ARRL News

Senator Richard Blumenthal (CT) received an affirmative reply from FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel when he asked her to commit to providing his office “an update on the steps that the FCC is taking to support amateur radio operators.” The Senator posed the written question as part of Rosenworcel’s renomination hearing conducted by the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.

Bl...

ARRL is seeking a ham with a professional journalism background to handle ARRL’s news function on a contract, remote basis. Candidates for ARRL News Editor should be plugged into the ham radio community, with a broad awareness of the major players (past and present) and the main issues (past, present, and potentially future) in the world of ham radio. Ideally, candidates will have professional ...

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Solar activity was up this week. Average daily sunspot number increased from 26.9 to 46.1, and average daily solar flux was up 10.8 points to 90.9. Geomagnetic indicators were a little higher. Average daily planetary A index increased from 7.9 to 8.7, and average daily middle latitude A index from 5.4 to 6.3.

I like looking for openings on 10 meters and continue...

160-meter operators can revel in two opportunities in December that promise to fill the airwaves with activity to test skills and stations on that band. The events take place a century after the Transatlantic Tests of the 1920s, which ushered in the dawn of international amateur radio communication.

The annual ARRL 160-Meter Contest begins at 2200 UTC on Friday, December 3, and ends at 1559 UTC ...

Maine Section Manager Robert Gould, N1WJO, has resigned for personal reasons after serving since July 2020. Effective on December 3, ARRL Field Services Manager Mike Walters, W8ZY, has appointed Phil Duggan, N1EP, of Milbridge as interim Section Manager to complete the current term, which ends on June 30, 2022.

Duggan is a retired US Navy electronics technician chief and active in emergency comm...

Due to the widespread paper shortage and related supply chain issues, the December 2021 issue of QST will mail approximately one week later than usual, arriving in homes the week of November 22.

ARRL members can read the digital edition of the December issue now, at http://www.arrl.org/qst.

December is YOTA Month, celebrating and encouraging Youth On the Air. Amateur radio operators who are 25 years old and younger will be on the air as special event stations around the world throughout December in celebration of youth in amateur radio. YOTA Month stations will be on all bands and modes at various times.

In the US, the call signs will once again be K8Y, K8O, K8T, and K8A. Three ne...

The US segment of Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS-USA) has augmented its senior leadership team with five new members. In May 2020, ARISS-USA created a new 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization to enhance and expand ARISS initiatives in the US. ARISS says the new membership will support the variety of new functions and roles within ARISS-USA.

Martin “Marty” Schulman...

Retired QST Technical Editor Joel R. Hallas, W1ZR, of Westport, Connecticut, died on November 25. An ARRL member, he was 79. Hallas retired in 2013 but remained active as a contributing editor, handling the popular “The Doctor is In” column in QST and the podcast of the same name. He had been a radio amateur since 1955.

“Joel was not only brilliant, he shared that brilliance with the ham radio c...

The only contested seat for Section Manager (SM) in the fall election cycle was in Kansas, where incumbent Ron Cowan, KB0DTI, of La Cygne, came out on top in the two-person race. Cowan outpolled challenger Lloyd Colston, of Arkansas City, 260 to 225. Ballots were counted on November 23 at ARRL Headquarters. Cowan has served as Kansas Section Manager since 2003. His new 2-year term will begin on...

ARRL Headquarters will be closed on Thursday, November 25, and Friday, November 26, for the Thanksgiving holiday.

The ARRL Letter will not be published on Thursday, November 25, and ARRL Audio News will not be produced on Friday, November 26. There will be no W1AW bulletin and code practice transmissions on either day. ARRL Headquarters will reopen on Monday, November 29 at 8 AM EST.

ARRL wishes ...

Grants from Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) will benefit amateur radio emergency communication networks in Haiti and the US Virgin Islands (USVI).

The $14,864 grant to the Haiti International Friendship Amateur Radio Club (HIFARC) will enable the club to set up a network of HF stations to provide emergency communications to remote areas cut off by the August 2021 earthquake. The 7.2-...

Past ARRL Rocky Mountain Division Director Claude Maer, Jr, W0IC, of Denver, Colorado, died on November 16. An ARRL member, he was 102.

Maer grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, and attended Rice University in Houston, graduating in 1940 with distinction and enlisting in the US Army Air Corps (USAAC) during World War II. Maer served at various postings, including Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, as wel...

The ARRL New England and Roanoke Divisions will have new Directors on January 1. The results of these three-way contested elections for Director were announced on November 19, after ballots were tallied at ARRL Headquarters.

In the New England Division, incumbent Fred Hopengarten, K1VR, received 1,054 votes, past Director Tom Frenaye, K1KI, received 1,026 votes, and challenger Fred Kemmerer, AB1...