ARRL News

31 July 2021

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is the national association for amateur radio, connecting hams around the U.S. with news, information and resources.

• The K7RA Solar Update
• 8-Meter Experimental Station on the Air from the US

  WL2XUP is an FCC Part 5 Experimental station operated by Lin Holcomb, NI4Y, in Georgia. It’s licensed to operate with up to 400 W effective radiated power (ERP) between 40.660 MHz to 40.700 MHz.

  
  

  John Desmond, EI7GL, reports that as of mid-July, WL2XUP was intermittently transmitting on Weak-Signal Propagation Reporter (WSPR) on 40.662 MHz (1500 Hz) for 2 minutes out of every 10, with an output p...

• MARS HF Net Participants Aid in Response to Fatal Maritime Disaster

  On July 6, an evening Army Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) HF practice net in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region 2 (New York and New Jersey) was interrupted by several “mayday” distress calls on the channel, which is shared with the maritime service. Net control station Ron Tomo, KE2UK, immediately halted training and attempted (without success) to establish radio communic...

• Amateur Radio Activities to be a Part of Missouri’s State Bicentennial Celebration

  The Missouri First Capitol State Historic Site in St. Charles will host an amateur radio event on August 10, in association with this year’s celebration of the Missouri State Bicentennial. The original capitol building on the west bank of the Missouri River served as the state’s capitol from 1821 to 1826. The site is part of the St. Charles Historic District in the city’s Riverfront neighborhoo...

• FCC to Re-Establish Technological Advisory Council, Solicits Membership Nominations

  The FCC is seeking nominations for a chairperson and members of the Technological Advisory Council (TAC). In a July 21 Public Notice, the Commission announced that it intends to re-establish the TAC for 2 years, by August 20, 2021. It’s anticipated that the renewed panel could hold is first meeting in October.

  The TAC provides technical advice to the FCC and makes recommendations on the issues a...

• Stations to Celebrate Fourth Anniversary of FT8
• ARRL Board of Directors Creates Emergency Communications and Field Services Committee

  At its just-concluded July 2021 meeting, the ARRL Board of Directors approved By-Law changes creating a third Standing Committee that joins the existing Administration and Finance Committee and Programs and Services Committee.

  The charter of the new Emergency Communications and Field Services Committee (EC-FSC) is to develop and recommend new or modified Board policy and programs for emergency c...

• The K7RA Solar Update

  Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: It’s exciting to observe increasing sunspot activity. Recently Solar Cycle 25 produced new sunspots frequently, and I watch them pop up every day on Spaceweather.com. New sunspots emerged on July 14, 16, 17, 19 and 20, and two new ones appeared on July 21. When I look at this image from July 22, our sun is peppered with spots, reminding me of past solar cycles....

• ARRL Announces Leadership Changes in the Central Division

  ARRL Central Division Director Kermit Carlson, W9XA, has stepped down as Central Division Director. Carlson made the announcement at the July 2021 Board of Directors meeting this past weekend. Vice Director Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA, has acceded to the Director’s chair, and ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, has appointed Brent Walls, N9BA, to succeed Luetzelschwab as the Central Division Vice...

• Massachusetts Court Okays Amateur Radio Tower, Citing Board of Appeals’ Error

  A judge in the Massachusetts Land Court has ruled that the Zoning Board of Appeals in the City of Framingham “erred” in revoking a building permit for an 80-foot ham radio tower as an accessory use. The Building Commissioner in Framingham had granted ARRL member Mikhail “Misha” Filippov, KD1MF, a building permit for the tower, and Filippov had begun pouring concrete for the tower footings. Neig...

• FCC Investigating Alleged “Jamming” on 40 Meters

  Reports suggest that jamming stations have been deployed on the lower portion of 40 meters. The jamming appears to be coming from Cuba. The signals, spaced at regular intervals, exhibit a squishy, popping noise. The apparent jamming showed up after anti-government protesters took to the streets in Cuba, followed by a government crackdown. So far, there’s no proven connection between the jamming...

• AO-109 (RadFxSat-2/AMSAT Fox-1E) Open for Amateur Use

  AMSAT’s Engineering and Operations Teams have announced that AO-109 (RadFxSat-2/AMSAT Fox-1E) is now open for amateur use. AMSAT advises operators to use efficient modes for making contacts, such as CW or FT4, because issues with the satellite make SSB voice contacts “challenging at best.” An article in the May/June 2021 issue (Vol. 44, No. 3) of The AMSAT Journal details the various attempts t...

• AMSAT-NA Issues First Call for Papers
• ARRL 2020 Annual Report Now Available to Download

  The ARRL 2020Annual Report has been posted and is available to download. The report summarizes ARRL program and fiscal activity for the year.

  In his introductory remarks, ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, said that 2020 was a difficult and challenging year for ARRL. “The coronavirus pandemic changed everything, from the way we socialized, to the way we worked, to the way students learned,” Ro...

• Amateur Radio Responds to Flooding in Western Europe

  International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 1 Emergency Communications Coordinator Greg Mossop, G0DUB, reported over the weekend that amateur radio volunteers have responded in the wake of widespread and catastrophic flooding in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The flooding, resulting from unprecedented heavy rainfall, has claimed more than 120 lives. Hundreds more remain unaccounted...

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Ham of the Year

Here is the list of past winners of the BARA Ham of the Year: