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| Hams Help Forecasters with Real-Time Data on Northeast Blizzard |
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A historic blizzard paralyzed much of the Northeast in late February, and amateur radio operators were on the air to help forecasters keep track of the storm’s impact. Southeastern New England was one of the hardest-hit areas. ARRL Eastern Massachusetts Section Emergency Coordinator and Boston-area SKYWARN Coordinator Rob Macedo, KD1CY, reported that ARES®/SKYWARN nets across southern New England were activated to support the National Weather Service (NWS) Boston/Norton office, as well as local and state emergency management and broadcast media, with timely updates on the storm.
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“We had ARES/SKYWARN nets activating on an every one-to-two-hour basis providing snowfall, wind gust, wind damage and coastal flood reports,” said Macedo, adding that reports were received from SKYWARN spotters of snowfall as high as 43 inches in Tiverton, Rhode Island, and 41 inches in Fall River, Massachusetts. Providence, Rhode Island, received 37.8 inches, breaking the state’s snowfall record. More details on the amateur radio response in southern New England are on ARRL News.
Combined ARES/SKYWARN nets were also activated in the ARRL Connecticut and Northern New Jersey Sections, with stations asked to report on snow depth and wind speed. These reports were relayed to the National Weather Service forecast offices serving the New York and Boston areas.
In addition, the Department of Homeland Security’s SHARES (SHAred RESources) High Frequency (HF) Radio Program, which includes amateur radio as part of its network, issued a blizzard watch, requesting voluntary activation of all participating stations in New York and New Jersey as a real-time test of its Civil Support Operations (CSO) HF Interoperability Network. Stations were asked to submit a “County Status Message” for their respective counties using Winlink and VARA HF Chat. Operation coordinator Richard Martino, Jr., KB2SNF/NNA2AO (SHARES call sign) reported that 23 amateurs and 8 SHARES stations in 20 counties submitted reports. In an after-action memo, Martino noted that the Amateur Radio Service is “the backbone of ‘Real Time’ information in the case of a ‘Real World’ CSO event,” adding that amateur radio “is an invaluable CSO resource on a national level and that cannot be understated or overlooked.”
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| CLUBLOG, a popular database used by DXers, is getting two new volunteers to help with the growing website. Tony Rider, G6GLP, and Colin Wilson, G3VCQ, have joined the project to help support its expanding worldwide user base.
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CLUBLOG is an online service for amateur radio operators providing log analysis, DXCC tracking, DXpedition support tools, and online QSL requests. Currently, more than 132,000 call signs are registered in the system, contributing an extraordinary 1.3 billion QSOs for analysis. Every day, thousands of new logs are uploaded, reflecting constant activity from operators across every continent.
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Rider and Wilson are joining a dedicated volunteer group that includes Alan Jubb, 5B4AHJ, who maintains CLUBLOG’s highly detailed DXCC database; Marios Nicolaou, 5B4WN, author of the expedition tools and OQRS system used by DXpeditions worldwide; and helpdesk volunteer Dick Hattaway, W4PID.
“CLUBLOG has always been built by volunteers, and its success comes directly from people who care about helping the amateur radio community,” said founder Michael Wells, G7VJR. “With such a large global audience of users, support is more important than ever. It’s fantastic to welcome Tony and Colin to the team, as I know their friendly and helpful style will be so appreciated by our users. I’m immensely grateful for their willingness to contribute their time and expertise.”
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| Indiana Hams Living Under HOAs Gain Antenna Protections |
| The Indiana General Assembly has passed and Governor Mike Braun has signed a bill that adds protection for amateur radio operators who live in homeowner association (HOA) regulated housing developments.
Official language of the House Bill 1152 can be found at IGA | House Bill 1152 – Homeowners association matters.
Credit for adding the new language goes to Hunter Reed, KD9YLQ; Campbell Reed, KD9GEK, and State Senator Scott Alexander for their efforts writing and introducing the bill, and to the Muncie Area Amateur Radio Club, an ARRL Affiliated Club.
The bill takes effect on July 1, 2026.
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| Tennessee Approves Credentials for Amateur Radio Technician License |
| The FCC amateur radio Technician Class license is now an approved industry credential in the State of Tennessee. The certification has been placed as Tier 1- Recognized and will be included on the 2026-27 Statewide Industry Credential List.
Stephanie Kelly, Director of Credentialing and Postsecondary Success; Division of Postsecondary, Workforce, CTE, and Military Readiness for the Tennessee Department of Education, said this certification will benefit students throughout the state. “Students across the state will have access to high-value, industry-recognized credentials that support strong postsecondary and workforce pathways.”
The statewide industry credential program promotes credentials for grade K-12 students through a structured process that allows for the submission of credentials for review by various agencies. The program is designed to enhance postsecondary articulation and provide students with certification, credentials, and degrees in high-skilled and high-wage industries.
The initial application was submitted by Riverside High School Teacher Justin McClain, KQ4ANJ. “We sincerely look forward to the next steps in getting students licensed, on the air, and learning with all the benefits and applications in amateur radio,” said McCLain.
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| Amateur Radio in the News |
| “San Mateo Radio Club signals community with a wide range of ham radio experience” / The Daily Journal (California) February 26, 2026 — The San Mateo Radio Club is an ARRL Affiliated Club.
“Mohawk Amateur Radio Club – Gardner Magazine Reports” / Gardner Magazine (Massachusetts) March 3, 2026 — The Mohawk Amateur Radio Club is an ARRL Affiliated Club
“Local Amateur Radio Club to hold ‘Introduction to Ham Radio’ presentation March 15” / The Highland Press (Ohio) March 4, 2025 — Highland Amateur Radio Association.
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| ARRL Live Events and Podcasts |
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On the Air LIVE
Join ARRL Education Specialist Wayne Greene, KB4DSF, on the next On the Air LIVE as we discuss how to build a rugged 2-meter VHF ground-plane antenna from simple, easy-to-find wire—no exotic parts, no machine shop required. This isn’t a fragile attic experiment; we’ll design it stout enough for real outdoor duty and then take it a step further with an unconventional deployment method that gets the antenna up to 50+ feet—without a tower. The episode will be live on the ARRL’s Learning Center, learn.arrl.org, on March 24th at 8PM Eastern. Preregistration is required and can be accomplished on the learning center.
📅 Date: March 24, 2026
🕗 Time: 8 PM Eastern / 5 PM Pacific
👉 Register Now | ⏪ Previously Recorded Sessions
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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. More info | Listen on Blubrry | Also available on iTunes and Apple Podcasts.
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On the Air
Sponsored by Icom
Repeater Basics
The On the Air podcast goes back to basics in the February 2026 episode, when QST Technical Editor Conrad Trautmann, N2YCH, joins the podcast to discuss what repeaters are, how they work, and what you need in order to access your local repeater. More info | Listen on Blubrry | Also available on iTunes and Apple Podcasts.
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| Start Planning Now for Ham Radio Open House in April
It’s the Year of the Club, and the second annual ARRL Ham Radio Open House in April offers a chance to show off your club’s high-tech gear and skills to your community! ARRL is encouraging radio clubs and schools to promote amateur radio science and technology by opening their stations to the public with an open house during the month of April. In addition, groups are encouraged to set up in public places or conduct outdoor activities, such as a Parks on the Air® (POTA) activation or satellite contact. The open-house event is built around World Amateur Radio Day on Saturday, April 18, but your open house may be scheduled at any point in the month.
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| On Saturday, March 7, 2026, women interested in amateur radio and portable operating are invited to spend the day at the YL (young lady) Parks on the Air (POTA) Party. The event will be held at the Owens Lodge, Pineway Ponds Park along the Erie Canal in Spencerport, New York. Special event station N3ARB will be in operation 1300Z-2359Z using 14.320 and 7.230 MHz. POTA is an amateur radio activity that encourages operators to set up portable stations in parks and make contacts from the field. The YL POTA Party is an opportunity for women of all ages to experience portable operating, learn by doing, and enjoy time on the air together. You do not need to be licensed to participate. Similar YL POTA parties are held each year around International Women’s Day, which falls on March 8 this year, with gatherings planned worldwide to celebrate women’s contributions to radio and their involvement in the hobby.
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| Open Positions at ARRL
Come join the headquarters staff of ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio®! We are currently seeking qualified applicants for the following positions:
Operations Administrative Assistant
Membership Manager
RFI Lab Engineer
Public Relations and Outreach Manager
IT Support Specialist
Full details may be found on the ARRL HR web page at www.arrl.org/careers.
ARRL is an equal opportunity employer.
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| Solar image courtesy of NASA/SDO March 5, 2026. |
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ARRL Solar Report March 5, 2026
Solar activity continued at low levels with isolated C-class flaring. Regions 4381 and 4384 remained the primary drivers of activity. The largest event of the period was a C2.9 flare from Region 4381 on March 3. Region 4384 continues to rotate further onto the disk, but foreshortening still hinders a definitive characterization of its magnetic complexity. Region 4378 showed some new flux emergence but remained mostly inactive.
Region 4383 simplified into a unipolar group following the loss of its trailing spots, while Region 4380 decayed to plage. No Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were observed in available coronagraph imagery.
Solar activity is expected to be at low levels, with a chance for isolated M-class activity (R1-R2/minor-moderate) through March 6.
Solar wind parameters reflected the onset of a positive polarity coronal hole high-speed stream (+CH HSS). Solar wind speed increased to 450 km/s. Solar wind parameters are expected to remain enhanced on March 5 due to the ongoing influence of the +CH HSS. Residual enhancements are likely to persist, keeping conditions slightly above background levels before another enhancement is expected on March 6 with the onset of a negative polarity coronal hole high-speed stream (-CH HSS).
The 10.7-centimeter flux: March 5, 155; March 6, 158; March 7 – 8, 156; March 9, 150; March 10, 145; March 11, 140.
Predicted sunspot numbers: March 5, 115; March 6, 110: March 7, 120; March 8, 106; March 9, 126; March 10,103; March 11, 129.
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.
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- March 7 – 8 — ARRL International DX Contest SSB (phone)
- March 7 – 15 — Novice Rig Roundup (CW)
- March 7 — Wake-Up! QRP Sprint (CW)
- March 7 — Russian YL/OM Contest (CW, phone)
- March 8 — FIRAC HF Contest (CW)
- Match 8 – 11– Classic Exchange (CW)
- March 8 — 4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint (CW, phone)
- March 10 — DARC CW-Training Contest (CW)
- March 14 — YB DX RTTY Contest (digital)
- March 14 – 15 — SARL VHF/UHF FM Contest (phone)
- March 14 – 15 — SARL Field Day Contest (CW, phone, digital)
- March 14 – 15 — Commonwealth (BERU) Contest (CW)
- March 14 – 15 — DIG QSO Party SSB (phone)
- March 14 – 15 — EA PSK63 Contest (digital)
- March 14 – 15 — South America 10m Contest (CW, phone)
- March 14 – 15 — SKCC Weekend Sprintathon (CW)
- March 14 — AGCW QRP Contest (CW)
- March 14 – 15 — Stew Perry Topband Challenge (CW)
- March 14 – 15 — Oklahoma QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
- March 14 – 16 — Idaho QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
- March 14 – 15 — TESLA Memorial HF CW Contest (CW)
- March 15 — North American Sprint RTTY (digital)
- March 15 — YOTA Contest (CW, phone)
- March 15 – 16 — Wisconsin QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
- March 15 – 16 — Run for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW)
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| Remember to visit the ARRL Contest Calendar for more events and information.
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| Upcoming Section, State, and Division Conventions |
- March 6 – 7 | BirmingHAMfest, hosting the ARRL Alabama Section Convention, Trussville, Alabama
- March 15 | WINTERFEST 2026 – The National Capital Area Ham Radio Fair, ARRL Virginia State Convention, Vienna, Virginia
- March 21 | St. Patrick’s Day Hamfest, hosting the ARRL West Texas Section Convention, Midland, Texas
- March 28 | Central Dakota Amateur Radio Club Hamfest, hosting the ARRL North Dakota State Convention, Bismarck, North Dakota
- April 4 | RARSfest, hosting the ARRL Roanoke Division Convention, Raleigh, North Carolina
- April 10 – 11 | Green Country Hamfest, hosting the ARRL Oklahoma Section Convention, Claremore, Oklahoma
- April 18 | Delmarva Amateur Radio and Electronics Expo, hosting the ARRL Delaware State Convention
- May 3 | Warminster Amateur Radio Club Annual Hamfest, hosting the ARRL Eastern Pennsylvania Section Convention, Bristol, Pennsylvania
Remember to search the ARRL Hamfest and Convention Database to find events in your area.
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- March 14 – 15 | HamSCI 2026 Workshop, hosted by ARRL in New Britain & Newington, Connecticut
- April 4 | RARSfest, hosting the ARRL Roanoke Division Convention, Raleigh, North Carolina
- May 15 – 17 | Dayton Hamvention, Xenia, Ohio
- June 5 – 7 | SEA-PAC, hosting the ARRL Northwestern Division Convention, Seaside, Oregon
- June 26 – 28 | HAM RADIO, International Amateur Radio Exhibition, Friedrichshafen, Germany
- August 7 – 8 | Shreveport-Bossier Hamfest, hosting the ARRL Delta Division Convention, Shreveport, Louisiana
- August 13 – 16 | Northeast HamXposition, ARRL New England Division Convention, Marlborough, Massachusetts
- August 15 | Cincinnati Hamfest℠, hosting the ARRL Great Lakes Division Convention
- August 22 – 23 | Huntsville Hamfest, hosting the 2026 ARRL National Convention, Huntsville, Alabama
- October 10 | North Star Radio Convention, hosting the ARRL Dakota Division Convention, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota
- October 16 – 18 | Pacificon, ARRL Pacific Division Convention, San Ramon, California
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| Submissions for the ARRL Letter and ARRL News can be sent to news@arrl.org. — John E. Ross, KD8IDJ, ARRL News Editor
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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. |
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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 © 2026 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.
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