American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources

The ARRL Solar Update

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 09:46:00 -0500

The active sunspot region that has been giving us improved
propagation over the past several days will be rotating away
from Earth’s view today, but conditions on most of the HF
amateur bands should remain pretty decent in the days ahead,
as the 10.7-centimeter radio flux remains right around 100.
However, NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) says
the geomagnetic field could become unsettled...

eBay Restricts Listings of Radio Equipment, but Exempts Ham-Band-Only Gear

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 14:02:00 -0500

ImageOnline marketplace eBay has imposed new restrictions on listings of radio transmitting equipment in response to new FCC rules that took effect this week, but responded to ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® that its new policy will not apply to gear that operates exclusively on amateur radio frequencies. The FCC’s rules are intended to use its equipment authorization program t...

Florida Hams Provide Communications Support During Hurricane Isaias

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 13:39:00 -0500

Amateur radio operators from Florida’s Santa Rosa, Nassau, Lake, Pinellas, and Leon Counties played an important role in supporting emergency communications efforts during and following Hurricane Isaias, helping ensure that critical communication capabilities remained available throughout the storm.

In Santa Rosa County, volunteer amateur radio operators staffed the Emergency Operations Center (...

The ARRL Solar Update

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 13:37:00 -0500

Look for improved propagation on the upper HF bands, as both the
sunspot numbers and 10.7-centimeter radio flux remain near or above
100. According to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC),
the increase in activity is being fueled primarily by sunspot
Region 4551, which is described as the largest and most complex of
six sunspot regions currently visible on the surface of the Sun.
Mostly quie...

The 2026 ARRL Online Auction Is Now Open

Wed, 14 Oct 2026 13:03:00 -0500

The 21st annual ARRL Online Auction, sponsored by GigaParts, is open now through October 22. Browse more than 200 items and place your bids!

This year’s selection includes gear from QST “Product Review” articles, vintage books, pre-owned equipment, signed original sketches by Salty Walt Hudson, K4OGO, from Salty Walt’s Portable Antenna Sketchbook, and four popular mystery boxes contributed by th...

ARRL Headquarters Closing Early on Friday, October 9, 2026

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 08:00:00 -0500

ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® will close our headquarters at 12 PM Eastern time on Friday, October 9, 2026, for a staff event.

The ARRL Headquarters lobby and store, as well as W1AW, will be open to visitors from 8 AM to 12 PM EDT. Members are reminded that many transactions may be completed on our website at www.arrl.org.

There won’t be any interruptions to the W1AW bulletin ...

Radio Amateurs Prepare for Hurricane Isaias

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 14:55:00 -0500

Updated Saturday, October 10, 2026 @ 11 AM EDT

As of Saturday morning, October 10, the Hurricane Watch Net remained active on both 14.325 and 7.268 MHz, collecting and forwarding post-storm reports to the National Hurricane Center and assisting with any emergency, priority or outgoing health and welfare traffic. Please keep these frequencies clear.

Updated Friday, October 9, 2026 @ 10 AM EDT

Upda...

Watching the Gulf

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 11:52:00 -0500

The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) is closely monitoring Invest 92L, which is expected to become Tropical Storm Isaias in the next 24 hours. According to HWN Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, the potential area of concern for this storm is a wide swath of the Gulf coast, extending from Louisiana to Florida. Graves says there is no HWN activation at this time, but the net will go into operation if offici...

2026 Collegiate QSO Party is October 3 – 4

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 12:18:00 -0500

Get ready to contact college and university radio clubs during this weekend’s Collegiate QSO Party, 0000 UTC October 3 through 2359 UTC ImageOctober 4 (Friday evening through Sunday in the US). Students, faculty, staff, and alumni will be on the air using the call sign of a college, university, or other post-secondary academic institution. Look for stations on CW, phone, and digital modes on an...

Remembering Four Silent Keys

Sun, 27 Sep 2026 10:00:00 -0500

We are saddened to report this week on the passing of four well-known amateurs, including two members of the extended “ARRL family.”

Longtime ARRL Rhode Island Section Manager Robert George “Bob” Beaudet, W1YRC, became a Silent Key on September 10, 2026, at age 88. An ARRL Life Member, Gold-Level Diamond Club member, and Maxim Society member in the President Class, Beaudet served as Rhode Islan...

Video/Podcast with ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA

Sat, 26 Sep 2026 10:00:00 -0500

ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA, was a guest on episode 103 of The DX Mentor, which aired September 19, 2026. Hosted by Bill Salyers, AJ8B, with Joe Pater, W8GEX, the discussion covered highlights from the ARRL Board of Directors’ annual Second Meeting, held July 17; the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU); the August ARRL National Convention hosted by the Huntsville Hamfest, and recent supp...

Will RADE Be the Next SSB?

Fri, 25 Sep 2026 10:24:00 -0500

It’s been a half century since single sideband (SSB) supplanted amplitude modulation (AM) as the most popular voice mode on HF, due largely to its spectrum efficiency, occupying roughly half the bandwidth of an AM signal. Now, there’s a new digital voice mode from FreeDV called Radio Autoencoder, or RADE, that occupies half the bandwidth of an SSB signal and reportedly provides more natural-sou...

FCC and HHS Initiate New Proceedings on RF Exposure

Fri, 25 Sep 2026 09:50:00 -0500

ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® is following two new federal proceedings concerning radio frequency (RF) exposure. On September 17, 2026, the FCC and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) initiated parallel comment periods on RF safety issues. Neither inquiry changes the current FCC RF exposure rules that apply to all radio amateurs but could lead to changes in...

The ARRL Solar Update

Fri, 25 Sep 2026 09:15:00 -0500

Solar activity is likely to continue at low levels with isolated to
occasional C-class flare activity, along with a slight chance for
R1-R2 (Minor-Moderate) M-class flare events, through September 25,
according to NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center. The SWPC reports
that nine sunspot regions are on the visible disk, including a new
Region 4541. There were three solar flares observed in the past ...

The ARRL Solar Update

Fri, 18 Sep 2026 08:23:00 -0500

Solar flare activity is expected to remain at very low levels, with a
chance for isolated C-class flares through September 19, according to
NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC). Solar wind speed was
steady near 530 km/s, and negative polarity CH HSS (coronal hole
high-speed stream) effects are anticipated to persist through September
18, with additional enhancements likely today due to flan...