According to NASA ISS Ham Radio Project Engineer Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO, there is a good possibility that groups participating in ARRL Field Day may be able to make a contact with one of the astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Governors across the United States have shown their support for Amateur Radio, with many proclaiming Amateur Radio Week in their states. Coinciding with ARRL Field Day, these proclamations show citizens that these states value the contributions made by radio amateurs.
Each year, the ARRL’s Media and Public Relations Department makes materials available to Public Affairs Officers (PIOs) for use in promoting Field Day events. Most of these are in forms that local groups can easily modify to include their own information, but there is also a national press release that is sent out direct from [...]
Dozens of beginners and experts discover that New England’s forests are ideal for hidden transmitter hunting.
Stations active during ARRL Field Day — June 27-28 — are eligible to receive 100 bonus points for copying the special Field Day bulletin transmitted by W1AW (or K6KPH on the West Coast) according to the schedule below. You must include an accurate copy of the message in your Field Day submission. The Field Day [...]
Joe Phillips, K8QOE, who served as ARRL Ohio Section Manager since 1998, passed away suddenly at his home on Saturday, June 20. He was 68. Licensed in 1959 as KN9SYL, Phillips first joined the ARRL Field Organization as an Official Emergency Station (OES) in 1986. He became a Public Information Officer in 1989 and has [...]
Through a technique called Internet linking, ham radio operators are harnessing the immediacy and portability of radio communication to the global reach of the Internet. Today’s radio amateurs are using the Internet as the relay between their radio base stations, handhelds and mobile transceivers for long-distance communication, spanning thousands of miles. The ARRL has released [...]
On June 16, Julius Genachowski — the man President Barack Obama picked to head the Federal Communications Commission — and current FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell appeared before the Senate’s Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee for their confirmation hearing. The Committee voted 24-1 to approve Genachowski’s nomination and unanimously approved McDowell for his first full term [...]
When I tell this story to friends who are not hams all I get is a blank look, but I know you will understand why the event left me feeling amazed and disoriented. It started out mundanely enough. I was cruising the neighborhood of Oakland, California’s Rockridge Café, a favorite grill of mine in which [...]
I bet you have this memorized: "Solar activity was very low throughout the reporting period, and geomagnetic field activity was at quiet levels during most of the reporting period." Enough said? The first sunspot region of Solar Cycle 24 occurred on January 4, 2008. Since then, though, Solar Cycle 24 spots have been few and [...]
This week’s Surfin’ seeks and discovers a better definition for the word "amateur."
On June 19, 1934, 75 years ago today, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) — replacing the Federal Radio Commission — by signing Public Law 73-416, the Communications Act of 1934. Happy birthday FCC!
The second and third sessions of the ARRL’s Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology of 2009 are just about complete in Rocklin, California and Tucson, Arizona. These two TIs mark the first time that the ARRL has offered simultaneous sessions of the popular summer program for teachers. According to Education and Technology Program Coordinator Mark Spencer, [...]
The July/August issue of NCJ, The National Contest Journal, is filled with the latest news from the contesting world. Whether you are new to contesting or are a seasoned pro — or somewhere in the middle — you will find something in NCJ just for you.
Registration remains open through Sunday, June 28, 2009 for these online course sessions that begin on Friday, July 10, 2009: Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 1; Antenna Modeling; Radio Frequency Interference; Antenna Design and Construction; Ham Radio (Technician) License Course; Propagation, Analog Electronics, and Digital Electronics.