On the Air Becky Schoenfeld, W1BXY

With this year's ARRL June VHF Contest fast approaching on the weekend of June 10, seasoned VHF operator Bob Witte, KØNR, joins the podcast to talk about how to prepare yourself and your station to join in the fun of this beginner-friendly event.Watch the video edition: (1) On the Air Podcast — Getting On the Air for the June VHF Contest! - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuYHVS5FfB4)

The March/April 2023 issue of On the Air featured an article on “The Incident Command System and Amateur Radio,” which introduced the Incident Command System (ICS), an emergency management system that public safety agencies use to respond to everything from small incidents to large-scale emergencies. ARRL Director of Emergency Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, joins this episode of the podcast to share more about the system’s origins and uses, where and how amateur radio operators fit into the system, and where to get ICS training.Video Edition of this Episode: (3) On the Air Podcast — Where Hams fit into the Incident Command System? - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EQYnrCH9Kg)

Radio orienteering (aka Amateur Radio Direction Finding, or ARDF) is a radio sport like no other. It gets you out of your shack chair and bounding through the woods or a park, using a handheld receiver and directional antenna to find a transmitter that’s located somewhere in the vicinity. People of all ages and skill levels can have fun with radio orienteering – and you don’t even need a ham radio license to join in. In this episode, we talk to USA ARDF Co-coordinator Charles Scharlau, NZØI, about how to get involved in what he calls, “the only athletic radio sport.”Check out the video edition of this episode: (1) On the Air Podcast — The Thrill of the Chase: Radio Orienteering - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGskvR0BjHw)

ARRL has designated 2023 “The Year of the Volunteers,” to shed light on the work of the hundreds of volunteers who make ARRL and amateur radio what it is. We’ve got a year-long on-air event to go with it – Volunteers On the Air, or VOTA, is already taking the bands by storm, just two months into the fun. In this episode, we talk to ARRL Director of Operations Bob Naumann, W5OV, and ARRL Radiosport Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, about rules, awards, special activations, and all things VOTA.Check out the video edition of this episode: (1) On the Air Podcast — How to Be On the Air All Year with VOTA - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9QcqSXD8nA)

As the national association for Amateur Radio in the US, ARRL offers programs and services for its members across the country. Many of these are made possible by the ARRL Field Organization, a network of ARRL member-volunteers who give of their time and knowledge to other hams, as well as to the Amateur Radio Service itself. Field Organization volunteers are positioned all over the country, in the various ARRL Sections, doing everything from offering technical advice, to liaising with government contacts, to working with young hams. In this episode of the On the Air podcast, Editorial Director Becky Schoenfeld, W1BXY, talks with ARRL Field Services Manager Mike Walters, W8ZY, about how the Field Organization is structured, what kinds of positions and duties are available (truly, there’s something for everyone, no matter what aspect of ham radio you’re interested in), and how to get involved. 

For many new operators, nets are one of the easiest and best ways to connect with other hams. Some nets are focused solely on emergency communications, others provide the opportunity to pass formal traffic throughout a region, while others are purely social occasions where you can get to know other active hams. Scheduled nets can take place monthly, weekly, or daily, and no matter their frequency (see what we did there!), nets are a great way to practice using your radio and get comfortable with the conventions of communicating on the air. The success of any net is due, at least in part, to the Net Control operator. Net Control actually runs the net, keeping everything — and everyone — organized. What’s it like running a net? What skills do you need? Are there common pitfalls? Best practices? In this episode, Ginger Wilder, KI5TJE, discusses her first time running the McKinney Amateur Radio Club (MARC) net and how she prepared to take on the challenge. She talks about her preparation and some of the unexpected things she learned from running the net. As a bonus, you can read a copy of MARC’s Net Control script on the On the Air blog at www.arrl.org/ota-blog (http://www.arrl.org/ota-blog).