The K7RA Solar Update 

No new sunspots appeared over the past reporting week, November 24 to 30.  But sunspots were visible every day.  Then on December 1 three new sunspot groups emerged.  The sunspot number rose from 12 to 49 and the total sunspot area went from 10 to 330.

Sunspot numbers and solar flux declined during this reporting week (November 24 to 30), with average daily Sunspot number dropping from 66 to 46,...

Radio Amateur Dr. Kristina Collins, KD8OXT, Earned PhD in Electrical Engineering 

Dr. Kristina Collins, KD8OXT, earned her PhD in Electrical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University on November 18, 2022. Dr. Collins' thesis, Development of a Low-Cost Meta-Instrument for Distributed Observations of Ionospheric Variability, focuses on the development of the HamSCI Grape Personal Space Weather Station Network. Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) serves as a...

Amateur Radio Club Provides Communications Support for Thanksgiving Day Race 

The BEARS of Manchester Amateur Radio Club in Manchester, Connecticut, spent Thanksgiving Day providing amateur radio communications support for the 86th Manchester Road Race.

The race, a 4.748-mile course that begins and ends on Main Street in downtown Manchester, has been a Thanksgiving Day tradition since 1927. This is the 30th consecutive year the BEARS of Manchester Amateur Radio Club has p...

Youth/Youngsters on the Air Month-Long Event Begins December 1 

On December 1, 2022, YOTA begins a month-long, special event to celebrate young amateur radio operators -- YOTA Month 2022. YOTA is Youth or Youngsters on the Air. Amateur radio operators aged 25 and younger will be on all bands using all modes throughout the month to make contacts around the world. In 2021, YOTA participants worldwide made 119,516 contacts, surpassing their goal of 100,000 con...

Nova Scotia Students Contact Astronaut Via Ham Radio 

Students at Five Bridges Junior High School in Stillwater Lake, Nova Scotia, Canada, finally had an opportunity to talk with an astronaut onboard the International Space Station (ISS) via ham radio.

On Wednesday, November 23, 2022, the students were able to talk with Astronaut Josh Cassada, KI5CRH, for about 11 minutes as the ISS passed over northern Europe.

The students were anxious to ask quest...

Quarter Century Wireless Association to Celebrate 75 Years 

The Quarter Century Wireless Association (QCWA) will celebrate its 75th anniversary on December 5, 2022.

Founded in 1947, QCWA's mission includes promoting "friendship and cooperation among Amateur Radio (Wireless) operators who were licensed as such at least a quarter of a century ago."

Today, QCWA has 230 chapters in the US. During the organization's 75 years, it has had nearly 40,000 members. ...

ARRL Headquarters Closed for 2022 Thanksgiving Holiday 

ARRL Headquarters will be closed on Thursday and Friday, November 24 - 25, 2022, for the Thanksgiving holiday. There will be no W1AW bulletin or code practice transmissions on those days. ARRL HQ will reopen on Monday, November 28, at 8 AM EST.

On behalf of ARRL, Happy Thanksgiving! We are thankful to our members and member-volunteers, and all radio amateurs who help us advance the art, science,...

Dodge County Amateur Radio Emergency Service Receives ServeNebraska Award 

The Dodge County Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®) has received the 2022 Disaster Volunteer Award at the ServeNebraska Step Forward Awards Luncheon on November 4, 2022.

Presented by Nebraska First Lady Susanne Shore, the award recognizes Dodge County ARES for a critical role in responding to the 2019 flooding in Fremont, Nebraska, and the surrounding areas. Dodge County ARES took signific...

Dr. Ulrich Rohde, N1UL, to Be Inducted to the Indian National Academy of Engineering 

The Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE) will induct Dr. Ulrich Rohde, N1UL, as a fellow during ceremonies in mid-December. Dr. Rohde is only the third foreign fellow elected by the INAE, preceded by Dr. Jeffrey Wineland, who won a Nobel Prize in Physics, and Dr. Philip H. Knight.

In the formal announcement issued November 19, 2022, the INAE thanked Dr. Rohde for "outstanding contributi...

2022 ARRL Board of Directors Election Results 

ARRL Southeastern Division Director Mickey Baker, N4MB, of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, overcame challengers for his position in the 2023-2025 election cycle. Ballots counted on November 18 showed Baker (2,785 votes) defeating challengers Vice Director James Schilling, KG4JSZ (1,000 votes), and John Willis, KB4DU (673 votes).

For the position of Vice Director, Jeff Beals, WA4AW (1,516 votes), o...

Eastern Massachusetts Section to Welcome New Section Manager; Incumbent Section Managers were Reelected 

Jon McCombie, N1ILZ, will become Section Manager (SM) of the ARRL Eastern Massachusetts Section on January 1, 2023. McCombie, of Eastham, was the only nominee to submit a petition to run for office when the nomination period closed in early September. As the sole nominee, he has been declared elected.

This past year, McCombie has been Assistant SM to Tom Walsh, K1TW, who has been the SM of the E...

2022 ARRL November Sweepstakes Phone Begins Saturday, November 19 

[revised 11/21/2022]

The 2022 ARRL November Sweepstakes Phone will run from 2100 UTC on Saturday, November 19 to 0259 UTC on Monday, November 21. This is the phone/SSB version of the contest, as the CW Sweepstakes counterpart ran during the weekend of November 5 - 7 -- so get your microphones ready!

 The annual ARRL November Sweepstakes is the premier domestic contest in the US and Canada, and th...