ARRL News

Eric Tichansky, NO3M, and Roger Crofts, VK4YB, are claiming a new world distance record on 630 meters. They worked each other on October 14 at 1032 UTC using JT9 mode. Tichansky said the contact represented the culmination of 2 years of effort around every equinox since September 2017.

“Hopes were wearing thin as we were moving away from the recent equinox on September 23,” he said. “Even when t...

The third International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 2 (the Americas) Emergency Communications Workshop took place earlier this month in Lima, Peru, immediately following the 20th IARU Region 2 General Assembly. The workshop was sponsored by the Executive Committee of IARU Region 2, and hosted by Radio Club Peruano.

Region 2 Emergency Coordinators and subject-matter experts discussed recent...

The FCC has denied a Petition for Rule Making to amend Part 97 station identification rules to better accommodate and simplify station identification during emergency nets, drills, or activations. ARRL member Robert A. Dukish, KK8DX, of Canfield, Ohio, had sought a change to Section 97.119(a) of the rules to allow a single point of transmission for station ID on those occasions. He proposed per...

Pitcairn Island DXpedition leader Glen Johnson, W0GJ, reports the VP6R team arrived at the South Pacific island on October 17, after the m/v Braveheart anchored offshore. After clearing customs and immigration, the team was transported to the home of Andy Christian, where the DXpedition’s equipment had been shipped well in advance.

“The steep dirt roads were very muddy from lots of recent rains...

A transmission from the vintage Alexanderson alternator in Grimeton, Sweden, will complement activities marking United Nations Day on October 24. Transmitter startup for the 17.2 kHz transmission will take place at around 1630 UTC, with a peace message transmission beginning at 1700 UTC. A live stream will be available on the Alexanderson website. No QSL cards will be sent, and no list of repor...

The Michigan State University Amateur Radio Club (MSUARC) turns 100 this month. The club, which holds the call signs W8MSU and W8SH, celebrated its centennial with a special event station on October 19.

“We’re celebrating a milestone,” said Faculty Advisor Gregory Wierzba. “The club has been a licensed ham radio station for a century. It’s been on the air almost as long as radio licenses have be...

Listen to the new episode of ARRL Audio News on your iOS or Android podcast app, or online at http://www.blubrry.com/arrlaudionews/. Audio News is also retransmitted on a number of FM repeaters. Click here and then scroll down to see the list.

Solar activity remains very low. At the bottom of the sunspot cycle, any sunspot activity is fleeting. Again, another week passes with no sunspots at all. Spaceweather.com reports no sunspots for the past two weeks, and the total number of spotless days this year is now 213 days, or 73%, matching the percentage of spotless days in 2008.

Average daily solar flux during the week of October 10-16 w...

Twenty International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 2 (the Americas) member-societies took part in the 20th IARU Region 2 General Assembly, which wrapped up on October 3 in Peru, hosted by Radio Club Peruano. Representatives of fifteen member-societies attended in person, while five other member-societies participated via proxy. During the third plenary, the presidents and secretaries of the...

“Ham Lingo” will be the focus of the new (October 17) episode of the So Now What? podcast for Amateur Radio newcomers.

If you’re a newly licensed Amateur Radio operator, chances are you have lots of questions. This biweekly podcast has answers! So Now What? offers insights from those who’ve been just where you are now. New episodes will be posted every other Thursday, alternating new-episode we...

ARRL is launching a new magazine, On the Air, in January 2020. To be published on a bimonthly basis, On the Air will offer new and beginner-to-intermediate-level radio amateurs a fresh approach to exploring radio communication. Each issue will include advice and insights on topics from the variety of Amateur Radio interests and activities: radio technology, operating, equipment, project buildin...

Bidding gets under way today, October 17, on more than 230 items on the block in the 14th annual ARRL Online Auction. Bidding begins at 10 AM EST (1400 UTC). The auction will continue through Thursday, October 24, closing at 10 PM EST (Friday, October 25, at 0200 UTC).

The 2019 auction includes lab-tested QST “Product Review” gear, vintage books, used equipment, and one-of-a-kind items. Some pre...

ARRL has become aware of a mail delivery problem affecting the ARRL Board of Director election ballots sent to members in part of the West Gulf Division. Recent flooding has affected some US Postal Service distribution centers in the Houston region of the state, damaging some sorting machines. This is delaying delivery to many members in that area. They are processing mail out, but there are de...