Seven sunspot groups emerged this week. The first was on September
19, three on September 20, one each on September 22 and 23, and the
last on September 25.

Average daily sunspot numbers increased from 120 to 137.2, and
average daily solar flux shifted from 175.7 to 164.3.

Geomagnetic numbers were much quieter. Average daily planetary A
index changed from 35.7 to 14.3, and middle latitude A index fro...

Amateur radio continues to respond to two different tropical events as of Wednesday, September 25, 2024, at 12:00 PM Eastern, now Hurricane Helene and Tropical Depression John

The National Hurricane Center reports that Tropical Storm Helene has been upgraded to a Category 1 Hurricane with  80 mph winds and is forecast to keep rapidly intensifying into a Category 3 hurricane by the time it makes ...

Amateur radio is responding to two different tropical events as of Tuesday, September 24, 2024 at 1:00 PM Eastern.

Hurricane John

The National Hurricane Center reports that Hurricane John made landfall on Mexico's southern Pacific coast late Monday evening about 80 miles east of the resort of Acapulco as a Category 3 storm. Winds were reported up to 120 miles per hour (mph) before the storm began...

The ARRL Field Organization is divided geographically into 71 sections. A key volunteer that members in each section elect is the Section Manager. These ARRL member-volunteers take a critical role in being the front line of the organization to members.

On Saturday, September 15, 2024, 13 ARRL Section Managers gathered at ARRL Headquarters in Newington, Connecticut, for training. ARRL staff memb...

As ARRL continues the September series on National Preparedness Month, we turn to a critical element for radio amateurs and especially Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®) volunteers: their station. 

Many hams have a home station from which we operate on a regular basis.  Is your station set up to operate or have the ability to operate off the grid or on alternate power sources?  There are m...

Solar activity was quiet over the past week, but geomagnetic numbers
were way, way up.

Average daily sunspot numbers dropped from 178.4 to 120, and average
daily solar flux from 223.7 to 175.7.

Average daily planetary A index rocketed from 7.9 to 35.7, and
middle latitude numbers from 11.1 to 23.4.

Six new sunspot groups emerged over the past week; one each on
September 13 and 14, two on September 16,...

Michael “Mike” D. Valentine, W8MM, of Cincinnati, Ohio, passed away on Monday, September 16, 2024. He was 74. Mike and his wife of 51 years, Margaret “Peg” K. Valentine, have been the most generous individual supporters of ARRL The National Association of Amateur Radio. Valentine earned his amateur radio license as a teenager. “I was first licensed as WN8MSF and WA8MSF, simultaneously in the sp...

September is National Preparedness Month. In coordination with our partners at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®) is producing a series of weekly articles to help radio amateurs and their families stay safe.

See previous stories:

https://www.arrl.org/news/resilience-through-amateur-radio-for-national-preparedness-month 

https://www.arr...

Ham radio operators volunteering with the ARRL® Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®) have successfully completed operations for Hurricane Francine, now a tropical storm. “We had a huge positive showing of ARES team members checking in and doing the ‘thing.’ I sincerely appreciate everyone leaning into this activation,” said Robert Hayes, KC5IMN, Section Emergency Coordinator of the ARRL Mis...

With sunspot numbers up and solar flux decreasing, we saw ten new
sunspot groups this week; two on September 6, three on September 7,
two on September 8, one on September 9, and two on September 11.

Average daily sunspot numbers increased from 155.3 to 178.4, while
average daily solar flux declined from 230.3 to 223.7.

Geomagnetic indicators were quiet, with average daily planetary A
index dropping f...

A new and faster way to communicate during emergencies is being planned by the Utah Section of the ARRL® Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®) group, which serves Salt Lake County, the most populous area in Utah.

ARRL Utah Section Public Information Coordinator Scott Rosenbush, K7HSR, said that discussion and planning for mesh networks using AREDN (Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network) techno...

Francine update September 10, 2024 Noon Eastern:

ARRL Director of Emergency Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, just participated in a call with the National Weather Service Shreveport, Louisiana Field Office. "Our partners at NWS are closely monitoring the situation and preparing Louisiana for multiple possibilities, that each could change as the situation unfolds," he said.

ARRL members and Amate...

September is National Preparedness Month, and ARRL is working to help radio amateurs have a plan for family resilience. Many hams enjoy public service as part of their operating. Being ready to activate for a served agency through the ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®) involves not only being licensed and trained, but also prepared and equipped.

ARRL Director of Emergency Management J...

In late August, Hawaii’s big island was threatened by three major tropical storms and amateur radio operators were prepared to assist as the threat grew more intense. Russell Roberts, KH6JRM, Public Information Officer, Hawaii County, ARRL Pacific Section, said that beginning August 23, storm watches and warnings were being issued for tropical storms Hone, Gilma, and Hector, all churning off th...

Eight new sunspot groups emerged over the past week.

Two appeared on August 30, three more on August 31, another two on
September 2 and one more on September 4.

Average daily sunspot number declined from 177.1 to 155.3, while
average daily solar flux barely changed from 229 to 230.3.

Spaceweather.com reported the average daily sunspot number for
August was 200, the highest monthly average in the past...

Updated 9/3/2024

ARRL previously reported that we are responding to a serious incident involving access to our network and headquarters-based systems. Several services have been affected, including those administered by the ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (ARRL VEC).

Exam Registrations and Materials. ARRL Volunteer Examiners (VEs) should continue to submit exam registrations and material requ...

Updated 9/3/2024

As previously reported, the ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) Program continues to operate during the systems service disruption.

ARRL Volunteer Examiners (VEs) should continue to submit exam registrations and material requests. We are able to post new or revised exam session dates and details to the website, and ship out exam materials. International Amateur Radio Permit...