ARRL

• Amateur Radio to Participate in DoD Armed Forces Day Crossband Test on May 9, 2026

  Amateur radio operators will participate in the Department of Defense’s Armed Forces Day (AFD) Crossband Test on May 9, 2026. The annual event will not impact any public or private communications.

  For more than 50 years, military and amateur stations have participated in this interoperability exercise between the amateur and government radio services. The AFD Crossband Test provides a unique opp...

• The ARRL Solar Update

  Solar activity remained at low levels this past week with numerous C1
  flares from Region 4420, which exhibited growth during the period.
  Region 4419 showed minor decay, particularly in its trailing spots,
  while producing a lone C1.0 flare. Region 4422 was numbered during
  the period but remained inactive. No Earth-directed CMEs were
  observed in coronagraph imagery.
  
  Solar activity is expected to contin...

• Dayton Hamvention® 2026 Offers Forums for Every Ham

  Dayton Hamvention 2026 features a wide range of forums to appeal to amateur radio operators of all interests, experience levels, and ages. The Hamvention Forums Committee has assembled a diverse lineup covering technical topics, operating skills, and emerging interest areas. 

  On opening day, Friday, May 15, there are 22 forums beginning at 9:15 AM with HamSCI: The Ham Radio Science Citizen Inves...

• Helping NASA Track Artemis II’s Orion Spacecraft

  The University of Pittsburgh’s Panther Amateur Radio Club (PARC) had a unique opportunity last week...helping NASA track Artemis II’s Orion spacecraft on its mission to the moon and back!

  Faculty advisor Juan Manfredi, NAØB, said the club responded to a request from NASA to submit a proposal. “We submitted our proposal in September 2025 and were notified in November that our proposal was accepte...

• The ARRL Solar Update

  Solar activity was at very low levels with only isolated B-class
  flaring, mostly from Region 4416.
   
  There are currently four numbered regions on the visible disk. Region
  4416 remains the largest group by area but exhibited signs of
  structural weakening, including flux submergence and a slight decay
  of its intermediary pores. Region 4419 was the most complex group on
  the disk and showed flux emergen...