ARRL

Due to a severe winter storm, ARRL Headquarters and the Maxim Memorial Station, W1AW, will be closed on Monday, February 23, for the safety of our staff. Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has declared a state of emergency ahead of a blizzard that is moving into the state Sunday and continuing into Monday.There will be no W1AW bulletin or CW practice transmissions on Monday.Members can access many...

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is looking for qualified applicants for Field Agents in seven Enforcement Bureau (EB) offices across the United States: Atlanta, GA; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; New Orleans, LA; New York, NY, and Portland, OR. Incumbents will resolve Radio Frequency (RF) interference, educate users, and enforce regulations. The GS levels for this position hav...

Solar activity returned to low levels this past week. The strongestevent of the period was a C1.8 flare on February 17 from region4374. This region was also responsible for a C1.4 flare on February18. The only other flare of note was a C1.1 flare on February 17from an unnumbered plage region near S05E85. (A plage region is abright, intensely hot region in the Sun's chromosphere, typicallyfound ...

ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio®’s new book, Digital Networking for Ham Radio, a practical, hands-on guide to designing and implementing high-speed data networks for amateur radio stations, is now shipping.Written by Glen Popiel, KW5GP, the book brings together in one comprehensive resource the knowledge needed to build, configure, and expand digital networks for ham radio. From...

ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® announced the winner of the 2025 ARRL Sweepstakes Icom® Dream Station on Saturday, February 14, at 2026 Orlando HamCation. The announcement was made by ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, with Icom America Senior Sales Manager Ray Novak, N9JA.The ARRL Sweepstakes ran from January 3 to December 31, 2025, as the centerpiece of a year-long membershi...

Solar activity reached moderate levels early this week. Thestrongest event was an M1.4 flare observed on February 11 in Region4366. This region also produced nine C-class flares. Region 4373 produced a C1.8/Sf flare on February 11. This regiondisplayed some minor area growth. Regions 4369 and 4371 exhibitedsome minor decay. The other spotted regions remained unchanged. NewRegion 4375 was number...

ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® is inviting radio clubs to participate in the second annual Ham Radio Open House in April. Hosting an Open House gives clubs and schools the opportunity to promote amateur radio science and technology by opening their stations to the public and showcasing their hi-tech gear and operating skills.In addition, clubs are encouraged to set up in publi...

ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® is saddened to share the news that Sharon Taratula, who served the League with dedication and distinction for 32 years, passed away on February 4, 2026.Sharon joined ARRL on January 31, 1994, as DXCC Awards Technician. She later served as Administrative Assistant (1996), MVP Administrative Manager (2011), and from 2016 until her passing, as Award...

Solar activity was at high levels for most of the week, dominated byRegion 4366. The most notable event was an impulsive X4.2 flare fromthat region on February 4. Throughout the period, Region 4366continued to exhibit a slight reduction in area and a modestsimplification of its magnetic complexity. The remaining numberedregions on the visible disk remained stable or in a state of slightdecay. T...

John B. Johnston, W3BE (SK), of Derwood, Maryland, passed away on January 7, 2026. He was 98 years old. Born in Zanesville, Ohio, Johnson was a World War II veteran and served in the Pacific Theater. He was first licensed on March 15, 1954, as KN2HHR. Following military service and college, he worked for the General Electric Company, and then as an engineer for the Federal Communications Commis...

Solar activity continued at low levels this week. Low level C-classflares were observed from Regions 4342 and 4353. The majority of theregions were either stable or in decay. New Regions 4359, 4360, and4361 emerged on the disk and were numbered. No Earth-directedCoronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) were observed. The forecast calls forsolar activity to remain at low levels with a chance for M-classfla...

580 students at Conn Magnet Elementary School in Raleigh, North Carolina, will participate in a conversation with an astronaut on board the International Space Station (ISS). Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has confirmed the contact, scheduled for Friday, January 30, 2026, just after 10:00 AM EST.  Radio communications will be provided by the Raleigh Amateur Radio Socie...