ARRL News

By: Rich Moseson, W2VU

Some 175 scientists, students, professors, and amateur radio operators from around the world gathered in person and virtually on March 14 and 15 to share research, educate each other, and network at the annual HamSCI Workshop. HamSCI, the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation program, aims to promote collaboration between science, amateur radio, and education. The 2025 w...

Dozens of amateur radio clubs have made plans to host an ARRL Ham Radio Open House in April. The nationwide event is centered around World Amateur Radio Day on April 18. 2025 is the 100th anniversary of the founding of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU).

While we’ve been using radio for well over 100 years, amateur radio operators continue to be on the cutting edge of innovation in ele...

Solar activity reached moderate levels due to an isolated M1.5/1n
flare on March 19 at 2040 UTC from Region AR4031.  Regions AR4028,
AR4034, and AR4035 exhibited slight growth.

Region AR4026 re-emerged in the Southwest quadrant. Regions in the
Northwest quadrant, including AR4020, AR4022, AR4025, and AR4031 all
appeared to be in a decay phase.

No Earth-directed CMEs were detected in available coronag...

In a Public Notice titled “In Re: Delete, Delete, Delete,” issued on March 12, 2025, the FCC is soliciting public input on any FCC rules in any service that members of the public believe should be deleted or modified “for the purpose of alleviating unnecessary regulatory burdens.” This is the latest in a series of similar proceedings going back to 1996, when the Communications Act was amended t...

Geomagnetic field activity is expected to be at minor storm levels
for March 18, and then from March 27 and 27 all due to recurrent
Coronal Hole influences.

Solar activity was at low levels. Multiple C-Class flares were
observed from newly numbered Region 4028. More spots are rotating
around the Southeast limb that maybe connected to the spot group.
The largest flare of the period was a C6.8 on March...

The ARRL San Joaquin Valley Section (SJV) conducted “Perfect Storm,” an amateur radio emergency exercise, on March 5 - 7.

Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC) Dan Sohn, WL7COO, asked that a section-wide exercise be created that would engage both amateur radio operators and non-amateurs to become more active in their community's emergency preparedness and response capabilities.  

There were 120 par...

ARRL Ham Radio Open House is a national event being hosted by local amateur radio clubs in April to coincide with World Amateur Radio Day on April 18. The event is designed to highlight technical innovations in ham radio, and show off the current state of the art. It will serve as a tool to tell the story of amateur radio being a pathway to tomorrow's technical careers. 

A site locator is now li...

The recipients of the 2025 Dayton Hamvention® Awards were announced on March 11, 2025. “The selection process was highly competitive, given the outstanding quality of nominations submitted this year. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the winners for 2025,” said Dayton Hamvention Awards Chair Michael Kalter, W8CI.

Technical Achievement Award: Dr. Kristina Collins, KD8OXT

Dr. Kristina Coll...

Gerald E. “Gerry” Murphy, K8YUW, passed away on February 25, 2025. He was 88 years old, and the founder of the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN). 

According to a statement released by current HWN manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, Murphy, then 28 years old, was stationed at the U.S. Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Center in Davisville, Rhode Island, in 1965. During his time off, he handled countless phon...

Spaceweather.com is reporting "A Hole In The Sun's Atmosphere" that
should reach Earth on March 9 and 10.

Solar activity has been at moderate levels for the past 24 hours.
The largest solar event of the period was a M1 event observed on
March 5 at 1150z from Region 4016. There are currently 10 numbered
sunspot regions on the disk.

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class
flares a...

We’re seeing peak conditions from Solar Cycle 25 just in time for the ARRL International DX SSB Contest. It gets underway this weekend at 0000 UTC on Saturday, March 1, and concludes at 2359 UTC on Sunday, March 2. 

ARRL Contest Program Manager Paul Bourque, N1SFE, is gearing up to operate as part of a multi-operator, single-transmitter station for the event. He is eager to get started. “This is...

A Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) associated with a filament eruption
became visible on February 26 at 1448 UTC.  Model analysis
determined this CME to be a miss ahead of the Sun/Earth line.

Unsettled to active levels are likely on February 28 to March 1 as a
Coronal Hole influence continues, and a glancing blow is possible
from a Coronal Mass Ejection that occurred on February 25.

Solar activity is fore...

In late January 2025, 17 students and staff members from Las Animas High School (LAHS) in Colorado visited the Deep Space Exploration Society Radio Telescope (DSES) located at the Plishner Radio Astronomy and Space Sciences Center near Haswell, Colorado. They also got an introduction to amateur radio.

“This first field trip visit of high school students reflected the dreams of Michael Lowe, form...

ARRL is equipping the next generation of radio amateurs with the knowledge to get active on the air. “On the Air Live” is a monthly interactive webinar series that does deep-dives into topics aimed at the new and intermediate ham. It complements material found in On the Air magazine. February’s event had nearly 130 people in attendance. 

The events are hosted by ARRL Education Specialist Wayne G...