Management and Homeland Security requested support from the Oklahoma Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®).

During the first week of May, 12 tornadoes touched down in the central and eastern parts of Oklahoma. The tornado that struck Seminole, Oklah...

On May 10, 2022, radio amateurs in Puerto Rico celebrated 25 years of Día del Radioaficionado (Puerto Rico Amateur Radio Operator Day). The day was designated the second Tuesday in May by Law 50 of June 7, 1996. The Governor of Puerto Rico, Pedro Pierluisi, issued a proclamation to honor the event. Radio amateurs took to social media and the airwaves to celebrate and send good wishes. A special...

The 2022 Dayton Hamvention®, among the world's largest annual amateur radio gatherings, is ready to celebrate its 70th Anniversary event, May 20 - 22, at the Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center in Xenia, Ohio. Organizers report that brisk advance sales of tickets and reservations for inside exhibit booths and flea market spaces are an indication that Hamvention 2022 is headed for success....

The US Department of Defense will host this year’s Armed Forces Day (AFD) Cross-Band Test on Saturday, May 14. While Armed Forces Day is May 21, the AFD cross-band military-amateur radio event traditionally takes place 1 week earlier to avoid any conflict with the Dayton Hamvention®. The event is open to all radio amateurs.

The AFD Cross-Band Test is two-way communications exercise between milit...

Updated 5/9/2022

The ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) reports that the FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) electronic batch filing (EBF) system is back online and functioning normally. A message sent by the FCC ULS EBF Team to VECs explains that the technical issues with ULS EBF filing are resolved, and that VECs may resume submitting files containing amateur radio license applications...

Chairman of the ARRL RF Safety Committee (RFSC) Gregory D. Lapin, N9GL, Ph.D, P.E., will receive an award at the 2022 Dayton Hamvention® from the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB). He will receive the Founders' Trophy, recognizing his outstanding service to the society. He will also be accepting awards for committee members Kai Siwiak, KE4PT; Ric Tell, K5UJU, and Matt Butcher, KC3WD.

Along w...

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Enforcement Bureau Regional Director Lark Hadley, KA4A, will participate in an ARRL-sponsored forum at Dayton Hamvention® on Saturday, May 21, 2022. The forum, "Good Operators and the ARRL Volunteer Monitor (VM) Program" will be led by Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, who heads the VM Program - a joint initiative between ARRL and the FCC to enhance compliance ...

www.spaceweather.com reported on May 4 at 0859 UTC that an M5 solar flare erupted from sunspot group AR3004, causing a shortwave radio

blackout over the Middle East and Africa.

Please see https://bit.ly/3vKzelk

A recent flare update:

https://bit.ly/3OXvuo8

Solar activity was lower this week, even though we could see
sunspots every day.

Average daily sunspot numbers dropped from 109.3 to 68.6, while
ave...

Members of the Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) will conduct an HF skills exercise from Monday night, May 2 through Saturday, May 7, 2022 to practice interoperability with the amateur radio community.

A 60-meter high-power broadcast will begin on May 3 at 0200 UTC followed by the FEMA region net. That will continue four more nights at 0200 UTC with the region net. At 1200 local each day (M...

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has started accepting applications for electronics engineers for Recent Graduates positions in the Pathways Program which is located in the Office of Engineering and Technology in Washington, DC. Candidates should be recent graduates for this one year developmental program which may lead to a term or permanent appointment.

Training will cover the agenc...

Astronaut Kayla Barron, amateur radio call sign KI5LAL, completed a successful, scheduled ham radio contact on April 21, 2022, with students from Bellefontaine High School in Bellefontaine, Ohio via Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS). The radio contact was streamed on YouTube.

The students were supported by members of the Champaign Logan Amateur Radio Club Inc., W8FTV, an ...

An informational webinar about the ARRL Foundation Club Grant Program will be held on Wednesday, May 4, 2022 at 8 PM EDT / 5 PM PDT. This webinar will offer an orientation to the program and provide information on how to apply. Please register in advance for this webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. -- Mike Walters, ...

After a 2-year break, amateur radio fans will reunite on Lake Constance in Friedrichshafen, Germany, from June 24 - 26, 2022, for HAM RADIO -- the 45th International Amateur Radio Exhibition.

Planning for Europe's largest amateur radio exhibition is under way, and this year's theme is "Seeing Friends Again." While amateurs were able to stay connected during the COVID-19 pandemic, Deutscher Amate...

The results are in for the 21st USA Championships in Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF). The 4 days of competitions were held from April 7 - 10 in Prince William Forest Park (PWFP) in northern Virginia. The competition results will help determine the makeup of ARDF Team USA at the 20th ARDF World Championships, set for September 2022 in Serbia.

Thirty participants competed in categories for ...

ARRL Colorado Section Manager Robert Wareham, N0ESQ, has resigned from the position, effective June 30, 2022. "I appreciate all the hard work that you have put in and wish you the best for the future," responded ARRL Field Services Manager Mike Walters, W8ZY.

Wareham has a long history of leadership within ARRL, serving as State Government Liaison, Public Information Coordinator, Section Emergen...