ARRL News

March 24, 2023

The K7RA Solar Update

Sunspot numbers were lower again this week, with the average
declining from 143.6 two weeks ago to 118.7 last week and now 68
this week. Average daily solar flux sank 8 points from 153.6 last
week to 145.6.

Six new sunspot groups emerged over the week, one on March 17,
another March 18, three more on March 19, one more on March 21 and
another on March 22.

Predicted solar flux is 150, 145 and 145 on Ma...

March 22, 2023

CT Governor Proclaims April 16 – 22 Amateur Radio Recognition Week

March 22, 2023

Amateur Radio Included in FEMA Guide for National Emergency Preparedness

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has released a final version (March 2023) of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Functional Guidance. The guidance, which provides a framework for communications resources within incident management, officially includes support from amateur radio operators. The expanded Communications Unit ...

March 17, 2023

Tornado Season and Amateur Radio

Tornado season is fast approaching, and amateur radio operators will again play a key role in helping the National Weather Service (NWS) issue accurate and timely warnings. In fact, March through May is considered the most active period for tornadoes to develop.

The NWS reports there have already been 255 preliminary filtered reported tornadoes and 213 confirmed tornadoes in the United States in...

March 17, 2023

The K7RA Solar Update

Six new sunspot groups emerged over the past week, two on March 9,
another on March 10, one more on March 12, and another two on March
14.

Sunspot numbers and solar flux declined this week.

Average daily sunspot numbers softened from 143.6 to 118.7, and
average daily solar flux from 181.6 to 153.6.

Predicted solar flux is 135, 140, 138, and 135 on March 17-20, then
132, 132 and 130 on March 21-23, 155...

March 16, 2023

Dayton Amateur Radio Leader Ron Cramer, KD8ENJ, Silent Key

Ron Cramer, KD8ENJ, of Dayton, Ohio, passed away on Saturday, March 11, 2023. He was Vice President of the Dayton Amateur Radio Association (DARA) and previously served as its President.

Cramer was General Chairman of Dayton Hamvention®, the world's largest annual gathering of radio amateurs, from 2017 to 2018. In 2017, he was among the Hamvention leadership and team who helped successfully relo...

March 13, 2023

ARRL Headquarters will be Closed on Tuesday, March 14

Due to anticipated severe winter weather, ARRL Headquarters will be closed on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, for the safety of our staff. The Headquarters lobby & store, and W1AW will be closed to visitors on Tuesday. We anticipate reopening on Wednesday, March 15, at 8 AM Eastern.

ARRL reminds members and prospective members to access information and services online at www.arrl.org.

March 10, 2023

2023 Ulrich L. Rohde Award Call for Papers

The Software Defined Radio Academy (SDRA) has issued a call for papers for the 2023 Ulrich L. Rohde Award. This award, named after Dr. Ulrich L. Rohde, N1UL, was created in 2022 and is presented to those who have completed innovative research in the field of software-defined radio (SDR). It's a paper award that requires a written submission by applicants. There are first - second - and third -p...

March 10, 2023

ARRL International DX Contest a Success

Last weekend (March 4 - 5, 2023) was the phone segment of the ARRL International DX Contest.

Although the deadline to submit logs is 2359Z on March 12, preliminary numbers already show an increase in submissions compared to the same period last year. Conditions were favorable for much of the world, and many operators took to social media to talk about their wins.

Italian ham Chris Diemoz, IX1CKN,...

March 10, 2023

The K7RA Solar Update

So far this month, two new sunspot groups appeared on March 1,
another one on March 2, three more on March 3, one more on March 5,
two more on March 6, and another on March 7, then two more on March
9.

Average daily sunspot numbers rose from 126.3 to 143.6.

Average daily solar flux changed from 158.2 to 181.6

Average daily planetary A index declined from 27.7 to 14.6, and
average middle latitude numbe...

March 7, 2023

Schools Set to Talk with Astronauts via Amateur Radio

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has announced that several schools are planning to communicate with orbiting astronauts in the coming weeks.

Lana'i High & Elementary School in Lana'i City, Hawaii, will attempt the contact between March 20 and 24, 2023. Students attending the high school already study amateur radio and the research being done on the ISS, among other scien...

March 3, 2023

2023 Hamvention Awards Announced

The 2023 Hamvention Awards committee, chaired by Michael Kalter, W8CI, has announced the 2023 Hamvention award winners.

The Special Achievement Award recipient is Dr. Jason McDonald, MD, N2TPA. He is an active, well-known Amateur Extra-class operator who earned his license in 2003. Dr. McDonald began as a radio frequency engineer before changing careers to become a trauma surgeon. Dr. McDonald’...

March 3, 2023

The K7RA Solar Update

This was a busy week for geomagnetic storms. A solar wind stream
from an equatorial hole and a CME blew geomagnetic numbers seemingly
off the scale, with the planetary A index on Monday hitting 94.
Aurora was visible as far south as 40 degrees latitude. Imagine a
line running from Reno, Nevada through Provo, Utah then Denver, then
the Kansas-Nebraska state line, Quincy, Illinois, Dayton, Ohio and
Phi...

February 27, 2023

ARRL Headquarters will be Closed on Tuesday, February 28

Due to anticipated severe winter weather, ARRL Headquarters will be closed on Tuesday, February 28 for the safety of our staff. We expect things will be back to normal on Wednesday, March 1.

February 24, 2023

W8LT - A History of Amateur Radio at Ohio State University

W8LT is the call sign for the Amateur Radio and RF Club at The Ohio State University (OSU).

The university club has a long history, and archive records indicate that 1926 was the year it officially became a club, likely making it the oldest one on campus. W8LT is just 3 years shy of celebrating its 100th anniversary.

In the early 1920s, the call sign started out as 8LT, until the Radio Act of 192...