Amateur Radio News and Notes Podcast

Ed N2EC
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News and notes for Amateur Radio Operators and members of the Mount Vernon Amateur Radio Club compiled by Ed N2EC. mvarc.substack.com

  1. 2d ago

    Amateur Radio News and Notes 7/3/2026

    In the log this week * Contest Spotlight: CQ World Wide VHF July 4-5, 2026 * SAQ Grimeton Alexander Day VLF Broadcast July 5, 2026 * REF Tour de France Special Event Station July 4-26, 2026 and August 1-9, 2026 * 13 Colonies Special Continues Until July 7, 2026 * MVARC ARRL Field Day 2026 Recap * MVARC Nets on the Air * What’s happening with DX? * Solar Activity Update * Upcoming Contests * Interesting Online Radio Content As always, links to all referenced content can be found in the show notes, or at our Substack at mvarc.substack.com. Thanks for reading Amateur Radio News and Notes. Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Contest Spotlight: CQ World Wide VHF July 4-5, 2026 This weekend brings the CQ World Wide VHF Contest. The fun starts at 1400 UTC Saturday (10 AM Eastern Time) and ends 1400 UTC on Sunday (10 AM Eastern Time). The objective of the contest is for “amateurs around the world to contact as many amateurs as possible in the contest period, to promote VHF, to allow VHF operators the opportunity to experience the enhanced propagation available at this time of year, and for interested amateurs to collect VHF Maidenhead grid locators for award credits”. All frequencies on the 6 meter and 2 meter bands may be used as permitted by the operator’s license and stations may be worked once per band. This is the SSB/CW/FM weekend, so only those “analog” modes are permitted in this edition of the contest. The exchange is the Maidenhead grid locator (so FM18 for me in Northern Virginia). Signal reports are not required and should not be included in the logs. Multipliers are the different grid locators worked on each band. Grid locators count once per band unless you’re a rover station, then you can re-work grids once you’re in a new grid yourself. QSOs are 1 point on the 6 meter band and 2 points on the 2 meter band. Scores are total QSO points multiplied by the number of grid locators worked. Entry categories include Single operator at High (up to 1500 Watts), Low (up to 100 Watts), and QRP (up to 5 Watts) power levels, Hilltopper which is a single op category for up 6 hours of continuous operation up to 100 Watts, Rover which allows up to 2 operators that travel to more than one grid location and signs with “Rover” or “/R”, and Multi-Op with 2 or more operators with only one signal per band. Repeater and satellite contacts are not permitted. Spotting assistance is allowed so long as it is not used to confirm a QSO or convey information in the exchange. Self spotting by APRS by rovers is also permitted. Logs must be submitted by July 10, 2026 to be eligible for awards. For more information including rules and details visit https://cqww-vhf.com/. Good luck. SAQ Grimeton Alexander Day VLF Broadcast July 5, 2026 Image Courtesy Chrumps - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42756712 On July 5, 2026 the historic VLF broadcast station, SAQ Grimeton, will fire up their Alexanderson alternator transmitters and transmit a message on 17.2 kHz CW. The Grimeton station is an early wireless station that used VLF frequencies to send transatlantic wireless messages from its location in southern Sweden. The site used a very early transmitting apparatus called the Alexanderson alternator which used rotating machinery to generate continuous wave signals. They will fire up the transmitter around 0830 UTC (4:30 AM ET) with initial calls beginning at 0845 UTC (4:45 AM ET) and then transmitting a message at 0900 UTC (5 AM ET). There will be a second transmission later with the same sequence at 1230 UTC (8:30 AM ET), 1245 UTC (8:45 AM ET), and 1300 UTC (9:00 AM ET). There will also be transmissions on amateur radio station SK6SAQ on 3517.2 kHz, 7017.2 kHz, 14017.2 kHz on CW and 3755 kHz and 7140 kHz on SSB. If you have a receiver that can receive VLF tune in and see if you can hear the historic transmitter on the air. For more information visit https://daily.hamweekly.com/2026/06/saq-grimeton-on-air-for-aexanderson-day-july-5/ https://alexander.n.se/en/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimeton_Radio_Station Good luck. REF Tour de France Special Event Station Image Courtesy https://www.qrz.com/db/TM00TFR Le Tour de France is one of the most well known cycling events in the world and the Réseau des Émetteurs Français (REF) will be organizing special event stations from July 4th to July 26th for the Le Tour de France and from August 1st to August 9th for Le Tour de France Femmes. Look on the air for the stations with of the form TMxxTFR where xx is a department number, for example TM66TFR and TM11TFR, to make contact. There is a challenge during the special event where CW contacts count for 5 points; SSB, PSK, and RTTY count for 3 points; FT8 and FT4 count for 2 points; each contact with a stage department counts for 4 points, each contact with a non-stage department earns 4 points, and each station can be contacted once per day. Just like in the Tour de France there is the Yellow award for those who contact all stage and transited departments, the Green award for the “best sprinter” who contact all stage departments, the Polka-Dot award for the “best climber” who contact all departments involving a mountain stage, and the White award for young operators under 25 who participate and finish the challenge. There are a lot of ways to play in the event, so check out https://www.qrz.com/db/TM00TFR for full information and rules. It promises to be a fun way to enjoy the excitement of this year’s Tour de France races. Good luck. 13 Colonies Special Continues Until July 7, 2026 Image Courtesy https://www.13colonies.us/ The 18th Annual 13 Colonies Special event is underway and continues until Tuesday, July 7, 2026. As expected the pileups have already been intense with many of the special event stations making numerous contacts on the bands. The event has operating stations for each of the 13 original colonies each with its own 1x1 call. K2A in New York, K2B in Virginia, K2C in Rhode Island, K2D in Connecticut, K2E in Delaware, K2F in Maryland, K2G in Georgia, K2H in Massachusetts, K2I in New Jersey, K2J in North Carolina, K2K in New Hampshire, K2L in South Carolina, and K2M in Pennsylvania. There are also bonus stations available for GB13COL in the United Kingdom, TM13COL in France, and WM3PEN in Philadelphia. The event is staffed by volunteers in each of the states, and it can be a fun challenge to see if you can get them in the log. If you do find one of the stations, they ask that you give them a spot on DX Summit at http://www.dxsummit.fi/, which is also a great place to find spots for the stations you need. The event tends to be VERY active on CW and SSB and may also be on RTTY and Digital. Activity will be on all bands (including the WARC bands) except 60 meters. I hope to be able to make a clean sweep on CW this year and always enjoy this event. Each of the stations has special QSL cards you can send for if you make a contact, and you can apply for a certificate for the event as well. More information about the event can be found at https://www.13colonies.us/. Good luck! MVARC ARRL Field Day 2026 Recap Image Courtesy Corey KN4YZY The Mount Vernon Amateur Radio Club had a great Field Day outing last weekend with a lot of QSOs in the log and a ton of fun being had by all. We were graciously hosted this year by the Inova Mount Vernon Hospital and the bands cooperated allowing us to make contacts coast to cost and internationally. Image Courtesy Corey KN4YZY We also had several members of the community come by and learn about amateur radio and we got some of them on the air as well. We took a break from operating for our Field Day picnic where we feasted on delicious pizza and enjoyed each other’s company. There was some light rain during the event, but our shelters kept us and our equipment nice and dry. Thanks to everyone who helped to plan the event, those who assisted in setup and tear down, those who operated during the event, and all those who joined us out in the field. We look forward to doing it all again next year! MVARC Nets on the Air * 2 Meter FM Net: Tuesdays at 7 PM [146.655/- MHz (141.3 Hz PL Tone) ] * 2 Meter Digital Net: Immediately Follows 2 Meter FM Net [146.655/- MHz C4FM] * MVARC Slow Speed CW Roundtable: Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 AM [3.565 MHz CW] * MVARC Cherry Tree Net: Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 AM [3.920 MHz LSB] What’s Happening with DX There will be a lot of DX on the air this week. Stations on the air include French Polynesia (FO/F6CBW), Cameroon (TJ1GD/P), Saint Martin (FS/F4EQE), Kyrgyzstan (EX/KZ1R), Saint Pierre and Miquelon (FP/KV1J), Ogasawara (JD1BQP, JR6HYO/JD1), Greenland (OX/DL8JJ), Luxembourg (LX/PA1SND), Crete (SV9/HB9EMP), Benin (TY5FR), and Sardinia (IS0/IZ3KVD). A calendar of DXpeditions can be found at NG3K’s Announced DX Operations List at https://www.ng3k.com/misc/adxo.html. Solar Activity Update As we go to press the Solar Flux Index (SFI) was 203 and the estimated sunspot number was 101 with 3 numbered sunspot regions visible from Earth. Over the last week the SFI has increased. Solar activity has been at high levels in the last 24 hours. The geomagnetic field has been at quiet levels in the last 24 hours and the Kp index reached 2 yesterday. The solar wind peaked at 389 km/s. Solar activity is predicted to be at moderate levels with a slight chance of X-class flares today through Sunday. The geomagnetic field is forecast to be at quiet to major storm levels today through Saturday and at quiet to minor storm levels on Sunday. The chance of solar radiation storms at the S1 or greater level is at 20% today through Sunday. R1 to R2 radio blackouts are likely with a predicted probability of 70% today through Sunday. R3 or greater blackouts are possible with a 20% chance predicted today through Sunday. With the elevated activity this week there have been good conditions o

    14 min

  2. Jun 26

    Amateur Radio News and Notes 6/26/2026

    In the log this week * ARRL Field Day This Weekend (June 27-28, 2026) * 13 Colonies Special Event Starts July 1, 2026 * Ham Radio Friedrichshafen This Weekend (June 26-28, 2026) * New Technician Question Pool Takes Effect July 1, 2026 * MVARC Nets on the Air * What’s happening with DX? * Solar Activity Update * Upcoming Contests * Interesting Online Radio Content As always, links to all referenced content can be found in the show notes, or at our Substack at mvarc.substack.com. ARRL Field Day This Weekend (June 27-28, 2026) Image Courtesy ARRL The biggest event in amateur radio is happening this weekend on June 27-28th. The ARRL predicts over 31,000 amateurs will be setting up to test their skills and preparedness in this popular annual operating event. MVARC will be operating at a new location this year as a 4A station on the grounds of Inova Mount Vernon Hospital, 2501 Parkers Lane, Alexandria, VA 22306. We will head over to the site right after our monthly breakfast to start setting up. In addition to our 4 primary stations, we plan on having a “Get on the Air” (GOTA) station to allow for those without licenses or who haven’t been active on the air to have some fun on the bands with the assistance of our club members. We will also have our club picnic on Saturday evening at 6 PM at the Field Day site with the presentation of our MVARC Member of the Year award. If you’re able to make it, we would love to have you join us. ARRL Field Day is a special event that many consider amateur radio’s “open house”. As the ARRL says on their site, amateurs “set up temporary transmitting stations in public places to demonstrate ham radio’s science, skill and service to our communities and our nation. It combines public service, emergency preparedness, community outreach, and technical skills all in a single event. Field Day has been an annual event since 1933, and remains the most popular event in ham radio.” The event is not technically a contest, but rather an operating event. That said, scores are kept and standings published in QST. The objective is to make as many contacts as possible in the operating period June 27-28, 2026 (2 PM ET to 3:59 PM ET). All non-WARC bands are fair game (160, 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters on HF and 6 meters and above for VHF/UHF bands). 1 point is awarded for each Phone QSO and 2 points for each CW and Digital QSO. There are also lots of bonus points to be had for things like operating a Get on the Air (GOTA) station, operating on VHF, message passing, working satellites, and public outreach. The exchange for the event is ARRL section, entry category, and operating class. For the MVARC station, running as a 4 transmitter entry category, and the A class (club/non-club portable) our exchange would be “4A VA”. Other classes include A (Battery) which is limited to 5 W, B for one or two person portable (there is a also a Battery option for 5W or less), C for mobile stations, D for home stations, E for home stations under emergency power, and F for stations at an Emergency Operations Center. Field Day is a whole lot of fun, and a big part of the excitement is being out with your fellow amateurs. I heartily recommend finding a local Field Day to stop by and visit (and if you’re in the Alexandria, VA area, come join MVARC). A field day locator site can be found at https://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator. Even if you stay home, run as a class D or class E station and see how many stations you can get in the log. More information can be found at https://www.arrl.org/field-day. We hope to see you out in the field and on the air. Good luck! 13 Colonies Special Event Starts July 1, 2026 Image Courtesy https://www.13colonies.us/ The 18th Annual 13 Colonies Special event starts on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. This event seems to get more and more popular each year, so get ready to try to break some pileups and collect the colonies to make a clean-sweep! The event has operating stations for each of the 13 original colonies each with its own 1x1 call. K2A in New York, K2B in Virginia, K2C in Rhode Island, K2D in Connecticut, K2E in Delaware, K2F in Maryland, K2G in Georgia, K2H in Massachusetts, K2I in New Jersey, K2J in North Carolina, K2K in New Hampshire, K2L in South Carolina, and K2M in Pennsylvania. There are also bonus stations available for GB13COL in the United Kingdom, TM13COL in France, and WM3PEN in Philadelphia. The event is staffed by volunteers in each of the states, and it can be a fun challenge to see if you can get them in the log. If you do find one of the stations, they ask that you give them a spot on DX Summit at http://www.dxsummit.fi/, which is also a great place to find spots for the stations you need. The event tends to be VERY active on CW and SSB and may also be on RTTY and Digital. Activity will be on all bands (including the WARC bands) except 60 meters. I hope to be able to make a clean sweep on CW this year and always enjoy this event. Each of the stations has special QSL cards you can send for if you make a contact, and you can apply for a certificate for the event as well. More information about the event can be found at https://www.13colonies.us/. Good luck! Ham Radio Friedrichshafen This Weekend (June 26-28, 2026) Image Courtesy https://www.hamradio-friedrichshafen.com/ This weekend brings the Ham Radio Freidrichshafen International Amateur Radio Exhibition in Germany. It is Europe’s largest hamfest and features exhibitors, lectures, and a flea market. This year’s theme is “Discover the Sky: Amateur Radio meets Astronomy” and they will have an Astro trade fair being held simultaneously dedicated to “astronomy, astrophotography, and modern observation technology”. As one of the largest hamfests in the world, there are often new product announcements made, so we’ll be watching to see what develops this weekend. For more information visit https://www.hamradio-friedrichshafen.com/. New Technician Question Pool Takes Effect July 1, 2026 Image Courtesy ARRL.org The latest Technician Class Question Pool is set to take effect on July 1, 2026. The new pool has 409 questions, down from the previous pool’s 412 and features three diagrams used in some questions. The pool will be valid from 2026 to 2030 and will be in the 6th edition of the ARRL Ham Radio License Manual being released this month. The Technician and all other question pools can be accessed at https://www.ncvec.org/. For more information visit https://www.arrl.org/news/new-technician-question-pool-takes-effect-july-1. MVARC Nets on the Air * 2 Meter FM Net: Tuesdays at 7 PM [146.655/- MHz (141.3 Hz PL Tone) ] * 2 Meter Digital Net: Immediately Follows 2 Meter FM Net [146.655/- MHz C4FM] * MVARC Slow Speed CW Roundtable: Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 AM [3.565 MHz CW] * MVARC Cherry Tree Net: Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 AM [3.920 MHz LSB] What’s Happening with DX There will be a lot of DX on the air this week. Stations on the air include French Polynesia (FO/F6CBW), Tanzania (5H3DX), Cameroon (TJ1GD/P), Curacao (PJ2/PH2M), British Virgin Islands (VP2V), Easter Island (3G0YM), Liechtenstein (HB0/OI5AY), and Saint Pierre and Miquelon (FP/KV1J). A calendar of DXpeditions can be found at NG3K’s Announced DX Operations List at https://www.ng3k.com/misc/adxo.html. Solar Activity Update As we go to press the Solar Flux Index (SFI) was 156 and the estimated sunspot number was 136 with 8 numbered sunspot regions visible from Earth. Over the last week the SFI has increased. Solar activity has been at low levels in the last 24 hours. The geomagnetic field has been at unsettled to minor storm levels in the last 24 hours and the Kp index reached 5 yesterday. The solar wind peaked at 729 km/s. Solar activity is predicted to be at low levels with a chance of M-class flares and a slight chance of X-class flares today through Sunday. The geomagnetic field is forecast to be at quiet to active levels today through Sunday. The chance of solar radiation storms at the S1 or greater level is at 5% today through Sunday. R1 to R2 radio blackouts are likely with a predicted probability of 50% today through Sunday. R3 or greater blackouts are unlikely with a 10% chance predicted today through Sunday. It remains a fantastic time for amateurs to get on the air and work the world. Good sources of real-time solar information include https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/ and https://solarham.com/. A good overview of conditions can be found at https://dx.qsl.net/propagation/. To see D-layer absorption data and associated radio blackouts, visit https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/d-region-absorption-predictions-d-rap. To see real-time Maximum Usable Frequency (MUF) and Critical Frequency (foF2) information from radiosonde data, visit https://prop.kc2g.com/. Upcoming Contests This weekend brings the technically not-a-contest ARRL Field Day we discussed earlier as well as the UFT QRP Contest and the His Majesty King of Spain Contest on SSB. As always the K1USN SSTs, the MSTs, and the CWTs will also be on the air. The full contest calendar with events and exchanges can be found at https://www.contestcalendar.com/weeklycont.php. Interesting Online Radio Content Tim G5TM talks about how he found a private portable operating location - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhUTjL85sJs Michael KB9VBR shows how you can use your rig's SWR meter to cut a dipole to length without an analyzer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iv32l1FdI0o Kevin W1DED and the Contest Crew talk about the past and present of WRTC - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqG6Xosf7uI Stuart VE9CF talks about integrating Station Master Pro with WSJT-X for FT8 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loGuYeGmFMU Mark KD7DTS and Ara N6ARA talk to Brian NR7Y about his mod for Quansheng HTs to get them on 2m CW - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncYuJeXa7y8 Josh KI6NAZ attempts hotel portable operation with a 3D printed antenna - https://www.youtube.com/

    12 min

  3. Jun 19

    Amateur Radio News and Notes 6/19/2026

    In the log this week * ARRL Kids Day 6/20/2026 * CHU Canada Shutting Down 6/22/2026 * Event Spotlight: World Cup Special Event Stations * Contest Spotlight: Stew Perry Top Band Challenge * NOAA Solar-1 Satellite Now Operational * Ameritron and Mirage Brands Acquired by ITU * ARRL Field Day Next Weekend * MVARC Nets on the Air * What’s happening with DX? * Solar Activity Update * Upcoming Contests * Interesting Online Radio Content As always, links to all referenced content can be found in the show notes, or at our Substack at mvarc.substack.com. Thanks for reading Amateur Radio News and Notes. Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. ARRL Kids Day 6/20/2026 This Saturday brings the Summer edition of ARRL Kids Day to the air. Kids Day happens twice a year to give young people a chance to get on the air and get excited about amateur radio in the hopes they pursue their own licenses. It also gives current amateurs a chance to share their station with kids and share their love of the hobby with them. Kids Day starts at 1800 UTC on Saturday (2 PM Eastern Time Saturday) and ends at 2359 UTC (7:59 PM Eastern Time Saturday). This isn’t a contest, so operators can operate as much or as little as they would like. The suggested exchange is name, age, location, and favorite color. You can work the same station multiple times if the operator has changed. The ARRL encourages ops to call “CQ Kids Day” to draw attention. The ARRL Kids Day site has a series of frequencies they suggest for centers of operation and encourage you to send your stories and photos as well. There is also a downloadable certificate you can print and give to young operators who get on the air. This promises to be a fun event to get kids on the air and a great opportunity to work those kids and get them excited about amateur radio. For more information and resources visit https://www.arrl.org/kids-day. Good luck. CHU Canada Shutting Down 6/22/2026 As we covered a couple weeks ago, CHU Canada, the time signal station that broadcasts time signals on 3.330 MHz, 7.850 MHz, and 14.670 MHz is scheduled to shut down on June 22nd. CHU’s signal has been easily heard in the United States and around the world with its broadcasts of time announcement by voice and also via digital time codes. It is broadcast in Upper Sideband with a carrier reinserted to allow it to be received without an SSB radio using three atomic clocks located at the transmitter site and the signals are highly accurate. In addition to providing the time, the signals were used by many to gauge ionospheric propagation conditions. Recently HamSCI, an organization engaged in citizen science using amateur radio, released a statement on how they have been actively using the signals from CHU to further their research, formally asking the Canadian National Resource Council (NRC) which operates CHU to reverse their decision to close the station. As we go to press there is no indication that the decision will be reversed. The decision to end CHU broadcasts follows the closing of Canada’s weather radio network on March 16 earlier this year. Tune your radio to CHU for one last time this weekend before it falls silent. The YouTube channel OfficialSWLchannel reports that their sources indicate the final transmission may be at 10-10:30 AM Eastern Time on Monday, June 22nd, with 10:10 AM Eastern Time being the expected end of transmission. More information about CHU can be found at https://nrc.canada.ca/en/certifications-evaluations-standards/canadas-official-time/nrc-shortwave-station-broadcasts-chu. Event Spotlight: World Cup Special Event Stations Image Courtesy https://www.wc2026ses.org/ A special event station to commemorate the 2026 World Soccer Tournament is currently underway with operators on the air in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. There are special stations for each of the event venues including Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver, Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey, and a bonus station. In the US there are several 1x1 calls (W4C, W1C, W5C, K0C, W6C, K4C, W2C, WM3PEN, W6S, W7C, as well as WC5WC). In Canada stations include VC3F and VB7F and in Mexico stations include 4A1GDL, 4A1CMX, and 4A1MTY. Operators will be working VHF, UHF, and HF on analog and digital and there will be 16 QSL cards to collect. They’re looking for volunteers and the event continues until July 19, 2026. For more information on the event and how to participate, visit https://www.wc2026ses.org/. Good luck. Contest Spotlight: Stew Perry Top Band Challenge This Saturday, June 20th, brings the June edition of the Stew Perry Top Band Challenge. The Challenge starts at 1500 UTC (11 AM Eastern Time) on Saturday and lasts for 24 hours. Ops may only work a total of 14 hours total and off times must be at least 30 minutes in length. The contest is on the “top band” or 160 meters on CW only and has the feature that the point value of each QSO is dependent on the distance between the two stations. Categories of operation include Single and Multi-Operator at High (up to legal limits), Low (up to 100 Watts), or QRP (up to 5 Watts) levels. The exchange is a 4 character Maidenhead Grid Square Locator (in my case in Virginia I’m FM18) and an RST is optional. QSO Points are based upon the distance between the centers of the two grid squares. The base points are 1 point with an additional point for every 500 kilometers in distance. So a QSO with 1,750 km of distance would count for 4 QSO points. You may not count long path distances for points. If you work a low power station you’re given a multiplier of 2 and if you work a QRP station you get a multiplier of 4. This is calculated based upon received logs and done automatically during the log checking process. External assistance is not permitted. This includes using spotting networks, or even telling other ops that another station is on another frequency at the end of the QSO. Use of the RBN or skimmers is also not allowed. If using a remote receiver to reduce QRN it must be within 100 km of your transmitter site. Look at Rule 6 in the rules as it gives specific advice about what is and what is not permitted. Scores are QSO points multiplied by 1.5 for Low power stations and 3 for QRP stations. Logs must be submitted within 14 days of the contest using their log upload tool online. Full rules and links to resources can be found at https://www.kkn.net/stew/. Good luck. NOAA Solar 1 Satellite Now Operational Image Courtesy NOAA The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that the Space weather Observations at L1 to Advance Readiness 1 observatory satellite (SOLAR-1) officially entered operational service on June 10, 2026. Acording to NOAA, “SOLAR-1 is the first U.S. satellite designed exclusively for continuous, operational space weather observations”. It will provide improved observations around the clock of the sun to ensure preparedness for solar storms. SOLAR-1 was formerly known as Space Weather Follow On - Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) and launched on September 24, 2025. After launch it travelled nearly one million miles to the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 1 (L1) where it is now parked to continuously monitor solar wind and observe coronal mass ejections (CMEs) emitted from our sun. The L1 Lagrange Point is the point in space between Earth and the Sun where gravitational forces are equal and provides an unobstructed view of the Sun. Before being deemed operational, it went through 8 months of testing to check its instruments and primary systems. According to NOAA, SOLAR-1 is “a cornerstone of the nation’s space weather early warning system, providing the observations needed to issue timely watches, warnings, alerts, and decision support before solar storms impact critical infrastructure and missions”. It will allow for CME imagery to be sent to earth within 30 minutes of being captured in space which is significantly faster than the 8 hours existing observatories can currently provide. Additionally NOAA reports data from “SOLAR-1’s Solar Wind Plasma Sensor, SupraThermal Ion Sensor, and Magnetometer will be available within five minutes. SOLAR-1 data will be available to the public in real time via the SWPC website and archived through the NESDIS Space Weather Portal“. The full NOAA press release can be found at https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/noaas-solar-1-enters-new-era-of-space-weather-monitoring. Ameritron and Mirage Brands Acquired by ITU The Linton News reports that ITU Corporation based in Linton, Indiana added two more MFJ brands to their portfolio earlier this month: Ameritron and Mirage amplifiers. This is in addition to the Hy-Gain and Cushcraft brands they acquired earlier this year. Manufacturing operations for the brands are being relocated from Starkville, Mississippi to ITU Corporation’s facility in Indiana. Full production is expected to begin by the end of this year. This is welcome news for the amateur radio community as Ameritron and Mirage amplifiers and associated products were very popular before they ceased production as MFJ stopped manufacturing. For more information visit https://www.lintonnews.com/itu-corporation-acquires-ameritron-and-mirage-rf-amplifier-brands-from-mfj-enterprises-free-article/. ARRL Field Day Next Weekend Image Courtesy ARRL We are just one week away from amateur radio’s biggest event, ARRL Field Day, which happens June 27-28 this year. Field Day is described as amateur radio’s “open house” where amateurs go out into the field to practice emergency preparedness and test their mettle in a fun operating event over the course of the weekend. We’ll have expanded coverage next week, but now is a good time to start planning for your operations if you’d like to participate. Many clubs, including the Mount Vernon Amateur Radio Club

    18 min

  4. Jun 12

    Amateur Radio News and Notes 6/12/2026

    In the log this week * Contest Spotlight: ARRL VHF Contest * MVARC Nets on the Air * What’s happening with DX? * Solar Activity Update * Upcoming Contests * Interesting Online Radio Content As always, links to all referenced content can be found in the show notes, or at our Substack at mvarc.substack.com. Thanks for reading Amateur Radio News and Notes. Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Contest Spotlight: ARRL VHF Contest This weekend brings the June 2026 edition of the ARRL VHF Contest. The stated objective of the contest is to work as many amateur radio stations in as many 2 degree by 1 degree Maidenhead grid squares as possible using frequencies above 50 MHz. Stations outside the US and Canada may only work stations in the US and Canada. The contest starts Saturday at 1800 UTC (2 PM Eastern Time Saturday) and goes until 0259 UTC on Monday (10:59 PM Eastern Time Sunday Night). Operators can work stations on any band above 50 MHz using any mode and each station can be worked once per band. Operating categories include Single Operator (High and Low Power), Single Operator Portable, Single Operator (3-Bands), Single Operator (FM-Only), Rover (Classic, Limited, and Unlimited), and Multioperator (Limited and Unlimited). Check out the rules for details on each category. The exchange is the 4-character Maidenhead grid-square locator (for me in VA, FM18). For scoring, each QSO counts for 1 point on 6 and 2 meters, 2 points on 1.25 meters and 70 centimeters, three points on 33 and 22 centimeters, and four points for 2.3 GHz contacts. No repeaters or digipeaters may be used. Logs must be submitted within 10 days of the contest at http://contest-log-submission.arrl.org/. Online certificates will be available to all participants and awards will be given to top operators in each category. This promises to be a fun and challenging contest, and with the 6 meter band having had some openings this past week, there may be some opportunities to experience some of the magic of the “magic band” this weekend. Full rules and information can be found at https://www.arrl.org/june-vhf. Good luck! MVARC Nets on the Air * 2 Meter FM Net: Tuesdays at 7 PM [146.655/- MHz (141.3 Hz PL Tone) ] * 2 Meter Digital Net: Immediately Follows 2 Meter FM Net [146.655/- MHz C4FM] * MVARC Slow Speed CW Roundtable: Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 AM [3.565 MHz CW] * MVARC Cherry Tree Net: Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 AM [3.920 MHz LSB] What’s Happening with DX There will be a lot of DX on the air this week. Stations on the air include Kenya (54Z/MM0ZBH, 5Z4A), French Polynesia (FO/F6CBW), Namibia (V5/N7XOB), Palau (T88RR), Lord Howe Island (VJ2L), Tanzania (5H1KB, 5H3DX), Rwanda (9X5KM), Maldives (8Q7ML), St. Martin (FS/K9EL), Cape Verde Island (D4OL, D44EC), and Curacao (PJ2/PH2M). A calendar of DXpeditions can be found at NG3K’s Announced DX Operations List at https://www.ng3k.com/misc/adxo.html. Solar Activity Update As we go to press the Solar Flux Index (SFI) was 124 and the estimated sunspot number was 114 with 5 numbered sunspot regions visible from Earth. Over the last week the SFI has decreased. Solar activity has been at low levels in the last 24 hours. The geomagnetic field has been at quiet to minor storm levels in the last 24 hours and the Kp index reached 5 yesterday. The solar wind peaked at 505 km/s. Solar activity is predicted to be at low levels with a chance of M-class flares and a slight chance of X-class flares today through Sunday. The geomagnetic field is forecast to be at quiet to minor storm levels today and at unsettled to major storm levels on Saturday and unsettled to minor storm levels on Sunday. The chance of solar radiation storms at the S1 or greater level is at 5% today through Sunday. R1 to R2 radio blackouts are likely with a predicted probability of 45% today through Sunday. R3 or greater blackouts are possible with a 10% chance predicted today through Sunday. It remains a fantastic time for amateurs to get on the air and work the world. Good sources of real-time solar information include https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/ and https://solarham.com/. A good overview of conditions can be found at https://dx.qsl.net/propagation/. To see D-layer absorption data and associated radio blackouts, visit https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/d-region-absorption-predictions-d-rap. To see real-time Maximum Usable Frequency (MUF) and Critical Frequency (foF2) information from radiosonde data, visit https://prop.kc2g.com/. Upcoming Contests This weekend brings the ARRL VHF Contest we spotlighted earlier as well as the PVRC Reunion, the YB ORARI DX Contest, the Asia-Pacific Sprint on SSB, the SKCC Weekend Sprintathon, the Portugal Day Contest, the AGCW VHF/UHF Contest, the REF DDFM 6 meter Contest, the GACW WWSA CW DX Contest, and the 4 States QRP Second Sunday Sprint. As always the K1USN SSTs, the MSTs, and the CWTs will also be on the air. The full contest calendar with events and exchanges can be found at https://www.contestcalendar.com/weeklycont.php. Interesting Online Radio Content Mark KD7DTS and Ara N6ARA talk with Tim N7KOM about SOTA, the Brass Knuckle Gang, and more on Sofas on the Air - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn6xM2AUuLA Jim WT1W shows the Open Source AetherSDR software for Flex Radios - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUo4g1LUnjs Chris KL9A gives an aerial tour of the KM7W Antenna Farm - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsUpWIRspPo Kevin KB9RLW looks at an electromagnetic radiation meter - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0akzLYWArrY Callum M0MCX talks coax performance - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT2_aSlKTZE Telecom Training discusses 5/8-Wave antenna performance - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDMNhk71tNQ Walt K4OGO advocates for more experimenters in radio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVCV-QaHxSU Tim N7KOM does SOTA from South America - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vd_nPx7pdw0 The History Archive talks about Morse Code history - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN2Mg1tkBZ0 Mike K8MRD shows a 3D printed weather resistant case for the Packtenna - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBp2iAEr_PE George VK2AOE builds an antenna for his school club - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a6RZXhB6LA Bobby W6IWN uses the Mercury Lite 500 Watt Amplifier for POTA - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VEwaDq-k0A Walt K4OGO takes us on the USS Wisconsin to learn about the ship and activate Museum Ships On The Air - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDpjBl8mLUo Kevan 2E0WMG takes us along for some kayak portable operation - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfpJAkc1MB8 Takeshi JS1QIZ takes us into the wilderness for camping and QRP in Japan - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuSxmpxxS70 Hayden VK7HH and Steve KM9G talk about a new board to work digital with the Xiegu G90 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGu0WX3DxME Veritasium talks about the discovery of a satellite jamming GPS signals over Europe - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tz23G_UXCGA Josh KI6NAZ activates Pikes Peak on VHF for SOTA - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_lwHxH5npU That’s it for this week. Best 73, Ed N2EC This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mvarc.substack.com

    9 min

  5. Jun 5

    Amateur Radio News and Notes 6/5/2026

    In the log this week * Contest Spotlight: ARRL Digital Contest * CHU Canada Shortwave Time Station Shutting Down 6/22/2026 * DXpedition Spotlight: VJ2L Lord Howe Island * ARRL Announces Product Comparison Tool * MVARC Nets on the Air * What’s happening with DX? * Solar Activity Update * Upcoming Contests * Interesting Online Radio Content As always, links to all referenced content can be found in the show notes, or at our Substack at mvarc.substack.com. Thanks for reading Amateur Radio News and Notes. Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Contest Spotlight: ARRL Digital Contest This weekend brings the 2026 edition of the ARRL Digital Contest. The stated objective of the contest is to exchange QSO information with other amateurs using any digital mode with the exception of RTTY in modes that support the exchange of a four digit Maidenhead Grid Square. The contest starts on 1800 UTC on Saturday (2 PM Eastern Time on Saturday) and ends 2359 UTC on Sunday (7:59 PM Eastern Time on Sunday). Bands in play are the 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, an 6 meter bands and observation of established band plans is strongly encouraged. Operating categories are Single Operator (Low Power and QRP) and Multioperator (Low Power and QRP). There are no high power categories. Single Operator stations can work 24 of the 30 hours and Multioperator stations can work the full 30 hours. Stations can contact any other station once per band. The exchange is the 4 digit Maidenhead Grid Square locator. For my QTH that would be FM18. Any digital mode except RTTY can be used, but FT8 and FT4 are likely to be the most popular. For scoring each QSO counts for 1 QSO point plus an additional point for each 500 km of distance between the centers of the 4 digit grid squares of the two stations, rounded up to the next highest value. There are also club competition and team competition options. All logs must be submitted electronically in Cabrillo format within 7 days after the end of the contest. This promises to be a fun contest for the digital operator. For full rules and information visit https://www.arrl.org/arrl-digital-contest. Good luck. CHU Canada Shortwave Time Station Shutting Down 6/22/2026 A familiar companion on the HF bands is about to sign off the air. CHU Canada, the time signal station that broadcasts time signals on 3.330 MHz, 7.850 MHz, and 14.670 MHz is scheduled to shut down on June 22nd. CHU’s signal has been easily heard in the United States and around the world with its broadcasts of time announcement by voice and also via digital time codes. It is broadcast in Upper Sideband with a carrier reinserted to allow it to be received without an SSB radio using three atomic clocks located at the transmitter site and the signals are highly accurate. In addition to providing the time, the signals were used by many to gauge ionospheric propagation conditions. Recently HamSCI, an organization engaged in citizen science using amateur radio, released a statement on how they have been actively using the signals from CHU to further their research, formally asking the Canadian National Resource Council (NRC) which operates CHU to reverse their decision to close the station. The decision to end CHU broadcasts follows the closing of Canada’s weather radio network on March 16 earlier this year. If the station does indeed stop broadcasting this month, it will be greatly missed. For more information visit https://nrc.canada.ca/en/certifications-evaluations-standards/canadas-official-time/nrc-shortwave-station-broadcasts-chu https://www.hamsci.org/CHU https://swling.com/blog/2026/05/canadas-chu-will-go-silent-on-shortwave-on-june-22-2026/ DXpedition Spotlight: VJ2L Lord Howe Island Image Courtesy https://www.dx-world.net/vj2l-lord-howe-island/ A team of 7 operators started their activation of Lord Howe Island on June 1st with a focus on working as many DXCC entities and CQ Zones as possible for the 2026 DX Marathon contest. Lord Howe Island is a volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between the East Coast of Australia and Norfolk Island. The team will be focusing on 40 through 10 meters on CW, FT8, and SSB and they are livestreaming via ClubLog. As we went to press the team had logged over 6,940 QSOs and were working a big pileup on 17 meter CW. They are scheduled to continue their operations until June 14. More information about the DXpedition can be found at https://www.dx-world.net/vj2l-lord-howe-island/ and their livestream can be found at https://clublog.org/livestream/VJ2L. Good luck. ARRL Announces Product Comparison Tool The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) has announced the release of their QST Product Review Database. It allows amateurs to compare various amateur radio products based upon metrics evaluated by the League. The site includes every lab tested device featured in QST since 2012 and allows users to filter based on the parameters most of interest to them. It also allows users to jump into the reviews in past issues of QST. To get full access to the data an ARRL membership is required. The database can be accessed at https://compare.arrl.org/. MVARC Nets on the Air * 2 Meter FM Net: Tuesdays at 7 PM [146.655/- MHz (141.3 Hz PL Tone) ] * 2 Meter Digital Net: Immediately Follows 2 Meter FM Net [146.655/- MHz C4FM] * MVARC Slow Speed CW Roundtable: Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 AM [3.565 MHz CW] * MVARC Cherry Tree Net: Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 AM [3.920 MHz LSB] What’s Happening with DX There will be a lot of DX on the air this week. Stations on the air include Kenya (54Z/MM0ZBH, 5Z4A), French Polynesia (FO/F6CBW), Juan Fernandez Island (3G0Z), Namibia (V5/N7XOB), Palau (T88RR), Bolivia (CP7DX), Bonaire (PJ4CB), Market Reef (OJ0MN, OJ0Z), Mozambique (C91RU), Lord Howe Island (VJ1L), Macao (XX9AN), Tanzania (5H3VW, 5H1KB), Rwanda (9X5KM), St. Martin (FS/K9EL), and St. Kitts and Nevis (V47JA). A calendar of DXpeditions can be found at NG3K’s Announced DX Operations List at https://www.ng3k.com/misc/adxo.html. Solar Activity Update As we go to press the Solar Flux Index (SFI) was 148 and the estimated sunspot number was 157 with 8 numbered sunspot regions visible from Earth. Over the last week the SFI stayed about the same. Solar activity has been at low levels in the last 24 hours. The geomagnetic field has been at quiet to unsettled levels in the last 24 hours and the Kp index reached 3 yesterday. The solar wind peaked at 481 km/s. Solar activity is predicted to be at low levels with a chance of M-class flares and a slight chance of X-class flares today through Sunday. The geomagnetic field is forecast to be at active to severe storm levels today and at quiet to active levels on Saturday and quiet to unsettled levels on Sunday. The chance of solar radiation storms at the S1 or greater level is at 5% today through Sunday. R1 to R2 radio blackouts are likely with a predicted probability of 50% today through Sunday. R3 or greater blackouts are possible with a 10% chance predicted today through Sunday. It remains a fantastic time for amateurs to get on the air and work the world. Good sources of real-time solar information include https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/ and https://solarham.com/. A good overview of conditions can be found at https://dx.qsl.net/propagation/. To see D-layer absorption data and associated radio blackouts, visit https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/d-region-absorption-predictions-d-rap. To see real-time Maximum Usable Frequency (MUF) and Critical Frequency (foF2) information from radiosonde data, visit https://prop.kc2g.com/. Upcoming Contests This weekend brings the ARRL Digital Contest we spotlighted earlier as well as the VK Shires Contest, the PODXS 070 Club Three Day Weekend Contest, the Tisza Cup CW Contest, the Wake-Up! QRP Sprint, the UKSMG Summer Contest, the Kentucky QSO Party, the IARU Region 1 Field Day on CW, the RSGB National Field Day, and the Atlantic Canada QSO Party. As always the K1USN SSTs, the MSTs, and the CWTs will also be on the air. The full contest calendar with events and exchanges can be found at https://www.contestcalendar.com/weeklycont.php. Interesting Online Radio Content Michael KB9VBR discusses using the Challenger OCF Vertical - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgY8HPHmPaM Dr. Tamitha Skov WX6SWW discusses the solar storms coming our way this weekend - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0J2EQJWKIA George VK2AOE does a little Beaches on the Air - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gduTI0Fr610 Mike K8MRD tries out the Tiny Gawant antenna - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoO1lO6xuaE Dugbo KD7RT takes apart a Putikeeg TUMD paddle to see what's inside - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wN-gK1B1ON4 Dan WD4DAN installs the G7UFO USB Charging mod into his Elecraft KX2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq2bdpp4b_w Walt K4OGO explores Virginia's Eastern Shore for DX and POTA - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pxu-fVQWoYg Linas LY2H builds his own battery pack and sees how it performs - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ogpq5ct2BU Callum M0MCX does a 1 day build of a home brew 15 meter Yagi - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEUO-tJKKn4 Stuart VE9CF talks about Ionosondes and the chirp they make on the HF bands - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVTIfrIUliM Ciprian YO6DXE shows a shortened end-fed half-wave antenna - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V00WBSPoxsE That’s it for this week. Best 73, Ed N2EC This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mvarc.substack.com

    11 min

  6. May 29

    Amateur Radio News and Notes 5/29/2026

    In the log this week * Contest Spotlight: CQ World Wide WPX Contest (CW) * Free Online Field Day Training From Long Island CW Club * MVARC Nets on the Air * What’s happening with DX? * Solar Activity Update * Upcoming Contests * Interesting Online Radio Content As always, links to all referenced content can be found in the show notes, or at our Substack at mvarc.substack.com. Thanks for reading Amateur Radio News and Notes. Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Contest Spotlight: CQ World Wide WPX Contest (CW) This weekend brings one of the biggest contests of the year: the CQ World Wide WPX Contest on CW. This is another contest where you can work a ton of DX, but what makes this one special is everyone can work everyone. The WPX part of it is referring to an interesting component of the contest where different call sign prefixes are the multipliers. So for me, the prefix would be “N2”, so if you worked me you’d get a multiplier. But “W2” would be another, as would “K2”, throw a different number in there and then you get still more, so the points escalate quickly and almost all contacts are “good contacts”. The contest starts at 0000 UTC on Saturday, May 30 (8 PM ET Friday Night), and ends on 2359 UTC on Sunday (7:59 PM ET Sunday). During that period of time a single operator can work 36 of the 48 hours and any off-times must be a minimum of an hour with no contacts logged. Bands allowed for the contest include 160m/80m/40m/20m/15m/and 10m. The exchange is RST plus a serial number, so “599 42” if you’re someone’s 42nd contact. Make sure you get the serial number, as it is required to match for the QSO to count. The final score is the QSO Points x Number of Prefixes Worked. QSO Points are 3 for contacts on different continents on 10m/15m/20m and 6 points on 40m/80m/160m. On the same continent but different countries points are 1 point on 10m/15m/20m and 2 points on 40m/80m/160m. Finally contacts in the same country are 1 point on all bands. The Prefix multipliers are applied only once, regardless of band or frequency of operation. Prefixes are the combination of the letters and numbers on the first half of the call, so N4, W4, WA4, S51, LY1000, are all separate prefixes to be counted. For entry, single operator categories include High Power (not exceeding 1500 Watts), Low Power (not exceeding 100 Watts), QRP (not exceeding 5 Watts). There are also a bunch of overlay categories that can be entered alongside your main category like Tribander, Rookie, Classic, and Youth. Check the rules for details on these. There are also Multi-Operator categories including Multi-One, Multi-Two, Multi-Unlimited, and Muti-Distributed. Again check the rules for full details. Rules and more information can be found at https://www.cqwpx.com/. This is always a great contest to make lots of contacts and get all kinds of unique prefixes into your log. Have fun and good luck! Free Online Field Day Training From Long Island CW Club The Long Island CW Club was founded in 2017 by Howard WB2UZE and Rich K2UPS after Field Day that year in the hopes that they could get more CW operators on the air for future Field Day outings. What they started in Long Island nearly 9 years ago has since grown to an impressive scale with 8,100 members in all 50 US States, and 71 Countries around the globe. They currently teach 182 classes a week covering Morse Code as well as a wide variety of topics of interest to the radio amateur. Getting back to that founding desire to promote CW on Field Day, the club is offering free classes to all via Zoom during the month of June focusing on practical CW skills for Field Day operation. They go over the Field Day exchange, getting into the rhythm of operating, abbreviations you’re likely to hear on the air, and practical advice on building your skills in sending, receiving, and confidence on the air. I have been an instructor with the Long Island CW club for many years now teaching classes at the beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels and the organization’s commitment to quality education and a welcoming community is second to none. The Field Day classes are free to all and start on Monday, June 1st, 2026 in a public Zoom room. As we go to press there are classes scheduled Sunday-Thursday for both Field Day CW Training and Practice and Advanced Field Day Training being offered. A full calendar of classes with a link to the Zoom room can be found at https://longislandcwclub.org/2026fieldday/. So stop on by for some classes and get on the air with CW during this year’s Field Day and get all those extra points. Good luck! MVARC Nets on the Air * 2 Meter FM Net: Tuesdays at 7 PM [146.655/- MHz (141.3 Hz PL Tone) ] * 2 Meter Digital Net: Immediately Follows 2 Meter FM Net [146.655/- MHz C4FM] * MVARC Slow Speed CW Roundtable: Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 AM [3.565 MHz CW] * MVARC Cherry Tree Net: Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 AM [3.920 MHz LSB] What’s Happening with DX As you would expect on a big contest weekend, there will be a lot of DX on the air this week. Stations on the air include Galapagos (HD8R, HC8M), Western Sahara (S09S), Kenya (54Z/MM0ZBH, 5Z4A), French Polynesia (FO/F6CBW), Mauritius (3B8IDX), Juan Fernandez Island (3G0Z), Namibia (V5/N7XOB), Palau (T88PB), Tonga (A31WW), Saint Kitts and Nevis (V4/WW6W), Chatham Island (ZL7IO), Martinique (TO3E), Bolivia (CP7DX), Bonaire (PJ4CB), Azerbaijan (4K0T), Maldives (8Q7QR), Panama (3F1A), Market Reef (OJ0MN, OJ0Z), Lord Howe Island (VJ1L), Macao (XX9AN), Tanzania (5H1KB), and Rwanda (9X5KM). A calendar of DXpeditions can be found at NG3K’s Announced DX Operations List at https://www.ng3k.com/misc/adxo.html. Solar Activity Update As we go to press the Solar Flux Index (SFI) was 145 and the estimated sunspot number was 161 with 11 numbered sunspot regions visible from Earth. Over the last week the SFI has increased. Solar activity has been at low levels in the last 24 hours. The geomagnetic field has been at quiet to active levels in the last 24 hours and the Kp index reached 4 yesterday. The solar wind peaked at 491 km/s. Solar activity is predicted to be at low levels with a chance of M-class flares today through Sunday. The geomagnetic field is forecast to be at quiet to unsettled levels today and Saturday and at quiet to active levels on Sunday. The chance of solar radiation storms at the S1 or greater level is at 5% today through Sunday. R1 to R2 radio blackouts are possible with a predicted probability of 40% today through Sunday. R3 or greater blackouts are unlikely with a 5% chance predicted today through Sunday. It remains a fantastic time for amateurs to get on the air and work the world. Good sources of real-time solar information include https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/ and https://solarham.com/. A good overview of conditions can be found at https://dx.qsl.net/propagation/. To see D-layer absorption data and associated radio blackouts, visit https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/d-region-absorption-predictions-d-rap. To see real-time Maximum Usable Frequency (MUF) and Critical Frequency (foF2) information from radiosonde data, visit https://prop.kc2g.com/. Upcoming Contests As we mentioned earlier, the main event this weekend is the CQ World Wide WPX CW contest, so there are not too many other contests scheduled. One exception is the Romanian Diaspora SSB Contest. As always the K1USN SSTs, the MSTs, and the CWTs will also be on the air. The full contest calendar with events and exchanges can be found at https://www.contestcalendar.com/weeklycont.php. Interesting Online Radio Content Kevin W1DED and the Contest Crew talk about CQ WPX Log Checking and WRTC 2026 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9tM81wnqXo Senator Ted Cruz Thanks Amateur Radio Operators for their efforts in Emergency Preparedness - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZNeMXyCQ7Y Michael KB9VBR tests out the Chameleon QRP Feather Antenna - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4QJKHQ0ry0 Vince VE6LK promotes the free LICW Field Day Classes - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqeWpybBsv4 Josh KI6NAZ takes a look at the Rak WisMesh Tag for Meshtastic - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mm0aANxGGv8 Lewis M3HHY talks about the POCSAG protocol used for text paging - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSBaRpWykfg Walt K4OGO tries a Loop On Ground Antenna at the beach - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAxaKAt0H3M The Broadcast Engineer talks about the physics of directional antennas - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR8pse5vidQ Michael KB9VBR shares what he got at Hamvention this year - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jLkndcnI6E Callum M0XXT gives a tour of his shack - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-utcgmIFeM Lewis M3HHY takes a look at VOR beacon antenna systems - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGb940SP0i0 Dan WD4DAN shows us how he works amateur satellite SO-50 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxGO90Atufw IMSAI Guy tests out the Nano Far Field antenna radiation pattern tester - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__gNp7DgZKs Gabe KL1FI hunts a radiosonde and takes a look at the radio that makes it work -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w16pjUEGrjk Colin MM0OPX uses a mag mount with ham sticks to activate POTA - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-Cwnmgbi7s Craig KM6LYW shows how to use VHF and UHF in the backcountry to keep in contact without cell service - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RY_ZTEyDkg Bobby W6IWN shows his SOTA and POTA camping location with all the amenities - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnWDAXdb4AQ Tim K5OHY compares 4 Vertical Antennas to see the tradeoffs of each - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHmapk7EF-A Dugbo KD7RT shows us the TUMD CW Paddle in action - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M26oNd1zqM Dan WD4DAN talks about the challenges of logging satellite contacts and his solutions - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTwMpfB6sWY Walt K4OGO takes his new FTX-1 out for Sea Trials - https://www.youtube.com/w

    11 min

  7. May 22

    Amateur Radio News and Notes 5/22/2026

    In the log this week * Dayton Hamvention 2026 Recap * MVARC Nets on the Air * What’s happening with DX? * Solar Activity Update * Upcoming Contests * Interesting Online Radio Content As always, links to all referenced content can be found in the show notes, or at our Substack at mvarc.substack.com. Thanks for reading Amateur Radio News and Notes. Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Dayton Hamvention 2026 Recap The 2026 edition of Dayton Hamvention took place on May 15-17, 2026 and Amateur Radio News and Notes was there. There were new product announcements from Icom and Yaesu, scores of vendors and flea market attendees selling their wares, many forums to attend, and several awards given to individuals and organizations of note in the amateur radio hobby. Perhaps the most anticipated announcements of Hamvention were those from Icom. They had several new and upcoming items on their list including ID-5200 mobile VHF/UHF rig which was on display with support for APRS and a Bluetooth KISS TNC. A price and release date has not yet been announced, but it is likely to be released at Tokyo Ham Fair later this year. Also announced was a new microphone and the AH-6 automatic antenna tuner, and both have no announced release date. The big tease from Icom was for their X-026 prototype. They had a plastic mockup under glass, but it was just a black box with no details on it and Icom staff were more interested in getting attendees thoughts on what it could be than giving specifics. Amateur Radio News and Notes was able to get some time with Icom’s Ray Novak N9JA to talk about what they brought to Dayton. Amateur Radio News and Notes: Hey, we’re here with Ray Novak here at the Icom booth, N9JA, and of course everybody knows Ray. Ray, you’ve got a lot of things being announced here, some a little more, real than others, some still in the prototype phase. Tell me about what, what we’re looking at here, new stuff here from Icom. Ray Novak N9JA: Well, a couple of the things here, we’re in various stages of prototypeness here. We’ve got the new X026 which is in a design concept, you know, one of those molded vehicles at the auto show that everybody goes, “Oh, that is so cool,” and then in the automobile industry maybe 20 years later they finally release the Tonka version of the Bronco. That took forever. But then we’ve got a microphone that is designed by the JAIA. I’ve heard that it looks like one of the Heil microphones, the PR781, uh, had somebody else tell me it looks like a Rode microphone. I haven’t had a chance to play with it to see what the front to back looks like, but it’s got in it the, uh, buttons to trigger—like I said I haven’t had a chance, but it looks like it triggers the digital voice keyer in the radio. Uh, we’ve got two almost production prototypes here, one being the AH6 which is 160 through 6 meters, both a random wire or a coax fed antenna system. And then finally the ID5200. Amateur Radio News And Notes: Well very good. Well, I’m very excited. I know there’s a lot of buzz around the, uh, the X026. I know you and I were talking a little earlier, might be a little while before it goes to market, but a lot of lot of speculation. Do you, do you have any, any favorite guesses you’ve been hearing, because I know a lot of people have been asking about it. Ray Novak N9JA: The more favorite guesses I guess I could say isn’t the ones where they’re like speculating what bands it will do, it’s more what would you like to see outside the box. And those, those have been the ideas that I’ve liked the most because it gives me an idea of hams thinking differently. Instead of just where does the microphone plug into, how long is the remote head cable, I want to see it do this band, that band, the other, I want the typical things that you would expect out of a black box. But I’m having fun hearing some of the things like what we did in the ID5200 with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, APRS, things like that. So those, those are the fun outside... it’s definitely outside the Icom box with like the APRS. Amateur Radio News and Notes: Fantastic. Well Ray, thank you so much for your time. I know you’re busy, got a lot of people going to talk to you but I appreciate you spending some time with us and, uh, look forward to seeing all this stuff out in the market. Ray Novak: Alright, thank you very much. Another highly anticipated set of announcements was from Yaesu. They announced the latest version of their digital voice system, Yaesu System Fusion III, along with their new DR-3X Repeater Systems. No price or release dates were announced, but Amateur Radio News and Notes spoke to Cory Sickles WA3UVV to learn more about what Yaesu announced at Dayton. Cory Sickles WA3UVV: Sure, I’m I’m Corey Sickles WA3UVV. Amateur Radio News And Notes: Well very good, so looking at the release here, I know they were talking about System Fusion 3 and then the new series of the DR3 repeaters. Can you tell me a little bit about that? What’s new in 3 and what can people look forward to with the new repeaters? I know a little bit more power, right? Cory Sickles WA3UVV: Uh, it is more power. Uh, the new repeaters are now available, they have dual band, dual input receivers still... compared to the DR2X, but a single transmit output and a single band. And the reason for that is that the increased power... what’s available with today’s technology for a given price point is such that it’s easier to do in a mono band configuration. So with VHF you get 85 watts out. With UHF you get 65 watts out. 100% duty cycle, full bore... that’s kind of the story of that part of things. Amateur Radio News And Notes: Well very good. So my, the club that I run this podcast through, we we use the 2. So what would be the... so obviously more power, I noticed also some new signal processing on that. Cory Sickles WA3UVV: There is. There’s a, uh, interference avoidance system, more information will be coming out about that, I don’t want to speak about it just yet. but if you have... and this is used in some commercial applications elsewhere in the world... you have interference, the repeater can switch to a different input frequency automatically AND communicate that transfer to radios... with firmware that will be upgraded at some point to do the same thing. So it would be an additional memory you’d have for this... situational kind of thing where it goes to that. Amateur Radio News And Notes: So would this be something where you’d have members of the club would sort of program it ahead of time with some sort of a key and then it would know, okay, it’s it’s time to go based on that authentication? Cory Sickles WA3UVV: Right. Right. One one example I could give of this, and it’s not the perfect one, but for my own club, we have a repeater up in the mountains. There’s a SCADA unit not too far from us. Every day at the exact same time, a gas valve opens and it puts that noise into the repeater. We once had that thing hang and it just tied up the repeater, couldn’t do anything about it other than report it to the gas company. Because we knew who the perpetrator was based on past experience. So this is something that in that scenario, the DR3 configured accordingly and the users, it would flip. Amateur Radio News And Notes: Okay. So I imagine in tight urban areas where you have a lot of, you know, you don’t have a lot of open frequencies that might be a bit of a challenge. Or or is the idea... I know they only transmit on on the band that they’re for but they do listen on both right? So would this be a situation where would it be maybe would people be moving from say VHF to UHF for the input during that time or would it... Cory Sickles WA3UVV: That is one possibility. Let’s say it’s a UHF repeater. You know, we have 30 megahertz on the 70 centimeter band. We heavily use 10 of that. Give the satellites their due. Still a lot of open room down in the 430 range... for for auxiliary inputs if you will, for something like that. So there really, you know, when we get to that band, we really don’t have the crowding of things. Amateur Radio News And Notes: Well very good. And another thing I noticed to talk about was the ASP which I know some of your newer rigs have. So would this... is my understanding right that essentially in weak signal conditions it’s going to add a level of audio processing and then that would then be boosting or taking that processed audio on the repeater output? Cory Sickles WA3UVV: Right. It’s a very current state of the art, digital signal processing for an analog signal. Uh, if you’ve had things like, uh, picket fencing, fry eggs, uh, you know the different sounds we have... It remedies that to whatever extent it needs to that technology allows. It’s a, it’s a really great thing. I mean, somebody who has used FM since the 70s and there are just certain things you just live with... we’re now at a point where we have a delivery of something where you don’t have to live with that. Amateur Radio News And Notes: Fantastic. And then in terms of the System Fusion 3 part, so what other things can people expect from the new standard? I know it’s backward compatible, right? Cory Sickles WA3UVV: Yes, absolutely. We’re we’re not taking anything away. there will be new features via firmware for certain radios. New things, you know, to come. If you remember the old Tonight Show billboard, ‘more to come’ along with that. And and some of this is is being developed. What you have right here is a working pre-production unit. It’s a real product. The firmware software things like that... later to be released to allow some of these features. Amateur Radio News And Notes: And any timelines of when when people can expect? Cory Sickles WA3UVV: Nothing that I... I I do not know. So if I were to give you a date, it

    26 min

  8. May 15

    Amateur Radio News and Notes 5/15/2026

    In the log this week * Dayton Hamvention Starts Today May 15-17, 2026 * QRPARCI Four Days in May Recap * Elecraft Announces New AX4 Antenna * Yaesu Announces System Fusion III and DR-3X Repeaters * MVARC Nets on the Air * What’s happening with DX? * Solar Activity Update * Upcoming Contests * Interesting Online Radio Content As always, links to all referenced content can be found in the show notes, or at our Substack at mvarc.substack.com. Thanks for reading Amateur Radio News and Notes. Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Dayton Hamvention Starts Today May 15-17, 2026 Image courtesy https://www.make-it.ca/hamvention/ Today kicks off the 2026 edition of the Dayton Hamvention at the Greene County Fair and Expo Center in Xenia, Ohio. Dayton Hamvention is the biggest hamfest in the world with last year’s attendance of 36,814 attendees. Hamvention starts Today May 15th, 2026 from 9 AM to 5 PM and continues Saturday 9 AM to 5 PM and Sunday 9 AM to 1 PM. This year’s theme is “Radio Adventure” and as always there will be a ton of vendors, tailgate sellers, and an extensive lineup of forums. Amateur Radio News and Notes on the scene in Xenia to report on the latest developments. I will be walking around on Friday and Saturday at the Fairgrounds, so If you’re going this year and see me definitely say hello. For more information about Dayton Hamvention including lists of vendors and scheduled forums visit https://hamvention.org/. QRPARCI Four Days in May Recap Image Courtesy https://qrparci.org/ Yesterday, Thursday May 14, 2026 the QRP Amateur Radio Club International’s Four Days in May conference took place in Fairborn, Ohio. This year there were a lot of great talks. Harold KE6TI started out the day with a talk about his journey in the world of homebrewing radios from a young novice to his career in electronics. Next up was Anthony K8ZT who reminded us that life is NOT too short for QRP with a talk that gave a lot of tips on how to succeed in QRP operations (his talk can be found at https://tiny.cc/qrptips). Then we were treated to a fascinating talk by Jonathan KM4CFT about the design philosophy of his CFT1 QRP radio that discussed his objectives and methods to create and release his popular radio. The next talk was from Thomas K4SWL about how he and his community in Swannanoa, NC dealt with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene using amateur radio and the power of community (see his coverage of at http://qrper.com/tag/helene-aftermath). His talk highlighted the resilience and resourcefulness of the community and provided some practical tips about how to be better prepared for future disasters. Jerry AC4BT had a talk about some of the methods he uses to build his CW skills. Stewart G3YSX gave a talk about how “Vibe Coding” using Artificial Intelligence is changing amateur radio with some practical examples and information. Al AC8GY and Jack W8TEE showed their clever magnetic loop antenna controller which allows for the automatic tuning of the notoriously difficult to tune magnetic loop antennas. Their result was impressive and they have released their code as open source so you can build your own. And last, but not least, Ross VK1UN showed us how he was able to design antenna tuners for the 160 meter, 630 meter, 2200 meter, and 8900 Hz bands allow him to have his QRP signals received thousands of miles away through ingenious engineering and circuit modeling. Then in the evening Ashhar Farhan VU2ESE gave a talk about his LARCSET 40 meter transceiver kits that allow builders to get on the air for around 30 dollars. The evening was capped off with vendor night, with many QRP vendors in attendance including Adam K6ARK, Packtenna, N6ARA Electronics, Halibut Electronics, Tufetln, HF Signals, Spootenna, POTA Cat, QRPMe, DX Engineering, and many more. It was a busy and fun filed day in Fairborn, Ohio. Elecraft Announces New AX4 Antenna Image Courtesy Elecraft Just ahead of Dayton Hamvention, Elecraft announced the next release in their AX line of compact antennas, the AX4. The new antenna maintains a compact form factor while allowing 100 Watts of output on CW and SSB and 50 Watts on digital modes. It is designed to be clamped to a table or bench, or put on a tripod with a 1/4-20 mount and has a longer 8 foot long whip that boasts a 6 dB gain improvement on then previous 4 foot whips. The antenna is resonant on 7, 10, 14, and 21 MHz and with the use of an antenna tuner the antenna can be used from 40 meters through 10 meters. The BL3 Balun unit keeps RF off the feedline and is an essential part of the 100 Watt power handling capacity of the antenna. The unit weights 15 oz, the main unit is 6.7 inches long and the whip is 13 inches collapsed and comes with a bag. As we go to press Elecraft has not announced a price, but they did have one on hand at FDIM’s Vendor Night. For more information about the antenna and to sign up for their wait list visit https://elecraft.com/products/ax4. Yaesu Announces System Fusion III and DR-3X Repeaters Image Couresy Yaesu USA YouTube Channel John Kruk N9UPC announced on Yaesu USA’s YouTube channel that Yaesu will be announcing the latest version of their System Fusion system, version 3 at Dayton Hamvention today. The new version is fully backwards compatible with existing radios, and details about the new capabilities in version 3 will be discussed in more detail at Hamvention today. Also announced were two new repeater systems, the DR-3XV and the DR-3XU. The V version transmits on 2 meters with an increased output power of 85 Watts and the U version transmits on 70 centimeters with an increased power of 65 Watts. The radios are rated for a continuous duty cycle and implement the new features of System Fusion III. The modulation method remains the same C4FM with automatic mode selection, but an added feature is the inclusion of their ASP (Audio Signal Processor) functionality seen in some of their newest VHF/UHF rigs which they claim will increase receive capabilities and signal intelligibility in weaker signals. They also mention a Interference Evasion System that purports to deal with intentional interference and reroute radios to an alternate frequency until the interfering signal disappears. Additional details are forthcoming at today’s Hamvention. For the full podcast announcement visit MVARC Nets on the Air * 2 Meter FM Net: Tuesdays at 7 PM [146.655/- MHz (141.3 Hz PL Tone) ] * 2 Meter Digital Net: Immediately Follows 2 Meter FM Net [146.655/- MHz C4FM] * MVARC Slow Speed CW Roundtable: Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 AM [3.565 MHz CW] * MVARC Cherry Tree Net: Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 AM [3.920 MHz LSB] What’s Happening with DX There will be a lot of DX on the air this week. Stations on the air include Galapagos (HD8R), Western Sahara (S09S), Rodrigues Island (3B9G), Kenya (54Z/MM0ZBH), Burkina Faso (XT2AW), French Polynesia (FO/F6CBW), Mauritius (3B8IDX), Corsica (TK/F4FTV), Iceland (TF/WE9G), Greenland (OX3LX), Saint Kitts and Nevis (V4/EI8KN, V4/EI7BR), Thailand (E25VCR/p), and Tonga (A31AA). A calendar of DXpeditions can be found at NG3K’s Announced DX Operations List at https://www.ng3k.com/misc/adxo.html. Solar Activity Update As we go to press the Solar Flux Index (SFI) was 106 and the estimated sunspot number was 60 with 4 numbered sunspot regions visible from Earth. Over the last week the SFI has decreased. Solar activity has been at low levels in the last 24 hours. The geomagnetic field has been at quiet to unsettled levels in the last 24 hours and the Kp index reached 3 yesterday. The solar wind peaked at 496 km/s. Solar activity is predicted to be at low levels with a chance of M-class flares today through Sunday. The geomagnetic field is forecast to be at active to major storm levels today and at unsettled to minor storm levels on Saturday and Sunday. The chance of solar radiation storms at the S1 or greater level is at 5% today through Sunday. R1 to R2 radio blackouts are possible with a predicted probability of 40% today, 30% Saturday, and 25% Sunday. R3 or greater blackouts are unlikely with a 5% chance predicted today through Sunday. It remains a fantastic time for amateurs to get on the air and work the world. Good sources of real-time solar information include https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/ and https://solarham.com/. A good overview of conditions can be found at https://dx.qsl.net/propagation/. To see D-layer absorption data and associated radio blackouts, visit https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/d-region-absorption-predictions-d-rap. To see real-time Maximum Usable Frequency (MUF) and Critical Frequency (foF2) information from radiosonde data, visit https://prop.kc2g.com/. Upcoming Contests This weekend brings the UN DX Contest, the NZART Sangster Shield Contest, the His Majesty King of Spain Contest on CW, the EU PSK DX Contest, the Arkansas QSO Party, the Feld Hell Sprint, the Baltic Contest, and the Run for the Bacon QRP Contest. As always the K1USN SSTs, the MSTs, and the CWTs will also be on the air. The full contest calendar with events and exchanges can be found at https://www.contestcalendar.com/weeklycont.php Interesting Online Radio Content Yaesu USA announces System Fusion III and the DR-3X repeaters - Dr. Tamitha Skov WX6SWW discusses recent solar weather - Dave G3LRC takes the Flex Radio Aurora out to the field - Mark KD7DTS takes a K6ARK dipole to a summit for SOTA fun - Josh KI6NAZ briefs you on what you should know about Dayton Hamvention - Thomas K4SWL takes a look at some new pressure paddles for the Elecraft KH1 and activates POTA - Thomas K4SWL tests out some custom accessories for the Elecraft KH1 and activates POTA - That’s it for this week. Best 73, Ed N2EC This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mvarc.substack.com

    11 min
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News and notes for Amateur Radio Operators and members of the Mount Vernon Amateur Radio Club compiled by Ed N2EC. mvarc.substack.com

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