ARRL news

AMSAT reports that it’s continuing to assess the status of the RadFxSat-2 / Fox-1E amateur radio CubeSat after a ham in Nevada reported hearing his CW signal weakly via the spacecraft’s transponder on January 27. AMSAT Engineering and Operations was able to confirm the reports from Brad Schumacher, W5SAT, and determined that RadFxSat-2 is partially functioning, although signals are extremely we...

The Intrepid-DX Group is seeking nominations for the individual or group that most displayed their “Intrepid spirit” in 2020. For the purposes of this award, “an Intrepid spirit is bold, courageous, dedicated, innovative, fearless, generous, resolute, and visionary in their approach to amateur radio,” the organization says. “We want to recognize those individuals or groups that activated the ra...

SuitSat loses its innocence in a new video short sci-fi thriller Decommissioned. “Inspired by true events,” the video short resurrects the 2006 spacesuit/satellite that transmitted messages on 2 meters as it circled Earth. The original SuitSat-1 project, conceived by an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) team, repurposed a decommissioned Russian Orlan spacesuit to function...

President Joseph Biden this week designated FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel as acting chair of the FCC. She succeeds, at least temporarily, former FCC chair Ajit Pai, who resigned effective on January 20.

“I am honored to be designated as the Acting Chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission by President Biden,” Rosenworcel said in a statement. “I thank the President for the oppor...

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: We just witnessed 12 consecutive days with no sunspots, which many of us found a bit unsettling. Fortunately, Solar Cycle 25 activity returned with new sunspot 2796 on January 15. Instead of moving from the east across the solar horizon, it emerged in the southern hemisphere, just west of center.

Currently we are seeing sunspot regions 2797 and 2798, which emerg...

A derecho with winds of 80 to 100 MPH struck eastern Iowa last August, disrupting power and telecommunications for some 400,000 residents. But, as ARRL member and Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES®) volunteer Scott Haney, N0GUD, recently explained to The Gazette in Cedar Rapids, that’s when amateur radio shines.

Haney, the president of the Cedar Valley Amateur Radio Club (CVARC), was the foc...

We just witnessed 12 consecutive days with no sunspots, which many of us found a bit unsettling. But fortunately Solar Cycle 25 activity returned with a new sunspot on January 15.

Average daily sunspot number increased from zero last week, to 14.7 in the January 14-20 reporting period.

Average daily solar flux rose from 73.8 to 76.1, and geomagnetic indicators sank to very quiet levels. Average d...

Contest University (CTU) is holding a Virtual Propagation Summit on Saturday, January 23. The Zoom-platform event will get under way with introductory remarks from Tim Duffy, K3LR, and Ray Novak, N9JA, at 1600 UTC.

At 1605 UTC, Scott Jones, N3RA, and George Fremin, K5TR, will moderate a session “Update on the Personal Space Weather Station Project & HamSCI activities for 2021” with Nathaniel Fri...

The FCC has released an Enforcement Advisory: Amateur and Personal Radio Services Licensees and Operators May Not Use Radio Equipment to Commit or Facilitate Criminal Acts.

[Complete text of FCC Enforcement Advisory follows.]

FCC ENFORCEMENT ADVISORY

DA 21-73

Released:  January 17, 2021

WARNING:  AMATEUR AND PERSONAL RADIO SERVICES LICENSEES AND OPERATORS MAY NOT USE RADIO EQUIPMENT TO COMMIT OR FAC...

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: What happened? Solar Cycle 25 seemed well under way, but no new sunspots have emerged since December 23. The last time any sunspot was visible was January 2. On January 14, Spaceweather.com posted, “Welcome back, solar minimum.”

Average daily solar flux declined from 78.6 to 73.8. Geomagnetic A index remained quiet. Predicted solar flux for the next 30 days is 7...