ARRL News

Member-volunteers of ARRL  The National Association for Amateur Radio® in Pennsylvania have successfully protected the legal right to use amateur radio while operating mobile within the state. A handsfree distracted driving bill had worked its way through the legislature over the past several years, and ARRL Atlantic Division Director Bob Famiglio, K3RF, successfully advocated for an exemption ...

Lt. Col. Richard “Dick” G. Rutan, KB6LQS, has become a Silent Key. He passed away at the age of 85 on May 3, 2024, surrounded by family. Rutan was an ARRL member.

In 1986, Rutan made international headlines for his flight in Voyager with copilot Jeana Yeager. The pair flew around the world (nonstop and unrefueled) in 9 days, 3 minutes, and 44 seconds.

Rutan was a United States Air Force combat pi...

The US Department of Defense (DOD) is hosting this year’s Armed Forces Day (AFD) Crossband Test on Saturday, May 11.

For more than 50 years, military and amateur stations have taken part in this event, which is an interoperability exercise between amateur and government radio stations. The event is open to all licensed amateur radio operators and will not impact any public or private communicat...

Steven Hendricks, KK6JTB, has been appointed as Section Manager of the ARRL San Joaquin Valley Section.

He fills the vacancy left by John Litz, NZ6Q, who was appointed as Vice Director of the ARRL Pacific Division.  

Hendricks has always had a love for radio, and he first earned his amateur radio license a decade ago. "In 2014, I became licensed as a Technician, and in 2015 I became a General," h...

Strong storms and reports of at least 60 tornadoes have wreaked havoc in the Central U.S. for nearly two weeks. Homes and businesses across Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, and Iowa were destroyed, and power is still down for more than 30,000 residents. On May 1, 2024, President Joe Biden declared a major disaster exists in Oklahoma, making federal aid available to those affected by last we...

Young adults planning to attend the 2024 ARRL National Convention at Dayton Hamvention® can look forward to meeting many other young hams at the event, including college students representing the ARRL Collegiate Amateur Radio Program (CARP). The convention is on May 17 - 19, 2024, at the Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center in Xenia, Ohio.

CARP will occupy a booth in the large ARRL exhibit ...

"ASWFC GEOMAGNETIC DISTURBANCE WARNING ISSUED 1817 UTC/02 MAY 2024 BY THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE WEATHER FORECASTING CENTRE.

"A period of planetary G3 geomagnetic conditions has been observed
on 02-May, associated with two recent CME arrivals and a sustained
period of southward IMF conditions. Further periods of G3 are
possible over 02-03 May.

"INCREASED GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY EXPECTED DUE TO CORONAL MASS E...

Longtime amateur radio publisher Dick Ross, K2MGA, has become a Silent Key. He passed away on April 27, 2024.

In 1960, Ross started working for Cowan Publishing Company and quickly became Associate Editor for CQ. In 1964, he was promoted to Editor of CQ, when Cowan Publishing moved its offices to Long Island, New York. As Ross became more involved with the business side of the magazine, he was e...

Updated 4:26:24 8:00 pm EDT with additional statement from Martin F. Jue, K5FLU. 

MFJ Enterprises, Inc founder Martin F. Jue, K5FLU, announced that as of May 17, 2024, the company will cease on-site production at their Starkville, Mississippi, facility. Ameritron, Hy-Gain, Cushcraft, Mirage, and Vectronics brand products will be affected by the shutdown.  

In a letter posted to social media, Jue ...

The 2024 ARRL National Convention is just 3 weeks away, on May 17 -- 19, 2024. The event is being hosted by Dayton Hamvention in Xenia, Ohio.

ARRL has a significant amount of technical content planned for the convention program. (see the full rundown at www.arrl.org/expo). There are also presentations planned to challenge and inspire attendees throughout each step of a radio amateur's journey in...

Recycled glasses will be sent home with Argentinian campers attending the 2024 YOTA Summer Camp in the Americas, so that amateur radio operators and youth can safely watch the Annular Solar Eclipse in October. Donations are only being accepted in person at the Dayton Hamvention YOTA Booth #4304 from May 17 - 19 and at the YOTA Summer Camp in the Americas in Halifax, Novia Scotia, Canada, from J...

The 2024 ARRL National Convention, hosted by Dayton Hamvention®, is just a month away, and the convention program guide is now available at www.arrl.org/expo. The ARRL Events app is also ready to use, encouraging everyone planning to attend to preview all of the Hamvention exhibits, forums, and related activities.

Download the free ARRL Events app, or access the content from an internet browser....

On Monday, April 15, 2024, ham radio operators provided communications for the 128th running of the Boston Marathon. More than 280 radio amateurs participated in the event.

The marathon is one of the largest events for which hams provide communications support.  

It drew volunteers from many different places. "Operators are volunteering across Start, Course, Finish, Transportation, and various op...

"ASWFC GEOMAGNETIC DISTURBANCE WARNING ISSUED AT 0733 UTC/26 APRIL2024 BY THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE WEATHER FORECASTING CENTRE.

"A coronal hole wind stream has moderately enhanced the solar wind
speed and been associated with several hours’ worth of southward IMF
parameter Bz. For this reason, it is possible that periods of G1-G2
geomagnetic storm conditions may be observed.

"INCREASED GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVI...

Solar activity increased dramatically this reporting week (April
11-17), and thirteen new sunspot groups emerged. One appeared on
April 11, two more on April 13, three more on April 14, another two
on April 15, one more on April 16 and another two on April 17. On
April 18 an additional two sunspot groups emerged, and the daily
sunspot number increased to 247.

The daily sunspot number was 199 on April...

Colorado State University (CSU) hurricane researchers predict an active Atlantic hurricane season (June 1 to November 30) in their initial 2024 forecast.

ARRL Director of Emergency Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, attended the National Hurricane Conference in Florida in late March, where the CSU prediction was issued. "The common discussion at the National Hurricane Conference this year was the...

Death Valley National Park is in a remote desert in southern California, where mobile phone networks are spotty at best. On Saturday, April 6, a radio amateur and his family were enjoying the park when their vehicle became stuck in mud in a dangerous area. Without access to a cell network, the ham called for help on the 10-meter band.

According to a news release from the Black Swamp Amateur Radi...

Millions of people across the United States got to see a rare solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024.

The path of totality -- the line of darkness where the moon fully occluded the sun -- stretched through the South Pacific, Mexico, central Texas, the Ozarks, the Midwest, the Rust Belt area, and to New England through the Maritimes. In all, 14 ARRL Sections were impacted directly and several mor...

I did not see last Monday's eclipse, except on television. Here in
the Pacific Northwest, we only got a 20% exposure, and skies were
overcast.

As they moved across the country displaying successive totality, I
noticed the prominences on the edge of the disk. There were always
between one and three little red spots at the edge.

Solar activity over the past reporting week, April 4-10, remains
weak.

Avera...

A poster promoting 2024 ARRL Field Day has been released on the Field Day web page, www.arrl.org/field-day. The two-sided informational poster features this year's theme "Be Radio Active". It includes a space for clubs to fill in information about their planned activation so that members of their community can come visit the site.

More resources for promoting 2024 ARRL Field Day are being develo...