WL2XUP is an FCC Part 5 Experimental station operated by Lin Holcomb, NI4Y, in Georgia. It’s licensed to operate with up to 400 W effective radiated power (ERP) between 40.660 MHz to 40.700 MHz.

John Desmond, EI7GL, reports that as of mid-July, WL2XUP was intermittently transmitting on Weak-Signal Propagation Reporter (WSPR) on 40.662 MHz (1500 Hz) for 2 minutes out of every 10, with an output p...

On July 6, an evening Army Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) HF practice net in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region 2 (New York and New Jersey) was interrupted by several “mayday” distress calls on the channel, which is shared with the maritime service. Net control station Ron Tomo, KE2UK, immediately halted training and attempted (without success) to establish radio communic...

The Missouri First Capitol State Historic Site in St. Charles will host an amateur radio event on August 10, in association with this year’s celebration of the Missouri State Bicentennial. The original capitol building on the west bank of the Missouri River served as the state’s capitol from 1821 to 1826. The site is part of the St. Charles Historic District in the city’s Riverfront neighborhoo...

The FCC is seeking nominations for a chairperson and members of the Technological Advisory Council (TAC). In a July 21 Public Notice, the Commission announced that it intends to re-establish the TAC for 2 years, by August 20, 2021. It’s anticipated that the renewed panel could hold is first meeting in October.

The TAC provides technical advice to the FCC and makes recommendations on the issues a...

At its just-concluded July 2021 meeting, the ARRL Board of Directors approved By-Law changes creating a third Standing Committee that joins the existing Administration and Finance Committee and Programs and Services Committee.

The charter of the new Emergency Communications and Field Services Committee (EC-FSC) is to develop and recommend new or modified Board policy and programs for emergency c...

Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: It’s exciting to observe increasing sunspot activity. Recently Solar Cycle 25 produced new sunspots frequently, and I watch them pop up every day on Spaceweather.com. New sunspots emerged on July 14, 16, 17, 19 and 20, and two new ones appeared on July 21. When I look at this image from July 22, our sun is peppered with spots, reminding me of past solar cycles....

ARRL Central Division Director Kermit Carlson, W9XA, has stepped down as Central Division Director. Carlson made the announcement at the July 2021 Board of Directors meeting this past weekend. Vice Director Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA, has acceded to the Director’s chair, and ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, has appointed Brent Walls, N9BA, to succeed Luetzelschwab as the Central Division Vice ...

A judge in the Massachusetts Land Court has ruled that the Zoning Board of Appeals in the City of Framingham “erred” in revoking a building permit for an 80-foot ham radio tower as an accessory use. The Building Commissioner in Framingham had granted ARRL member Mikhail “Misha” Filippov, KD1MF, a building permit for the tower, and Filippov had begun pouring concrete for the tower footings. Neig...

Reports suggest that jamming stations have been deployed on the lower portion of 40 meters. The jamming appears to be coming from Cuba. The signals, spaced at regular intervals, exhibit a squishy, popping noise. The apparent jamming showed up after anti-government protesters took to the streets in Cuba, followed by a government crackdown. So far, there’s no proven connection between the jamming...

AMSAT’s Engineering and Operations Teams have announced that AO-109 (RadFxSat-2/AMSAT Fox-1E) is now open for amateur use. AMSAT advises operators to use efficient modes for making contacts, such as CW or FT4, because issues with the satellite make SSB voice contacts “challenging at best.” An article in the May/June 2021 issue (Vol. 44, No. 3) of The AMSAT Journal details the various attempts t...

The ARRL 2020 Annual Report has been posted and is available to download. The report summarizes ARRL program and fiscal activity for the year.

In his introductory remarks, ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, said that 2020 was a difficult and challenging year for ARRL. “The coronavirus pandemic changed everything, from the way we socialized, to the way we worked, to the way students learned,” Ro...

International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 1 Emergency Communications Coordinator Greg Mossop, G0DUB, reported over the weekend that amateur radio volunteers have responded in the wake of widespread and catastrophic flooding in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The flooding, resulting from unprecedented heavy rainfall, has claimed more than 120 lives. Hundreds more remain unaccounted ...

The first Youth on the Air (YOTA) camp for young radio amateurs in the Americas wraps up on Friday in West Chester, Ohio. Among other activities, the campers have been operating special event station W8Y from both the National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting and from the camp hotel.

“Things are going really well,” Camp Director Neil Rapp, WB9VPG, said on Wednesday evening. The earlier l...

On Thursday, July 15, at 10 AM EDT, ARRL Headquarters in Newington, Connecticut, hosted a rededication ceremony, recognizing ARRL’s commitment to all radio amateurs who enhance the communications capability and security of the nation. The event coincided with the attendance of ARRL’s all-volunteer Board of Directors, who had traveled in from across the country for in-person committee and Board ...

The first Youth on the Air (YOTA) camp for young radio amateurs in North, Central, and South America is now under way in West Chester, Ohio. Among other activities, campers are operating special event station W8Y from both the National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting in West Chester Township and from the camp hotel. The camp will run until Friday, July 16.

The approximately two dozen ca...