|
|
Are You Ready for 2025 ARRL Field Day? |
| You can almost hear the synthesizer lead from the musical act Europe’s 1986 hit, “The Final Countdown,” playing in the air — we are just two weeks away from 2025 ARRL Field Day, taking place on June 28 – 29. As the excitement builds, 1067 sites are listed on the station locator tool. Each of them has a lot of work to do between now and the first “CQ Field Day” transmission.
|
 |
|
|
Now is the time to check (and double-check) everything, according to ARRL Radiosport and Regulatory Information Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ. “Check all your gear and accessories. Put it on the air, and make sure there are no problems. Organize your power chain – from the generator to all the cables,” he suggested.
Going through all the equipment, including antennas and antenna support structures, will keep any nasty surprises at bay when it’s time to activate for the event.
It is also time to check on your people and places. “Reach out to everyone who said they wanted to come and make sure they are still able to. Build an operating schedule,” said Jahnke. It’s also a prudent time to check with the property owner where you intend to hold the activation. Follow up with local media and town officials that have been invited.
With the heat of summer bearing down, make sure there’s enough water and sunscreen for the activation. A double-check of supplies now could spare you from unplanned errands during Field Day.
|
|
“More than anything, being prepared now will help you be present during Field Day,” said ARRL Public Relations and Outreach Manager Sierra Harrop, W5DX. “This is a great opportunity to share the joy and community of amateur radio with people who may not get a chance to participate in it often – or it could be a first introduction. Prepare now so you can have fun the weekend of,” she said.
ARRL has many resources to help your activation thrive during the event. All the rules and information are at www.arrl.org/FieldDay. Order your 2025 ARRL Field Day merch by Thursday, June 19, to ensure your shipment arrives in time for Field Day.
|
|
ARRL Teachers Institute – Multiplying the Message |
| ARRL welcomed the year’s first cohort of educators to attend a session of the ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology (TI) at headquarters this week. The group follows on the success of the Louisiana-based session last week, and one on Staten Island in New York City this past in January.
|
 |
|
|
The educators traveled from all over the country to attend and learn how to take radio and wireless technology back into the classroom as part of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) lessons. Many of the teachers took and passed their amateur radio license exams during the week, including Professor Charnell Long, Ph.D. She is a professor at North Carolina A&T University who works with pre-service educators to become certified teachers. She hopes to be a multiplying force for the information.
“It was fun to me,” said Long. “It is an opportunity to deep dive into radio in ways I never have before.” She will incorporate the hands-on training into her courses at the university. Long learned about the program when ARRL Education and Learning Manager Steve Goodgame, K5ATA, exhibited TI at the National Science Teachers Association convention.
“I see value in bringing [my students] scientific skills,” said Long. Goodgame is encouraged by the reach just one participant in TI could have. “We’re always excited to get educators hands-on with radio, but especially those who take what they learn here and go back and teach it to other educators,” he said.
Professor Long is one microcosm of ARRL’s focus on multiplying the reach of TI’s impact. The ARRL Board of Directors voted unanimously in July 2024 to authorize taking the high-quality education of TI to communities around the country. Increasing the number of teachers and therefore students reached by the training is one peg in the mission to inspire the next generation of radio amateurs.
While Professor Long and the other newly-minted radio amateurs in the cohort wait for their call signs to be issued, they continue to get hands-on with radio. Thursday’s session was focused on software-defined radios. “To see these educators have fun learning new things is a real boost, not only to the ARRL Education and Learning Department, but the future of ham radio as well,” said Goodgame.
|
 |
|
|
Jobs for Hams: Join the ARRL Team |
|
ARRL is looking for some new members of our Newington, Connecticut-based headquarters staff. There are several roles for which we’re seeking qualified candidates. If you’re into amateur radio, ARRL is a tremendous place to work.
The Membership Manager is responsible for leading efforts related to ARRL membership growth, engagement, and retention. This role serves as the primary point of contact for ARRL’s membership system and collaborates cross-functionally to support the organization’s membership goals.
The Advertising Sales Manager is responsible for developing advertising revenue across ARRL’s print and digital platforms, including magazines, media, and sponsorships. This role involves prospecting for new clients and cultivating current relationships, developing targeted advertising products and campaigns, managing ad sales operations, and collaborating cross-functionally with marketing and production teams. The manager also provides regular performance reporting, budgeting, and forecasting to senior leadership, and represents ARRL at amateur radio events.
Other open positions include:
Production Coordinator
Senior RFI Lab Engineer
Among the qualifications for each position is a desire for experienced radio amateurs, individuals who will thrive in a collaborative results-driven environment, and a commitment to advancing ARRL’s mission.
Central Connecticut offers the best of all worlds; vibrant modern urban life, quaint agrarian communities steeped in American history, coastal fun, and all the amenities you’d expect. Plus, you’re a quick drive to the mountains, New York City, or Boston. There’s a thriving local ham community that will welcome you.
Descriptions for each position are listed on the ARRL website at www.arrl.org/careers. If you have amateur radio experience and a desire to work at ARRL, apply for one of the jobs by submitting your resume and cover letter to hr@arrl.org.
ARRL is an equal opportunity employer.
|
 |
|
|
ARRL Section Manager Nomination Results |
|
ARRL announces the results of the recent Section Manager nomination period for the term beginning October 1, 2025. The following were declared elected, with no opposition:
• Amanda Alden, K1DDN – Colorado
• Jo Whitney, KA7LJQ – Eastern Washington
• Hank Blackwood, K4HYJ – Georgia
• Diana Feinberg, AI6DF – Los Angeles
• Dr. Carol Milazzo, KP4MD – Sacramento Valley
• Dr. Antonis Papatsaras, AA6OO – San Francisco
• Stuart Wolfe, KF5NIX – South Texas
• Darrell (Dan) Ringer, K8WV – West Virginia
Due to resoliciation, these Section Managers will continue in office as well:
• James Ferguson, N5KLE – Arkansas
• Garth Crowe, WY7GC – Wyoming
Craig McVeay, NØCSM, was elected as Section Manager of the ARRL Nevada Section for a term that begins July 1.
The ARRL Field Organization is the grassroots corps that makes up the 60,000 volunteers among ARRL membership. It is divided into 71 sections; each section is led by a volunteer Section Manager who is nominated and elected by the members of the section. Section Managers serve two-year terms.
|
 |
|
|
ARRL June VHF Contest is This Weekend |
| The 2025 ARRL June VHF Contest is this weekend, starting at 1800 UTC on Saturday, June 14, and concluding at 0259 UTC on Monday, June 16. Late spring weather brings enhanced tropospheric ducting and meteor scatter. Plus, it’s the peak of the sporadic-E season. Take advantage of these propagation enhancements and have some fun on the VHF and UHF bands.
|
 |
|
|
ARRL Contest Program Manager Paul Bourque, N1SFE, who is also an active 6-meter operator, says that it could be the band to watch. “Propagation on 6-meters has had some wonderful surprises, with openings from the East Coast to Europe, as well as transcontinental propagation being reported in recent weeks,” he said.
The exchange is the four-digit Maidenhead grid square you’re operating from. For more info on grid squares, visit www.arrl.org/grid-squares. All authorized modes on the bands 50 MHz and higher are permitted to be used in the contest.
You don’t need to have a powerhouse contest station to enjoy this event. If you have an HF rig that includes 6-meters and VHF/UHF capability, you’ve got just the tools you need to join in the fun of this contest! With good conditions, stations hundreds of miles away can be worked via tropo, meteor scatter and E-skip.
With several different categories in which to participate, there’s something to match your favorite style of operating. Single operator participants can enter in either all-mode, or analog-only (CW/phone) categories. From seasoned contest veterans to newly licensed Technicians, VHF contesting is a great way to have fun on the bands this weekend.
|
|
Amateur Radio in the News |
|
ARRL Live Events and Podcasts |
|
On the Air LIVE
Want to learn more about Fox Hunting? Perhaps pick up a new strategy or two? Join Wayne Greene, KB4DSF, LIVE from ARRL HQ on June 24 at 8pm Eastern. Registration is open now! learn.arrl.org/webinars/83549”
Up Next:
📅 Date: June 24, 2025
🕗 Time: 8 PM Eastern / 5 PM Pacific
👉 Register Now
The ARRL Education and Learning Department would like to apologize for the limitation of the registration system for May’s edition of On The Air Live. It hit a limit at 500 registrants. We’ve upgraded the system to allow for this rapid success and growth in participation. The recording of the May session is available in the ARRL Learning Center.
|
|
On the Air
Sponsored by Icom
Field Day Options for the New Ham
With ARRL Field Day weekend just a little more than two weeks away, we talk to ARRL’s Contest Program Manager Paul Bourque, N1SFE; Digital RF Engineer John McAuliffe, W1DRF and Education and Learning Support Specialist Max Freedman, N4ML, about how newer hams can navigate the most popular on-air event of the year. Get recommendations for setups, modes, goals, and more. Listen Now
|
|
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 ARRL Audio News is now broadcast on FM low power radio stations KQRZ-LP 100.7 and 96.7 MHz FM in Spokane, Washington every Saturday and Sunday morning at 8:00 AM PDT.
The On the Air podcast and ARRL Audio News are available on blubrry, iTunes, and Apple Podcasts.
On the Air | ARRL Audio News
|
| Well known and competitive contester Tom Taormina, K5RC/W7RN, passed away on June 10, 2025. He was a licensed amateur radio operator for 66 years and was inducted into the CQ Contest Hall of Fame in 2007. He earned the top spot in the ARRL Sweepstakes and was instrumental in creating the North American QSO Party, sponsored by the National Contest Journal, which he served as Editor in 1981 and from 1989 – 1993. Along with this friend, Grady Ferguson, W5FU (SK), Taormina built the Comstock Memorial Station, W7RN, in Reno, Nevada, and hosted a long list of elite competitive operators. Taormina was an Life Member ARRL member. Funeral arrangements are pending. You can learn more about Taormina in this YouTube video.
|
| The 2025 Youth on the Air (YOTA) Camp for young amateur radio operators in North, Central, and South America will operate special event station WØY while camp is in session from June 15-20 in the Denver suburb of Thornton, Colorado. The group also plans to contact the International Space Station (ARISS); complete portable & mobile activations for Summits on the Air (SOTA), Parks on the Air (POTA), Buc-ee’s on the Air and operate from WWV. It will livestream the ARISS contact, as well as opening and closing ceremonies, on YouTube. Campers will operate from the Bob Heil, K9EID, Memorial YOTA Camp Amateur Radio Shack in person and remotely as they finish projects, between sessions, and during free time. Activation of the WØY callsign from the camp will begin the evening of Sunday, June 15, and conclude at 1800Z on Friday, June 20. Camper Jack McElroy, KM4ZIA, is partnering with Edge of Space Sciences to launch a high-altitude balloon to near space and two pico balloons which, hopefully, will circumnavigate the Earth. The high-altitude balloon will launch either on Monday evening, June 16, or Tuesday morning, June 17, depending on the weather. For more details about this camp, visit YouthOnTheAir.org/denver2025.
|
| HAM RADIO 2025, the biggest amateur radio exhibition in Europe, will take place in Friedrichshafen, Germany, June 27 – 29. Over 11,000 people from 60 countries are expected to attend. There will be panel discussions, experiments, workshops, training courses, and competitions. ARRL will have a contingent there to greet many of our 6,000+ international members. ARRL delegates include President Rick Roderick, K5UR; International Affairs Vice President Rod Stafford, W6ROD; CEO David Minster, NA2AA; Director of Marketing and Innovation Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R; and Radiosport and Regulatory Information Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ. For more information, visit www.hamradio-friedrichshafen.com.
|
 |
|
| ARRL Education and Learning Manager Steve Goodgame, K5ATA, will be the guest of Josh Nass, KI6NAZ, on his popular YouTube channel, Ham Radio Crash Course. In a livestream discussion Goodgame will talk about all the ways ARRL is inspiring the next generation of hams including the ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology, the Collegiate Amateur Radio Program, free ARRL student membership, and an ARRL amateur radio STEM curriculum. Viewers will be able to participate in a live chat. The stream is scheduled for Saturday, June 14 and may be found here: www.youtube.com/@HamRadioCrashCourse/streams
|
 |
|
%20solar%20disk%20for%206-12-25.jpg?cb=299040) |
|
| This image was taken on June 12, 2025. [Photo courtesy of NASA SDO/HMI] |
|
|
|
ARRL Solar Report June 12, 2025
Solar activity was at low levels, with only C-class flares observed the past 48 hours. There were flares observed beyond the east limb, but no responsible region has yet come into view. Flaring was also observed just before 0600 UTC from near region 4105 and while modeling is not yet complete, is not expected to have an Earth-directed component. All other regions were mostly quiet and stable in their size.
Solar flare probabilities through June 13 remain at 35 percent for M-class (R1-R2, minor-moderate) levels. X-class (R3-strong) flare probabilities remain at 5 percent.
The continued effects of the coronal hole (CH) high speed stream (HSS) enhanced the greater-than-2-MeV electron flux. This flux is expected to continue at moderate levels through 13 June due to continued geoeffective positioning of CH in the northern hemisphere.
The 10.7-centimeter flux: June 12-14, 120; June 15, 118; June 16-17, 120; June 18, 125.
Predicted sunspot numbers: June 12,157; June 13, 156; June 14, 146; June 15, 154.
For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information Service, read A Quick Guide to HF Propagation Using Solar Indices, and check out the Propagation Page of Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA.
For customizable propagation charts, visit the VOACAP Online for Ham Radio website.
|
- June 14 – 15 — Portugal Day Contest (CW, phone)
- June 14 – June 15 — REF DDFM 6-Meter Contest (CW, phone)
- June 14 – June 16 — ARRL June VHF Contest (CW, phone, digital)
- June 16 — RSGB FT4 Contest (digital)
- June 17 — ICWC Medium Speed Test (CW)
- June 18 — Phone Weekly Test (phone)
- June 19 — Walk for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW)
- June 21 – 22 — All Asian DX Contest, CW (CW)
- June 21 – 22 — SKCC QSO Party (CW)
- June 21 – 22 — IARU Region 1 50 MHz Contest (CW, phone)
- June 21 – 22 — LZ International 6-Meter Contest (CW, phone)
- June 21 — Stew Perry Topband Challenge (CW)
- June 21 — West Virginia QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
- June 21 — ARRL Kids Day (phone)
- June 22 — WAB 50 MHz Phone (phone)
- June 25 — SKCC Sprint
- June 26 — RSGB 80m Club Championship, SSB (phone)
|
|
Upcoming Section, State, and Division Conventions |
- June 21 | Knoxville Hamfest, hosting the ARRL Tennessee State Convention, Knoxville, Tennessee
- July 12 | Souris Valley Amateur Radio Club Hamfest, hosting the ARRL North Dakota Section Convention
- July 13 | Sussex NJ Hamfest, hosting the ARRL Hudson Division Convention
- July 26 | ARRL West Virginia State Convention and Ham Fest, Sutton, West Virginia
- August 2 | ARRL Maine State Convention and Hamfest, Augusta, Maine
- August 3 | SVARC Berryville Hamfest, hosting the ARRL Roanoke Division Convention, Berryville, Virginia
- August 9 | ARRL Idaho State Convention, Post Falls, Idaho
- August 16 – 17 | Huntsville Hamfest, hosting the ARRL Alabama State Convention, Huntsville, Alabama
Remember to search the ARRL Hamfest and Convention Database to find events in your area. |
|
ARRL — Your One-Stop Resource for Amateur Radio News and Information
Join ARRL or renew today! No other organization works harder to promote and protect amateur radio. Membership supports benefits, services, programs, and advocacy to help you get (and stay) active and on the air. Membership includes access to digital editions of all four ARRL magazines: QST, On the Air, QEX, and NCJ.
Listen to ARRL Audio News, available every Friday.
The ARRL Letter is available in an accessible format, posted weekly to the Blind-hams Groups.io email group. The group is dedicated to discussions about amateur radio as it concerns blind hams, plus related topics including ham radio use of adaptive technology.
NCJ — National Contest Journal. Published bimonthly, features articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprints, and QSO parties.
QEX — A Forum for Communications Experimenters. Published bimonthly, features technical articles, construction projects, columns, and other items of interest to radio amateurs and communications professionals.
Free of charge to ARRL members…
Subscribe to the ARES Letter (monthly public service and emergency communications news), the ARRL Contest Update (biweekly contest newsletter), Division and Section news alerts, and much more!
Find ARRL on Facebook! Follow us on Threads, X, and Instagram. |
|
|
The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 51 times each year. ARRL members may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing their profile at www.arrl.org/opt-in-out.
Copyright © 2025 American Radio Relay League, Incorporated. Use and distribution of this publication, or any portion thereof, is permitted for non-commercial or educational purposes, with attribution. All other purposes require written permission.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
