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ARRL RTTY Roundup is This Weekend |
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The first ARRL contest of 2025 is about to begin. The ARRL RTTY Roundup is this weekend. The event begins at 1800 UTC on Saturday, January 4, and concludes at 2359 UTC on Sunday, January 5. Operation is allowed using the RTTY mode on the 80-, 40-, 20-, 15-, and 10-meter bands. “RTTY Roundup is a great opportunity to explore this unique digital mode,” said ARRL Contest Program Manager Paul Bourque, N1SFE.
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| It is not hard to get started in the mode. “If you’re set up to run digital modes, you’re halfway there,” said Bourque. For information on getting started with RTTY, a great resource to check out is rttycontesting.com.
RTTY traces its origins back to the beginning of landline teleprinter operations in 1849, but RTTY contesting has seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years. In the 2024 RTTY Roundup, there were 1,953 logs submitted — 160 more than in 2023.
Find more information about the contest, awards, and rules at www.arrl.org/rtty-roundup. Log submissions are due within 7 days of the contest.
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CWops Announces 2024 Advancing the Art of CW Award |
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Each year, CWops, an international organization that promotes and advances Morse code (CW) in amateur radio communications, accepts nominations for individuals, groups, and organizations for the CWops Award for Advancing the Art of CW. The award recognizes contributions made toward advancing the art or practice of radio communications by Morse code.
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| The Radio Officer’s Association (ROA) is the recipient of the 2024 CWops Award for Advancing the Art of CW. ROA honors and preserves the history and accomplishments of radio professionals from across the Merchant Navy, Coast Station Service, and Civil Aeronautical industry. Its membership includes nearly 400 former professional radio officers, half of whom hold amateur radio licenses. CWops recognized ROA’s efforts to preserve CW history through its journal, and for activities that span CW mentoring, on air nets, and CW-related museum displays and related activities.
The award was recently accepted by ROA’s Bill Cross, G0ELZ, at the organization’s annual meeting in Liverpool, England. It was presented by CWops President Stew Rolfe, GW0ETF.
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Winter Field Day (WFD), hosted by the Winter Field Day Association, is scheduled to run from 1900 UTC on Saturday, January 25, through 1859 UTC on Sunday, January 26.
WFD is held on the last full weekend in January and is a communications exercise that can be worked from the comfort of your home or from a remote location. You can participate by yourself, with your friends and family, or with a local club.
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| WFD is designed to help increase your level of preparedness for disasters and for you to improve and practice your operating skills in winter environments, as the potential for freezing temperatures, snow, ice, and other hazards present unique operating conditions.
WFD is open to participants worldwide. Amateur radio operators may use frequencies on the HF, VHF, or UHF bands and are free to use any mode that can faithfully transmit the required exchange intact. Similar to ARRL’s Field Day, bonus points are earned in several ways, including from using non-commercial power sources, operating from remote locations, making satellite contacts, and more. Make sure you register your location at the WFD registration page. To date, there are 345 locations registered around the world.
Also, remember to mark your calendar for 2025 ARRL Field Day on June 28 – 29. For additional information, visit Field Day (arrl.org).
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Amateur Radio in the News |
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On the Air
Sponsored by Icom
Learn Even More with On the Air Live
In early 2025, the ARRL Education & Learning Department will launch an interactive livestreamed video podcast, On the Air Live. The monthly episodes will be aimed toward educating new and intermediate-level hams, inspiring them to explore the nearly endless aspects of amateur radio and develop their skills. ARRL Education Specialist Wayne Greene, KB4DSF, who will host each episode, joins the On the Air podcast to share more details, including upcoming topics and how to participate in real time.
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ARRL Audio News
Listen to ARRL Audio News, available every Friday. ARRL Audio News is a summary of the week’s top news stories in the world of amateur radio and ARRL, along with interviews and other features.
The On the Air podcast and ARRL Audio News are available on blubrry, iTunes, and Apple Podcasts.
On the Air | ARRL Audio News
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Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation, HamSCI, will hold its 2025 community workshop on March 14 – 15, 2025, at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in Newark, New Jersey. The theme for this year’s conference is “HamSCI’s Big Year” and will provide an opportunity for both amateur radio and professional research communities to collaborate and share ideas. The session planned for Friday will be organized in the format of a traditional science workshop, with a full day’s program of oral technical and scientific presentations. The Saturday session will focus more on the “citizen science” (volunteer) aspects of HamSCI, where amateur radio operators make the greatest impact. HamSCI and NJIT will be hosting a banquet on Friday night, with a keynote speaker. Conference and registration details will be available soon. For more information about HamSCI, and to join the mailing list and receive their quarterly newsletter, please visit the HamSCI website.
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| A reminder that ARRL Kids Day is Saturday, January 4, 2025, and runs from 1800 – 2359 UTC. You may operate as much or as little as you like. The event is designed to give on-the-air experience to young people, to foster interest in getting a license of their own, and give older hams a chance to share their stations and love for amateur radio with children. You can share the excitement with your own kids, grandkids, a Scout troop, a church, or the general public! All participants are encouraged to post their stories and thumbnail photos to the Kids Day Soapbox page. Tell the world about your operations, the fun you had, and the contacts you made! Remember, ARRL must have a completed release form in order to include youth photos (younger than 18 years of age) in ARRL publications. There will be a second ARRL Kids Day on June 21, 2025. More information, including frequencies, suggested exchanges, and how to download a certificate, can be found at Kids Day.
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| ARRL seeks your help in honoring outstanding work done by hams, through the ARRL Service Awards, and nominations are now open. There is a host of different awards which are divided into four categories: Education Awards, Media/Public Relations Awards, Technical Awards, and Distinguished Service Awards. Visit the ARRL Awards Nominations page where there are more details for each award, plus instructions for making nominations.
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QuartzFest, a week-long ham radio, camping, learning, and living outdoor event, will be held January 19 – 25, 2025 near Quartzite, Arizona. QuartzFest is an ARRL Specialty Convention. Special Event Station W7Q will be in operation 0900 – 1800 PST daily. ARRL National Instructor Gordon West, WB6NOA, will hold a welcome seminar Monday January 20, 0900 – 1000 PST and on Friday afternoon at 14:00 PST West will be the featured speaker at the ARRL Instructor Seminar. Camping is free but there is a $5.00 admission charge. Events scheduled throughout the week include an RV and Rock Show on Tuesday, an Off Road Adventure Wednesday morning, and a Hike to Cunningham Peak Thursday. QuartzFest is located 7 miles south of Quartzsite, on US 95 at La Paz Valley Road. More information and complete list of events can be viewed here.
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| Registration is now open for the 2025 Dayton ConTest University (CTU) to be held all day on Thursday May 15, 2025, at the Hope Hotel on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base the day before Hamvention® opens in Xenia, Ohio. 2025 will be the 16th year for CTU Dayton. Eight different countries have hosted CTUs, including the USA, Australia, Russia, Germany, Italy, England, Brazil, and Finland. Over 10,000 students have attended these CTUs with more than 100 CTU professors sharing their contesting experiences. The 2025 CTU Dayton course outline will be posted once all have been confirmed. Each presentation is carefully prepared with up-to-date information. CTU professors are experienced contesters who will share their knowledge, and participants can ask questions and learn new ways to enjoy contesting. Videos and PDF presentations from past CTUs can be viewed at contestuniversity.com. There are scholarships (registration fee paid) available for CTU through a grant from the Northern California DX Foundation for students aged 25 or younger. Student registration information is on the CTU website, contestuniversity.com.
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| This image was taken on January 2, 2025. [Photo courtesy of NASA SDO/HMI] |
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ARRL Propagation Bulletin ARLP001:
Currently a geomagnetic storm is raging. On January 1 – 2, Alaska’s college A index reached 113. Predicted planetary A index is 8, then 5 over the next few days, then up to 50 on January 27. Aurora is visible in Arizona in North America and as far south as Italy in Europe.
Predicted solar flux is 220, 215, 220, 215 and 210 on January 2 – 6; 205 on January 7 – 8; 200, 170 and 165 on January 9 – 11; 170 on January 12 – 13; 175 on January 13 – 15, then above 200 after January 18. See the current issue of QST magazine about the peak of cycle 25.
Sunspot numbers for December 26, 2024, through January 1, 2025, were 211, 233, 213, 209, 162, 172, and 163 with a mean of 194.7. The 10.7 -centimeter flux was 255.8, 258.5, 260.3, 254.7, 223.5, 216.2, and 219.2 with a mean of 241.2. The Planetary A index was 3, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10 and 86 with an average of 16.9and the middle latitude A Index was 3, 5, 7, 10, 7, 10, and 48, with a mean of 12.9.
Read “What’s next when the Sun reaches solar maximum? Experts weigh in” from Meteored, one the United Kingdom’s leading providers of worldwide meteorological information.
Send your tips, questions, or comments to k7ra@arrl.net.
A comprehensive K7RA Solar Update is posted Fridays on the ARRL website. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information Service, read “What the Numbers Mean…,” and check out the Propagation Page of Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA.
A propagation bulletin archive is available. For customizable propagation charts, visit the VOACAP Online for Ham Radio website.
Share your reports and observations.
A weekly, full report is posted on ARRL News.
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- January 2 – 3 — Walk for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW)
- January 2 — NRAU 10m Activity Contest (CW, phone, digital)
- January 2 — SKCC Sprint Europe (CW)
- January 3 — NCCC FT4 Sprint (digital)
- January 3 — NCCC Sprint (CW)
- January 4 — PODXS 070 Club PSKFest (digital)
- January 4 — Marconi Club ARI Loano QSO Party Day (CW)
- January 4 – 5 — WW PMC Contest (CW, phone)
- January 4 — RSGB AFS Contest (CW)
- January 4 — ARRL Kids Day (phone)
- January 4 – 5 — ARRL RTTY Roundup (digital)
- January 4 – 5 — EUCW 160m Contest (CW)
- January 7 — ARS Spartan Sprint (CW)
Visit the ARRL Contest Calendar for more events and information.
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Upcoming Section, State, and Division Conventions |
- January 4 | Ham Radio University, hosting the ARRL New York City-Long Island Section Convention, Brookville, New York
- January 10 – 11 | 2025 Southwest Florida Regional Hamfest, hosting the ARRL Southern Florida Section Convention, Fort Myers, Florida
- January 17 – 18 | Cowtown Hamfest 25, hosting the ARRL North Texas Section Convention, Forest Hill, Texas
- January 31 – February 1 | Jackson MS Capital City Hamfest 2025, hosting the ARRL Mississippi Section Convention, Jackson, Mississippi
- February 7 – 9 | Orlando HamCation, hosting the ARRL Southeastern Division Convention, Orlando, Florida
- February 8 | Hendricks County Hamfest, hosting the ARRL Indiana Section Convention, Danville, Indiana
- February 14 -15 | Yuma Hamfest, hosting the ARRL Southwestern Division Convention, Yuma, Arizona
- February 22 | HAM-CON, hosting the ARRL Vermont State Convention, Colchester, Vermont
- February 28 – March 1 | BirmingHamfest, hosting the ARRL Alabama Section Convention, Trussville, Alabama
- March 7 – 8 | Greater Houston HamFest, hosting the ARRL Texas State Convention, Rosenberg, Texas
- March 15 | 69th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Hamfest, hosting the ARRL West Texas Section Convention, Midland, Texas
Search the ARRL Hamfest and Convention Database to find events in your area.
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