Amateur Radio News and Notes Podcast

In the log this week

* Contest Spotlight: ARRL International DX Contest

* ARRL Delta Division Assistant Director Frank Howell K4FMH Resigns

* Bouvet Island 3Y0K DXpedition Update

* FCC Updates Rules to Require FRN Updates Within 10 Days of Changes

* MVARC George Washington’s Birthday Special Event Station 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

Contest Spotlight: ARRL International DX Contest

This weekend brings one of the biggest DX contests on the air, the ARRL International DX Contest on CW (SSB is the first week of March). There is so much DX that it may even be possible to get DXCC (100 countries) in a weekend. If you’re a CW op, this is the time to get on the air. The contest starts 0000 UTC on Saturday (that’s 7PM ET Friday night) and continues through 2359 UTC Sunday (6:59PM ET Sunday). To participate, the DX stations can only work US and Canadian stations, this means this is a contest where the DX is chasing you!

The exchange for the contest on the US/Canada side of things to send a signal report and state/province. DX stations send signal report and power as a number or abbreviation. So for me in Virginia, my exchange would be “599 VA”. Bands are 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters and power classifications are QRP (5 Watts and below), LP (Above 5 W to 100W), and HP (up to 1500 Watts). You can work stations once per band and each QSO is worth 3 points. For US/Canada multipliers are each DXCC entity once per band and for DX it is each State or Province (including DC) once per band. Total score = QSO Points x Multipliers. Logs need to be submitted within 7 days of the end of the contest. Full rules and details can be found at https://www.arrl.org/arrl-dx. Good Luck!

ARRL Delta Division Assistant Director Frank Howell K4FMH Resigns

Frank Howell K4FMH, who served as the Assistant Director of the Delta Division for the ARRL for 12 years, resigned on February 13, 2026. In his letter to Delta Division Director David Norris K5UZ he cited the recent changes in the ARRL By-Laws, specifically By-Law 46 as the reason for his resignation. The by-law requires directors to annually “recertify” that they have “read, understand, and agree to comply with the ARRL Board Member Statement“ or be made ineligible to serve on the board.

The statement requires a Duty of Care, Duty of Loyalty, and Duty of Obedience. Of particular concern to those who have not signed the document or resigned due to its enforcement is the clause concerning the “Duty of Loyalty” which requires directors “maintain confidentiality to ensure candid deliberations and effective strategic and tactical planning”. Some have interpreted that clause to be in conflict with the responsibilities of the directors to the membership and potentially in conflict with Connecticut state law.

Howell stated that due to Director Norris signing the statement he “cannot support [his] actions under this stipulation as [he] believe[s] it is not a good outcome for the members of the League. This is a principle issue in [his] eyes. Therefore, [he is] resigning as an Assistant Director of the Delta Division”. This follows the removal of Atlantic Division Director Robert Famiglio K3RF and the resignation of Eastern Pennsylvania Section Manager Bob Wilson W3BIG in the last few weeks. Howell’s full letter can be found at https://k4fmh.com/2026/02/13/why-i-resigned-after-12-years-as-assistant-director-of-the-arrl-delta-division/.

Bouvet Island 3Y0K DXpedition Update

Image Courtesy https://3y0k.com

The highly anticipated 3Y0K DXpedition to Bouvet Island reached a milestone this week. The transport ship Argus arrived in Cape Town, South Africa. The arrival comes after the announcement in January that the team was expecting a delay of about two weeks due to vessel maintenance requirements. The location of the Argus can be tracked at https://www.vesselfinder.com/?imo=7104752. The 3Y0K DXpedition is one of the most expensive and logistically complicated in history with a reported budget of around $1.7 million. They plan to leave from Cape Town, South Africa and sail to Bouvet for a 3 week DXpedition, but at press time an exact date of departure has not been announced. The 3Y0K team has mentioned that they have received reports of individuals pirating the call sign on-air. They ask you not to work the pirates and do say there will be official communications from pilots or a team leader when the team is operational.

Links with more information can be found at:

The Official Site: https://3y0k.com/

The Ship Tracker: https://www.vesselfinder.com/?imo=7104752

DX News Coverage: https://dxnews.com/3y0k/

FCC Updates Rules to Require FRN Updates Within 10 Days of Changes

The Federal Communications Commission amended section 1.8002(b)(2) of the Commission’s rules to require that individuals who register with the FCC for a FCC Registration Number (FRN) must update the information in that registration within 10 business days of that change. According to the ARRL, this is a change as there was no specific deadline for those updates previously. All amateurs must have an FRN to file applications. Since that information is separate from the license applications, it needs to both be maintained via different updates via CORES and the License Manager System. The FCC issued a public notice to clarify this change on February 6.

MVARC George Washington’s Birthday Special Event Station Recap

Photo Courtesy Corey KN4YZY

Last weekend the Mount Vernon Amateur Radio Club operated as K4US from the grounds of George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate to celebrate his 294th birthday. The event was very successful with many members of the club and the community joining us on site and on the air. We operated two 100 Watt stations on the 20 and 40 meter bands using an Icom 7100 and Yaesu FT-991A connected to an N2EC VersaHex antenna in V-dipole mode and a Chelegance MC-750 vertical antenna. All in all we got over 220 QSOs in the log working the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, Belgium, and England as well as 26 states and 3 Canadian Provinces. As always, the club is deeply grateful for Mount Vernon hosting us again this year. Thanks for everyone who made this such a fun event.

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 DX contest weekend, there will be a lot of DX on the air this week. Stations on the air include the Azores (CR2X), Bermuda (VP9I), Martinique (TO4A), Belize (V3T, V3O, V31KO), Barbados (8P5A, 8P9XB), Costa Rica (TI7W), Bonaire (PJ4K), Aruba (P44W), Guyana (8R1WA), Gambia (C5SP), Guinea Bissau (J52EC, J51A), Desecheo Island (KP5/NP3VI), Mali (TZ1CE), Colombia (HK3JCL), and Solomon Islands (H44MS).

A calendar of DXpeditions can be found at https://dxnews.com/calendar/

Solar Activity Update

As we go to press the Solar Flux Index (SFI) was 119 and the estimated sunspot number was 43 with 3 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 and the Kp index reached 3 yesterday. The solar wind peaked at 558 km/s. Solar activity is predicted to be at low levels with a slight chance of M-class flares today through Sunday. The geomagnetic field is forecast to be at quiet to unsettled levels today and at quiet levels on Saturday and Sunday. The chance of solar radiation storms at the S1 or greater level is at 1% today through Sunday. R1 to R2 radio blackouts are unlikely in the near term with a predicted probability of 10% today through Sunday. R3 or greater blackouts are unlikely with a 1% chance predicted today through Sunday. There is a chance of 6 meter propagation so keep an eye on the band and spotting clusters to be ready for the next time the magic band does its thing. 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 International DX Contest on CW we mentioned earlier as well as the REF Contest on SSB, the Russian PSK WW Contest, the Feld Hell Sprint, the World Wide Argentina DX Contest, the High Speed CW Contest, and the Classic Exchange on Phone. As always the K1USN SSTs, MSTs, and 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

Matt M0DQW looks at the new FT2 mode for digital communication -

Michael KB9VBR builds an inexpensive Yaesu headset adapter -

Mike K8MRD puts up an antenna with his dad -

Kevin W1DED gives a POTA update for February 2026 -

Matt M0DQW looks at the Allstar Radioless Node Z2 -

Bob WV7W talks about antenna efficiency -

Josh KI6NAZ looks at the new BuddiPole BuddiHex Mini -

Stuart VE9CF talks about his favorite DX cluster -

Craig KM6LYW talks about the differences between various digital modes -

Lewis M3HHY uses a spectrum analyzer and directional antenna to hunt for signals -

Matt M0DQW looks at an automatic antenna switch -

Kevin KB9RLW shows how to integrate the DX cluster into QLOG -

Andy DL6FA has a CW QSO with Reto 5Z4GO in Kenya -

Manuel WP4TZ works the massive pileups as KP5/NP3VI remote to Desecheo -

Ed W4EMB and Chris N8PEM talk about delta loop antennas on the CW Corner Podcast -

Steve KM9G looks at the Raddy RF919 shortwave receiver -

George VK2AOE shows us part 2 of his 40 meter QRP Transceiver build -

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

In the log this week

* New U.S. 60 Meter Band Allocation Effective Today 2/13/2026

* KP5/NP3VI Desecheo DXpedition To Continue Operations Until 3/3/2026

* MVARC Special Event Station at George Washington’s Mount Vernon This Weekend 2/14/2026-2/15/2026

* 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

Thanks for reading Amateur Radio News and Notes. Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

New U.S. 60 Meter Band Allocation Effective Today 2/13/2026

Today marks the effective date of the new 60 Meter Band allocation in the United States. The main change relates to spectrum around the former channel at 5358.5 kHz which has been replaced by an allocation from 5351.5 kHz to 5366.5 kHz. The new allocation is limited to no more than 9.15 Watts Effective Radiated Power (ERP) which is a change from the previous limit of the channel of 100 Watts ERP. The other channels at 5332, 5348, 5373, and 5405 kHz remain as before with 100 Watts ERP. Bandwidth on the 60 meter band is limited to 2.8 kHz and amateurs are reminded that our privileges on the band are secondary to other stations authorized by the FCC and NTIA, other nations in the fixed service, and all other nations in mobile with the exception of aeronautical mobile.

This is an exciting new addition on a very useful band and the low power levels will make it a great place to enjoy QRP communications. More information about the changes can be found at:

* https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-25-60A1.pdf

* https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/01/14/2026-00587/implementation-of-the-final-acts-of-the-world-radiocommunication-conference-geneva-2015-wrc-15-other

* https://www.arrl.org/news/new-60-meter-frequencies-available-as-of-february-13

KP5/NP3VI Desecheo DXpedition To Continue Operations Until 3/3/2026

Image Courtesy https://desecheo2026.com/kp5/

On February 10, 2026 the KP5/NP3VI team announced that the Desecheo DXpedition has been extended until March 3, 2026. The remote Radio-in-Box systems were initially slated to be retrieved on February 12, but deteriorating conditions at sea prompted the schedule to be delayed. As a result, the team will continue remote operations to get more operators in the log. As of the 10th the team reported over 66,000 QSOs with 14,771 stations, for a total of 3,674 All-Time-New-Ones (ATNOs). Your author was able to get KP5/NP3VI in the log on 30 meters CW on 2/8/2026 and the contact was confirmed on Logbook of the World and Club Log within minutes.

The team also announced what they’re calling ATNO Day which is scheduled for Sunday, February 15, 2026 at 0000 UTC (Saturday Night at 7 PM ET) until Monday, February 16, 2026 at 0000 UTC (Sunday Night at 7PM ET) where the team will be focusing on operators who have never made a contact with Desecheo (so for them, it would be an ATNO). They will focus on FT8 from 1200-1400 UTC after which time they will focus on SSB with frequencies being in the U.S. General bands. They ask that ops who have them in their logs already let those who do not have them in their logs get their ATNO on this day.

Operating schedules and updates can be found on their web site at https://desecheo2026.com/kp5/. Good luck!

MVARC Special Event Station at George Washington’s Mount Vernon This Weekend 2/14/2026-2/15/2026

This weekend the Mount Vernon Amateur Radio Club will be operating as K4US from the grounds of George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate to celebrate his 294th birthday. The club plans to get on the air around 1500 UTC on Saturday (10 AM ET) until 2000 UTC (3 PM ET) and then again on Sunday from 1330 UTC (8:30 AM ET) until 1600 UTC (11 AM ET). Look for us on spotting networks and around centers of activity around 7.042 and 14.042 for CW and 7.242 and 14.242 for SSB. QSL cards will be available via the address on the K4US QRZ page. We look forward to celebrating on the air and hope to get you in the log.

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 Gambia (C5SP), Guinea Bissau (J52EC, J51A), Desecheo Island (KP5/NP3VI), Greenland (OX7A, OX7AM, OX7AKT, OX3LG, OX3LX), Mali (TZ1CE), Cambodia (XU7O), Belize (V3O, V31KO), Solomon Islands (H44MS), Colombia (HK3JCL), and Antarctica (DP0GVN, FT4YM).

A calendar of DXpeditions can be found at https://dxnews.com/calendar/

Solar Activity Update

As we go to press the Solar Flux Index (SFI) was 129 and the estimated sunspot number was 82 with 7 numbered sunspot regions visible from Earth. Over the last week the SFI has decreased. Solar activity has been at moderate levels in the last 24 hours. The geomagnetic field has been at quiet to active levels and the Kp index reached 3 yesterday. The solar wind peaked at 461 km/s. Solar activity is predicted to be at low levels with a slight chance of M-class flares today through Sunday. The geomagnetic field is forecast to be at quiet levels today, at quiet to unsettled levels on Saturday, and at quiet to minor storm levels on Sunday. The chance of solar radiation storms at the S1 or greater level is at 1% today through Sunday. R1 to R2 radio blackouts are unlikely in the near term with a predicted probability of 10% today through Sunday. R3 or greater blackouts are unlikely with a 5% chance predicted today through Sunday. There is a chance of 6 meter propagation so keep an eye on the band and spotting clusters to be ready for the next time the magic band does its thing. 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 YLRL YL-OM Contest, the CQ World Wide RTTY WPX Contest, the PODXS 070 Club Valentine Sprint, the Asia-Pacific Spring Sprint on CW, the SKCC Weekend Sprintathon, the KCJ Topband Contest, the Dutch PACC Contest, the OMISS QSO Party, the WAB 1.8 MHz Phone Contest, the RSGB 1.8 MHz Contest, the Balkan HF Contest, and the Run for the Bacon QRP Contest. As always the K1USN SSTs, MSTs, and 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

Matt M0DQW takes a look at the Anytone AT-D890UV DMR and NXDN HT -

Mike K8MRD fixes his base station antenna installation and sings the praises of TennTennas -

Dr. Tamitha Skov WX6SWW takes a look at some space weather conditions from earlier this week -

Half as Interesting talks about an experiment to enhance propagation by sending millions of needles to space -

Hayden VK7HH talks about how take-off angles change with antenna elevation and how to make it work to your advantage -

Walt K4OGO discusses long path and short path propagation for DX -

Josh KI6NAZ talks about using Linux for amateur radio -

Save it for Parts experiments with receiving satellite signals from his geodesic radar dome -

Mr. Carlson’s Lab explains how to extend the life of your soldering iron tips -

Geerling Engineering shows how broadcast TV sports are produced -

Tim N7KOM takes a look at the quick-to-deploy BeeTenna Yagi -

Dan WD4DAN looks at new features for OpenHamClock -

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

In the log this week

* Contest Spotlight: North American Sprint on CW

* Creator of Hamclock Elwood Downey WB0OEW Silent Key

* ARRL Eastern Pennsylvania Section Manager Bob Wilson W3BIG Resigns After Removal of Atlantic Division Director Robert Famiglio K3RF

* 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: North American Sprint on CW

This weekend brings the latest edition of the North American Sprint on CW from 0000 UTC on Sunday, February 8 (7 PM ET Saturday Night) until 0359 UTC Sunday (10:59 PM ET Saturday Night). The object of this contest for North American stations is to make as many contacts as possible, and for those outside North America to make as many contacts with North American stations as possible. This is a Sprint contest, so there is a special QSY rule that states that if you solicit a contact (e.g. call CQ, say “QRZ”, or solicit a frequency change like “UP 5”) you need to change your frequency after that contact. This basically means you can’t just stay on a single frequency and “run”. Entry classifications are High Power (up to 1,500 Watts), Low Power (up to 100 Watts), and QRP (up to 5 Watts). The Sprint is single operator only and use of spotting information of any kind is prohibited. The mode is, of course, CW, and the bands of operation are 80, 40, and 20 meters only. The organizers suggest frequencies above 3.525 MHz, 7.025 MHz, and 14.025 MHz. The exchange is the other station’s call sign, your call sign, a sequential serial number, your name, and your location (State/Province/Country or DX for those outside North America). So if I were working K4US for my 42nd contact the exchange would be “K4US N2EC 42 Ed VA”. For the contact to be valid, you have to log all the information correctly. The score is the number of contacts multiplied by the sum of contacted States, Provinces, and Countries (not including the US and Canada). Logs must be submitted no later than 7 days after the Sprint in Cabrillo format. Certificates will be available for top scorers from the NCJ web site after the event. So get on the air this weekend and give the North American Sprint a try. Rules and information can be found at https://ncjweb.com/Sprint-Rules.pdf. Good luck.

Creator of Hamclock Elwood Downey WB0OEW Silent Key

Image courtesy https://qso365.co.uk/2024/01/hamclock/

Elwood Downey WB0OEW, the creator of the popular HamClock software passed away January 29, 2026. His contributions to the amateur community are substantial and he will be greatly missed.

HamClock allowed amateurs to visualize greyline location, ionospheric propagation conditions, VOACAP predictions, as well as spots from the DX Cluster, POTA, and SOTA. It was able to run on a wide variety of hardware and was made freely available to the amateur community.

The servers that keep HamClock running will shut down in June of 2026, at which point it is expected that the software will cease to function. The final version of HamClock is 4.22.

There are several projects that are trying to create alternatives to HamClock including Open HamClock, Open HamClock Backend, Ham Dashboard, along with several others.

We send our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Elwood Downey WB0OEW.

ARRL Eastern Pennsylvania Section Manager Bob Wilson W3BIG Resigns After Removal of Atlantic Division Director Robert Famiglio K3RF

Image Courtesy ARRL EPA Section Web Site

In a post to the ARRL Eastern Pennsylvania Section Web Site, Eastern Pennsylvania Section Manager Bob Wilson W3BIG resigned from his position as EPA Section Manager. The post has since been removed from the site at the request of ARRL management, according to Wilson, but remains available in social media posts. In his statement, Bob Wilson stated that he believes “the leadership of the ARRL has deteriorated in such a fashion that [he] can no longer remain a part of the Field Service Division in good faith”. He cites the removal of Atlantic Division Director Bob Famiglio K3RF covered last week as a key reason for his own departure. Wilson writes that Bob Famiglio “is one of the most dedicated and tireless individuals [he has] ever met” and details his concerns with the policies and actions that led to his removal. He concludes by thanking the members of the EPA Section for their friendship, dedication, and generosity during his tenure. As we go to press the ARRL has not yet updated their section pages to remove his name or announce his successor.

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 Lakshadweep Islands (AU7RS), Tanzania (5H3DX), Gambia (C5SP), Guinea Bissau (J52EC), Desecheo Island (KP5/NP3VI), Greenland (OX7A, OX7AM, OX7AKT, OX3LG, OX3LX), Mali (TZ1CE), Cambodia (XU7O), Rwanda (9X2AW), Guadeloupe (FG4KH), South Sudan (Z81D), Solomon Islands (H44MS), Colombia (HK3JCL), and Antarctica (DP0GVN, FT4YM).

A calendar of DXpeditions can be found at https://dxnews.com/calendar/

Solar Activity Update

As we go to press the Solar Flux Index (SFI) was 167 and the estimated sunspot number was 166 with 8 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 to minor storm levels and the Kp index reached 5 yesterday. The solar wind peaked at 659 km/s. Solar activity is predicted to be at moderate levels with a chance of X-class flares today through Sunday. The geomagnetic field is forecast to be at unsettled to minor storm levels today, at quiet to active levels on Saturday, and at quiet to minor storm levels on Sunday. The chance of solar radiation storms at the S1 or greater level is at 30% today through Sunday. R1 to R2 radio blackouts are likely in the near term with a predicted probability of 80% today through Sunday. R3 or greater blackouts are possible with a 40% chance predicted today through Sunday. There is a chance of 6 meter propagation so keep an eye on the band and spotting clusters to be ready for the next time the magic band does its thing. 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 Vermont QSO Party, the Minesota QSO Party, the British Columbia QSO Party, the LABRE-RS Digi Contest, the 10-10 International Winter Contest on SSB, the Mexico RTTY International Contest, the European Union DX Contest, the F9AA Cup on CW, the FYBO Winter QRP Sprint, the AGCW Straight Key QSO Party, and the North American Sprint on CW. As always the K1USN SSTs, MSTs, and 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

Craig KM6LYW takes a look at the Baofeng Mini for Packet Radio -

Mike K8MRD plays with a wire delta loop antenna -

Chris N8PEM shows his Hidden Woodsman M55 Haversack POTA kit -

Ciprian YO6DXE shows off his modified Pixie kit for the 20 meter band -

Tim K5OHY shows us some modeling and real world results for the KJ6ER Marauder Antenna -

Dan WD4DAN talks about OpenHamClock as a potential replacement for the sunsetting HamClock -

Save it for Parts builds a model satellite kit -

Alan W2AEW shows his Hidden Woodsman M55 Haversack go bag for his Elecraft KX2 -

Jason KM4ACK shows a flaw in APRS message handling on the BTECH UV Pro -

Pablo VA3HDL takes a look at OpenHamClock as a replacement for HamClock -

Matt M0DQW looks at the Blackview Xplore 1 Android DMR radio -

Dr. Tamitha Skov WX6SWW gives a review of recent solar weather -

Mike K8MRD shows 9 useful 3D prints for amateur radio -

Kevin W1DED talks to young op Si WD5JR about his POTA and DXpedition adventures -

Nanofix talks about the differences between various solder alloys -

Lidi KQ3Q takes us along as she activates as K3Y/4 for Straight Key Month -

Mort G4BSK shows us his custom microphone for the QMX and other compact rigs -

Steve KM9G takes a look at the Xplore 1 Android DMR radio -

Mike K8MRD takes a look at the MAT-TUNER MAT-1F Antenna Tuner -

Jason KM4ACK talks about how he was able to use APRS during the snow storm to get information out -

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

In the log this week

* Contest Spotlight: North American SSB Sprint

* ARRL Atlantic Division Director Declared Ineligible For Office

* Desecheo DXpedition Update

* MVARC Winter Field Day 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 & Notes. Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Contest Spotlight: North American SSB Sprint

This weekend brings the latest edition of the North American SSB Sprint. This contest starts at 0000 UTC on Sunday, February 1, 2026 (7 PM Eastern Time Saturday) and goes until 0359 UTC Sunday (10:59 PM Eastern Time Saturday). The objective for the contest is for North American stations to make as many contacts as possible and for non-North American stations to contact as many North American stations as possible. One feature of the contest that makes this one a bit different is the QSY rule that makes it a “sprint” which stipulates that any station that calls CQ, says QRZ, or says “Going Up 5” or something to that effect to solicit a contact needs to change frequency by at least 1 kHz after the completion of that contact. Essentially, you can’t stay on a single frequency and make more than a single contact if you’re calling CQ.

The exchange for the contest is the other station’s call sign, your call sign, your sequential serial number (starting with 1), your name, and your location (State/Province/Country with DX for outside of North America stations). So if I was contacting K4US for my 42nd QSO, my exchange would be “K4US N2EC 42 Ed VA”. Participants can enter as QRP (5 Watts or less), Low Power (100 Watts or less), and High Power (1500 Watts or less). The contest is limited to 20, 40, and 80 meters with suggested frequencies between 14200-14275 kHz, 7125-7225 kHz, and 3700-3825 kHz (but stay out of the DX window from 3790-3800 kHz). The multipliers are US States, Canadian Provinces, and North American countries listed in the rules. DX doesn’t count as a multiplier, but does count for QSO points. Logs must be submitted within 7 days of the event and Cabrillo format is preferred.

This should be a fun contest to test your skills and get a bunch of contacts in the log. More information can be found at https://ssbsprint.com/. Good luck!

ARRL Atlantic Division Director Declared Ineligible For Office

Image Courtesy ARRL.org

In a bulletin to members sent on January 28, 2026 the American Radio Relay League announced that Atlantic Division Director Robert Famiglio K3RF was made ineligible to remain in his elected position due to him not signing a recertification of the “Board Member Statement on Authority, Responsibility, and Expectations” that had been added to the ARRL By Laws section 46(d) last year in the July 2025 board meeting.

In a separate communication from Robert Famiglio he wished to make it clear that he is not resigning, but “being removed without [his] consent by the application of the new code of conduct rules passed in July of 2025”. Famiglio, who is also a lawyer, believes that the new rules “now limit or prohibit a director’s ability to advise his division of matter involving important board decisions without advance permission”. He continues that his “interpretation of the new rules and required confidentiality agreement, and that of other lawyers [he has] consulted, contradicts [his] obligations under Connecticut law to [ARRL members].” He adds that he “cannot in good conscience sign the new director’s oath of confidentiality that is now demanded by the new bylaws”.

As a result of his removal as director, Marty Newingham AG3I, the previous Vice Director for the Atlantic division, has assumed the role as Atlantic Division Director.

Desecheo DXpedition Update

Image Courtesy https://desecheo2026.com/kp5/

In an update on their web site on January 28, 2026 the KP5/NP3VI DXpedition announced that they had made over 43,000 QSOs with over 10,700 unique call signs in 123 DXCC entities. They have been working through the challenges of operating the station remotely under renewable battery power. They state that low power and efficiency are key to their operations, band choices will follow real-time propagation, and adjustments will be made as necessary. They plan to continue operations on CW, SSB, and digital. They also have been posting provisional schedules for modes and targets on their web site at https://desecheo2026.com/kp5/. Good luck.

MVARC Winter Field Day Recap

Photo Courtesy Corey KN4YZY

Last Saturday the Mount Vernon Amateur Radio Club operated Winter Field Day in Alexandria, Virginia as K4US. We were a 2O station (2 transmitter outdoor station) and despite temperatures in the morning of 12 degrees Fahrenheit we had a great turn out. The club was hosted by club president Corey KN4YZY and his wife who made sure everyone felt welcome and had plenty of warm food and drink. Ed N2EC brought a double-sized ice fishing hut and a diesel heater to allow for the operating team to have a warm shelter that got up into the mid-80s during the event. We made 58 contacts on CW and 73 on SSB for a total of 131 QSOs including the first HF contact ever for a new operator who joined us. We operated primarily on the 15 and 20 meter bands using the N2EC VersaHex Antenna and a Chelegance MC-750 attached to an Icom 7100 and a Yaesu FT-991A. We decided to call it a day in the late afternoon as the severe snow event was barreling down on the Eastern half of the US and we wanted to make sure that everyone got home safe and sound. Thanks to everyone who joined in the fun to help us set-up, get on the air, socialize, and take down the station. It was an absolute blast.

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 Saint Kitts (V47JA), Rwanda (9X2AW), Guadeloupe (FG4KH), Tanzania (5H3DX), Gambia (C5SP), Guinea Bissau (J52EC), Desecheo Island (KP5/NP3VI), South Sudan (Z81D), Solomon Islands (H44MS), Colombia (HK3JCL), and Antarctica (DP0GVN, FT4YM).

A calendar of DXpeditions can be found at https://dxnews.com/calendar/

Solar Activity Update

As we go to press the Solar Flux Index (SFI) was 129 and the estimated sunspot number was 135 with 9 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 and the Kp index reached 4 yesterday. The solar wind peaked at 781 km/s. Solar activity is predicted to be at low levels with a slight chance of an M-class flare today through Sunday. The geomagnetic field is forecast to be at quiet to active levels today, at quiet to unsettled levels on Saturday, and at quiet levels on Sunday. The chance of solar radiation storms at the S1 or greater level is at 1% today through Sunday. R1 to R2 radio blackouts are unlikely in the near term with a predicted probability of 15% today and 10% Saturday and Sunday. R3 or greater blackouts are unlikely with a 1% chance predicted today through Sunday. There is a chance of 6 meter propagation so keep an eye on the band and spotting clusters to be ready for the next time the magic band does its thing. 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 Feld Hell Sprint, the UBA DX Contest on SSB, the North American SSB Sprint, the Marconi Club ARI Loano Slow CW QSO Party, and the Real Time Contest. As always the K1USN SSTs, MSTs, and 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

The Long Island CW Club has a presentation about the CW journey of members -

Dugbo KD7DUG gets QRP DX to Japan with a straight key from a mountain -

Ciprian YO6DXE shows off his new Spy Transceiver with just 3 transistors -

Duff WA7BFN gives another edition of the Long Island CW Club Podcast with the NAQP, Arduino Programming, DXpeditions, and AI -

Mike K8MRD gives us a tour of his ham shack -

Peter VK3YE’s tin can transmitter is heard 2,500 km away -

Matt M0DQW shows off his desktop SSTV receiver system -

John AE5X does Winter Field Day from Florida by motorcycle -

Mike K8MRD saves an old Kenwood HT from the trash bin and shows it to us -

Walt K4OGO daydreams about a 100 Watt Xiegu rig he wishes would exist -

Fact Quickie talks about why circuit boards are generally green -

Callum M0XXT builds a vertical from scrap materials and gets it on the air -

Kevan 2E0WMG shows how amateur radio and kayaking are a “match made in heaven” -

Craig KM6LYW talks about the MeshCore messaging platform -

Jeff KF0MYB takes a look at a portable Fnirsi oscilloscope -

Steve KM9G looks at a flexible solar panel setup for his portable operations -

Rob N1NUG asks us to be kind and helpful in our interactions with newer operators -

George VK2 AOE does round two of his Tasmanian portable operations -

Save it for Parts tests faraday bags for RF isolation -

Matt M0DQW tests out the MLite-880 Portable Receiver -

Mike K8MRD builds an inexpensive linked dipole -

TJ K9KJ talks about working DXpeditions and using ClubLog to find if you’re in their log -

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

In the log this week

* Winter Field Day This Weekend (1/24/2026-1/25/2026)

* Contest Spotlight: CQ World Wide 160 Meter Contest on CW

* 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

Winter Field Day This Weekend (1/24/2026-1/25/2026)

This weekend beings the 2026 edition of Winter Field Day. Winter Field Day is an annual event that like its Summer counterpart seeks to get amateur radio operators out in the field to make contact with stations around the world and practice their skills in emergency communications and field operations. Like Summer Field Day, there are a wide array of operating categories and possibilities, with plenty of ways to test your skills and develop new ones. While you can operate from anywhere, field operations under emergency power are incentivized along with using a diversity of antennas and making contacts via satellite.

The event starts at 1600 UTC on Saturday the 24th (11 AM ET Saturday) and continues for 30 hours until 2159 UTC Sunday (4:59 PM ET Sunday). Station classes include Home, Indoor, Outdoor, and Mobile. Bands of operation are all bands except for 12, 17, 30, and 60 meters. All modes except WSJT modes are permitted. The reason for excluding WSJT modes is that this is meant to be an emergency preparedness exercise, and modes like FT8 don’t allow for passing information and the required exchange. The exchange is the category (number of transceivers running simultaneously) and operating class and a location identifier (ARRL/RAC section for US and Canadian stations, MX for Mexico, and other stations send DX). So for the Mount Vernon club, which will be running as K4US with 2 transceivers outdoors in Virginia, the exchange would be “K4US 2O VA”. QSO Points are 2 for CW and digital modes and 1 for Phone. Multipliers include operating on alternative power, operating away from home, using multiple antennas, making an FM satellite contact, making a SSB/CW satellite contact, sending and receiving a Winlink message, copying the Field Day Bulletin, making at least 3 contacts on 6 different bands, making at least 3 contacts on at least 12 different bands, using multiple modes, operating QRP, and operating for at least 6 hours. All stations are limited to 100 Watts PEP. Logs must be submitted electronically by 2359 UTC on March 1st.

Whether you go out into the field or operate from home, this promises to be a fun event. So give Winter Field Day a try this year and get on the air this weekend. More information including rules and announced stations on the air can be found at https://winterfieldday.org/. Good luck.

Contest Spotlight: CQ 160 Meter Contest on CW

This weekend brings the latest edition of the CQ World Wide 160-Meter Contest on CW. This is always a busy contest on the top band and a great way to get a ton of contacts. The fun starts at 2200 UTC on Friday, January 23 (5 PM ET Friday) and goes until 2200 UTC on Sunday (5 PM ET Sunday). The objective is to make as many contacts with as many U.S. States, Canadian provinces, and countries as possible using the 160 meter band. Categories include Single Operator (no assistance allowed, 1500 Watts maximum), Single Operator/Low Power (no assistance allowed, 100 Watts maximum), Single Operator Assisted High Power (assistance allowed, 1500 Watts maximum), Single Operator Assisted/Low Power (assistance allowed, 100 Watts maximum), QRP (assistance allowed, 5 Watts Maximum), and Multi-Operator (assistance allowed, 1500 Watts maximum). The exchange is RST and state for US, province for Canada, and CQ Zone for DX. So for me, the exchange would be “5NN VA”. Points are 2 points for QSOs in the same country, 5 points for QSOs with other countries on the same continent, 10 points for QSOs with other continents, and 5 points for maritime mobile QSOs. The final score is the total of QSO points multiplied by the sum of multipliers (states, provinces, and dx countries). Logs must be submitted by 2200 UTC on January 30, 2026. Full rules and details can be found at https://cq160.com/. 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 Saint Kitts (V47JA), Rwanda (9X2AW), Guadeloupe (FG4KH), Santa Elena Ecuador (HC1MD/2), Tanzania (5H3DX), Gambia (CY5K), Aruba (P40AA), Desecheo Island (KP5/NP3VI), Curacao (PJ2ND), Roatan Island (VE3VSM/HR9), South Sudan (Z81D), Solomon Islands (H44MS), Colombia (HK3JCL), and Antarctica (DP0GVN, FT4YM).

A calendar of DXpeditions can be found at https://dxnews.com/calendar/

Solar Activity Update

As we go to press the Solar Flux Index (SFI) was 194 and the estimated sunspot number was 206 with 12 numbered sunspot regions visible from Earth. Over the last week the SFI has increased. The past week brought very high solar storm activity with G4 level storms. Solar activity has been at low levels in the last 24 hours. The geomagnetic field has been at quiet to active levels and the Kp index reached 5 yesterday. The solar wind peaked at 679 km/s. Solar activity is predicted to be at moderate levels with a slight chance of an X-class flare today through Sunday. The geomagnetic field is forecast to be at quiet to active levels today and at quiet to unsettled levels on Saturday and Sunday. The chance of solar radiation storms at the S1 or greater level is at 10% today through Sunday. R1 to R2 radio blackouts are likely in the near term with a predicted probability of 60% today through Sunday. R3 or greater blackouts are unlikely with a 15% chance predicted today through Sunday. There is a chance of 6 meter propagation so keep an eye on the band and spotting clusters to be ready for the next time the magic band does its thing. 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 Winter Field Day, the CQ World Wide 160-Meter Contest, the Kawanua DX Contest, the REF Contest on CW, the BARTG RTTY Sprint, and the Australia Day Contest. As always the K1USN SSTs, MSTs, and 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

Steve KM9G takes a look at a car based charging system for solar generators -

Save it for Parts builds an antenna for receiving Military Satellite Communications and compares it to a commercial antenna -

Forrest KI7QCF shows us some CW operations in Sint Maarten -

Steve KM9G shows how to update the firmware on the Xiegu XPA125B -

George VK2AOE operates portable from Tasmania with his QMX Plus -

Adam Savage talks about flaws in 18650 cells discovered by CT scans -

Mike K8MRD shows a version of HamClock for the Mac -

Jason KO4TFE modifies his QMX Plus to get increased output and voltage tolerance with additional BS170 transistors -

Matt M0DQW builds a WSPR beacon for less than $20 -

Dugbo KD7DUG works 2m CW for POTA 74 miles away -

Chuck KK6USY designs a 3D printed dipole center -

Alan W2AEW installs a 500 Hz CW filter in his FT-857D -

Jason KM4ACK looks at ham made accessories for power switching -

Tim K5OHY looks at a HOA Friendly 40m and 30m antenna -

Mike K8MRD tests the Yaesu FC-80 ATU against other solutions and does not like what he finds -

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

In the log this week

* Contest Spotlight: North American QSO Party SSB

* United States 60 Meter Band Changes Effective 2/13/2026

* DXpedition Spotlight: KP5/NP3VI Desecheo Island

* 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: North American QSO Party SSB

This weekend brings the latest edition of the North American QSO Party to the air, this time on SSB. The goal of this contest is to work as many North American stations as possible during the contest. It runs from 1800 UTC on Saturday, January 17th (1 PM ET Saturday) until 0559 UTC on Sunday, January 18 (12:59 AM ET on Sunday). For the purposes of the contest North American stations are defined by the ARRL DXCC list, plus Hawaii. The exchange is a simple one: operator name and location (state, province, or country). So for me in Virginia, my exchange would be “Ed VA”. For non-North American stations the exchange is just their name. Operating categories include Single Operator (no spotting assistance permitted), Single Operator Assisted (spotting assistance permitted), and Multioperator Two Transmitter. Power is limited to 100 Watts for the Low Power category and 5 Watts and under for QRP. Allowed bands include 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters. Multipliers are all 50 US states and DC the 13 Canadian provinces and territories, and other North American DXCC Entities. Non-North American entities don’t count as a multiplier, but do count for QSO credit. The score is the number of valid QSOs multiplied by the sum of multipliers worked on each band. There is also a team competition that allows you to have your score added to a cumulative team score. Logs are due no later than 7 days after the end of the contest and electronic submission via Cabrillo format is preferred. For more information check out the contest rules at https://www.ncjweb.com/NAQP-Rules.pdf. Good luck.

United States 60 Meter Band Changes Effective 2/13/2026

The modifications to the US 60 Meter Band that were announced in FCC Report and Order 25-60 was published in the Federal Register Document Number 2026-00587 which means the changes will be effective February 13, 2026. The main change relates to spectrum around the current channel at 5358.5 kHz which will cease to exist and be replaced by an allocation from 5351.5 kHz to 5366.5 kHz. The new allocation will be limited to no more than 9.15 Watts Effective Radiated Power (ERP) which is a change from the previous limit of the channel of 100 Watts ERP. The other channels at 5332, 5348, 5373, and 5405 kHz remain as before with 100 Watts ERP. Bandwidth on the 60 meter band is limited to 2.8 kHz and amateurs are reminded that our privileges on the band are secondary to other stations authorized by the FCC and NTIA, other nations in the fixed service, and all other nations in mobile with the exception of aeronautical mobile. In an update to ARRL Roanoke Division members, Division Director Jim N2ZZ and Vice Director Bill N2COP remind amateurs of that secondary status, saying “When we were originally given channels in this band, we were limited to 50 Watts PEP. Afterwards, our power level was increased to 100 Watts PEP because we were ‘good neighbors’. We hope that this will happen once again. Enjoy our new privileges!”. This is an exciting new addition on a very useful band and the low power levels will make it a great place to enjoy QRP communications. More information about the changes can be found at https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-25-60A1.pdf and https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/01/14/2026-00587/implementation-of-the-final-acts-of-the-world-radiocommunication-conference-geneva-2015-wrc-15-other.

DXpedition Spotlight: KP5/NP3VI Desecheo Island

Image Courtesy https://desecheo2026.com/

A highly anticipated DXpedition to Desecheo Island in Puerto Rico is currently underway. Desecheo Island is one of the most sought after DXCC entities on the Club Log Most Wanted List currently ranked as #14 on the list. The island is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is currently closed to the public due to the presence of unexploded military ordinance from its previous use as a bombing range from 1940-1964. As such, it is quite challenging to make contact with this DXCC entity.

Image Courtesy US Fish & Wildlife Service, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=81262995

The island is relatively small at 360 acres of rugged and mountainous terrain with a semi-deciduous dry forest and grassland. The island has no source of fresh water. The island has also been part of extensive efforts to restore the the island to its prior status by successful invasive species eradication efforts from 2003 until 2017 when the island was declared free of invasive mammals. The KP5/NP3VI team was able to obtain a special use permit from the US Fish and Wildlife Service for a very special type of DXpedition. They are using a state of the art remote operating system which allows for radios to be on the island and for the operators to be off the island helping to ensure the safety of both the native species on the island and the DXpeditioners. A small team deployed two Remote Deployable Units (RDUs) that should allow the team to operate 24 hours a day for 30 days. The RDUs were made by the Manyana DX Foundation and are run on battery power and are recharged using solar panels helping to ensure a minimal environmental impact while allowing operations from 160-6 meters.

This DXpedition from Desecheo is the first organized by a Puerto Rican team in over 46 years and the and the first time in 17 years that Desecheo has been activated. The pileups have been intense and the signals to the Eastern US have been strong. There is a large group of operators making this DXpedition a reality so that Desecheo can get into the logs of as many amateurs as possible. They are livestreaming their operations on Club Log and have facilities for operators to verify they are in the log. The organizers hope that this will be a model for future operations in ecologically sensitive areas, allowing more DX to be on the air. More information about the island and operations can be found at https://desecheo2026.com/kp5/, https://desecheo2026.com/kp5/log-search/, and https://www.fws.gov/refuge/desecheo. Get on the air and in their log. 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 Rwanda (9X2AW), Tanzania (5H3DX), Aruba (P40AA), Desecheo Island (KP5/NP3VI), Curacao (PJ2ND), Gambia (CY5K), Roatan Island (VE3VSM/HR9), South Sudan (Z81D), Greenland (OX7A, OX7AM, OX7AKT, OX3LG), Solomon Islands (H44MS), Colombia (HK3JCL), and Antarctica (DP0GVN, FT4YM).

A calendar of DXpeditions can be found at https://dxnews.com/calendar/

Solar Activity Update

As we go to press the Solar Flux Index (SFI) was 139 and the estimated sunspot number was 123 with 5 numbered sunspot regions visible from Earth. Over the last week the SFI has 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 and the Kp index reached 3 yesterday. The solar wind peaked at 675 km/s. Solar activity is predicted to be at moderate levels with a slight chance of an X-class flare today through Sunday. The geomagnetic field is forecast to be at quiet to active levels today and at quiet to minor 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 1% today through Sunday. R1 to R2 radio blackouts are likely in the near term with a predicted probability of 55% today through Sunday. R3 or greater blackouts are unlikely with a 10% chance predicted today through Sunday. There is a chance of 6 meter propagation so keep an eye on the band and spotting clusters to be ready for the next time the magic band does its thing. 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 AWA Linc Cundall Memorial CW Contest, the Hungarian DX Contest, the PRO Digi Contest, the RSGB AFS Contest on SSB, the North American QSO Party on SSB, the NA Collegiate Championship on SSB, the ARRL VHF Contest, the Feld Hell Sprint, and the Run for the Bacon QRP Contest. As always the K1USN SSTs, MSTs, and 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

Mike K8MRD gives an unfavorable review of the Yaesu FC-80 Antenna Tuner -

Dugbo KD7DUG punches through pileups with his QRP Labs QMX -

Ed W4EMB does a POTA Pack Mule activation on CW -

Stuart VE9CF advocates for less negativity in radio -

Josh KI6NAZ builds a crystal radio kit -

The Smokin Ape looks at the RF Explorer as a field strength meter -

Save it for Parts builds a satellite station to receive HamTV from the ISS -

Michael KB9VBR talks about lithium battery safety -

Mark KD7DTS and Adam K6ARK livestream the first activation of some SOTA summits -

Mike K8MRD talks about charging DIY Solar Generators -

Colin MM0OPX builds the feed point for a phased vertical antenna system -

Mr Carlson’s Lab talks about why crystals are needed in radios -

Matt M0DQW takes a look at a B210 clone SDR -

Peter VK3YE builds a direct conversion receiver on a tin can with 4 transistors and hears intercontinental DX -

Crazy Checkov updates his Yaesu FT-897 with modern internal batteries for a truly all-in-one rig -

George VK2AOE works on his 40 meter homebrew transceiver -

The ARRL talks about the America 250 Worked All States Operating Event -

Mike K8MRD talks about power options for QRP Labs QMX transceivers -

TJ K9KJ talks about the Micro PA100 Portable HF Amplifier -

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

In the log this week

* Contest Spotlight: North American QSO Party CW

* ARRL Announces America250 Worked All States Award

* QRZ.com Announces USA250 Award

* Youth on the Air Camp Accepting Applications for 2026 YOTA Camp

* Reminder: Free Extra Class Course Online Starting January 15, 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.

Thanks for reading Amateur Radio News and Notes! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Contest Spotlight: North American QSO Party CW

This weekend brings the latest edition of the North American QSO Party to the air, this time on CW. The goal of this contest is to work as many North American stations as possible during the contest. It runs from 1800 UTC on Saturday, January 10th (1 PM ET Saturday) until 0559 UTC on Sunday, January 11 (12:59 AM ET on Sunday). For the purposes of the contest North American stations are defined by the ARRL DXCC list, plus Hawaii. The exchange is a simple one: operator name and location (state, province, or country). So for me in Virginia, my exchange would be “Ed VA”. For non-North American stations the exchange is just their name. Operating categories include Single Operator (no spotting assistance permitted), Single Operator Assisted (spotting assistance permitted), and Multioperator Two Transmitter. Power is limited to 100 Watts for the Low Power category and 5 Watts and under for QRP. Allowed bands include 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters. Multipliers are all 50 US states and DC the 13 Canadian provinces and territories, and other North American DXCC Entities. Non-North American entities don’t count as a multiplier, but do count for QSO credit. The score is the number of valid QSOs multiplied by the sum of multipliers worked on each band. There is also a team competition that allows you to have your score added to a cumulative team score. Logs are due no later than 7 days after the end of the contest and electronic submission via Cabrillo format is preferred. For more information check out the contest rules at https://www.ncjweb.com/NAQP-Rules.pdf. Good luck.

ARRL Announces America250 Worked All States Award

Image Courtesy ARRL

2026 brings the semiquincentennial (250th anniversary) of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and several celebrations are planned to mark this milestone. The ARRL has announced they will be running a year-long Worked All States operating event to commemorate the occasion with their America250 WAS event. The event is also part of their “Year of the Club” initiative and will see participation from ARRL affiliated club stations as well as several W1AW/portable stations. Even if you’ve already achieved WAS, this will be a fun way to get a commemorative certificate (shown above) that is available for purchase. There will also be endorsements for WAS by contacting W1AW/portable stations, WAS by contacting ARRL Affiliated Club Stations, and a WAS Triple Play by contacting all states on 3 modes (phone/CW/digital) that can be received after being awarded the America250 WAS. You can monitor your progress for the award and apply on ARRL’s Logbook of the World. More information can be found on page 76 of the January 2026 QST magazine and at https://www.arrl.org/america250-was. Good luck!

QRZ.com Announces USA250 Award

Image Courtesy QRZ.com

QRZ.com announced that they’ll be issuing the USA 250 Award during 2026 to commemorate the semiquincentennial. To get the award operators need to make 250 confirmed QSOs (on QRZ.com) with US-based amateur radio stations. All operators in any location are eligible and QSOs need to take place in 2026 and be logged and confirmed on the QRZ logbook. Endorsements based on mode are also available. Applications for the award are free. This is another fun way to celebrate the United States’ 250th anniversary. More information about the event can be found at https://forums.qrz.com/index.php?threads/announcing-the-usa250-award.976740/. Good luck!

Youth on the Air Camp Accepting Applications for 2026 YOTA Camp

Image Courtesy https://youthontheair.org/

Youth on the Air (YOTA) Camp is accepting applications for their session this Summer, June 14-19 2026, in Huntsville, Alabama. YOTA Camp is for licensed amateur radio operators between the ages of 15 and 25 years old. This year the theme of the camp will be “Space”. The application process is free and the process continues until May 1, but for the best chance at being selected they recommend completing applications by January 15, 2026 at 2359 UTC. If accepted a $100 deposit is required, although scholarships and waivers are available to those in need. Up to 50 campers will be accepted this year with a priority being given to first time attendees. For more information check out the YOTA web site at https://youthontheair.org/huntsville2026/ and apply at https://youthontheair.org/campapply/.

Reminder: Free Extra Class Course Online Starting January 15, 2026

Rol Anders K3RA and the National Electronics Museum will be starting a 11 week online course to help operators study for the Amateur Extra Class license. Classes will be held on Zoom on Thursdays at 6:30 PM ET from January 15, 2026 until March 26, 2026. Attendees should hold (or be studying for) the General Class license. If you’ve been considering upgrading your license and learning a lot more about the hobby, these free classes are a fantastic opportunity. To sign up contact Rol at [email protected].

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 Palau (T88HS), Burkina Faso (XT2MAX), Lakshadweep Islands (AU7RS), Cambodia (XU7GNY, XU7O), Aruba (P40AA), Gambia (CY5K), Roatan Island (VE3VSM/HR9), South Sudan (Z81D), Greenland (OX7A, OX7AM, OX7AKT, OX3LG), Solomon Islands (H44MS), Colombia (HK3JCL), and Antarctica (DP0GVN, FT4YM).

A calendar of DXpeditions can be found at https://dxnews.com/calendar/

Solar Activity Update

As we go to press the Solar Flux Index (SFI) was 140 and the estimated sunspot number was 95 with 6 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 active levels and the Kp index reached 4 yesterday. The solar wind peaked at 442 km/s. Solar activity is predicted to be at low levels with a chance of an M-class flare today through Sunday. The geomagnetic field is forecast to be at quiet to minor 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 10% today through Sunday. R1 to R2 radio blackouts are possible in the near term with a predicted probability of 45% today through Sunday. R3 or greater blackouts are unlikely with a 10% chance predicted today through Sunday. There is a chance of 6 meter propagation so keep an eye on the band and spotting clusters to be ready for the next time the magic band does its thing. 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 YB DX Contest, the Old New Year Contest, the SKCC Weekend Sprintathon, the UBA PSK63 Prefix Contest, the North American QSO Party on CW we spotlighted earlier, the NRAU Baltic Contests on SSB and CW, the DARC 10 Meter Contest, the RSGB AFS Contest on Data, and the 4 States QRP Second Sunday Sprint. As always the K1USN SSTs, MSTs, and 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

Jason KM4ACK talks about problems with APRS on the new Retevis Ailunce HA2 -

Ed W4EMB talks about choosing a portable radio on the second edition of his podcast -

Michael KB9VBR finds a budget headset that he likes for POTA activations -

Matt M0DQW takes a look at the Ailunce HA2 -

Craig KM6LYW puts a webcam on the air via Winlink -

Jason KM4ACK upgrades the USB jack on his Icom 705 -

Steve KM9G talks about a Xiegu G90 firmware upgrade that breaks FT8 and how to fix it -

Linas LY2H uses the FX-4CR to activate a park on 20 Watts -

Bob WV7W talks about antenna marketing hype and how to be informed about your purchase -

Matt M0DQW takes a look at the new PACTOR modem from SCS -

Steve KM9G experiments with a Chameleon remote antenna tuner -

Mike K8MRD builds a 3D Printed PowerPole Distribution box -

Mark KD7DTS and Di KO6BTM activate SOTA in Australia -

Rob N1NUG takes a look at an abandoned AM transmitter site for sale in Connecticut -

Mike K8MRD gets signal reports from his new Icom 7300MK2 -

George VK2AOE has a challenging POTA activation at a nude beach in Australia -

Peter VK3YE builds a QRP transmitter on a tin can -

Callum M0XXT talks antennas for small yards -

Kevan 2E0WMG activates island portable with his new IC-705 -

Matt M0DQW takes a look at Intercept software for RTL-SDRs -

Paul OM0ET compares the Mobile-Whip active antenna to a telescoping whip -

Colin MM0OPX talks about his experience using a doublet antenna for 9 months -

Steve KM9G gets a RT95 on the air with the TOADs DI and Direwolf -

Mr. Carlson’s Lab explains why air variable capacitors have cuts in their plates and how to use them -

Matt M0DQW shows an inexpensive WSPR transmitter -

George VK2AOE looks at a cheap 60 MHz Function Generator -

Dugbo KD7DUG gets on 2m SSB with a Quansheng HT -

Hayden VK7HH talks about GPS disciplined frequency references and why you might need one -

Callum M0XXT talks about why he prefers a superhetrodyne receiver to an SDR -

Kevin W1DED talks to Manuel WP4TZ about SOTA and contesting from Puerto Rico -

Mike K8MRD talks about FME Series cables from ABR Industries -

Rob N1NUG talks to Tom of Tom’s Radio Room about whether Shortwave is still alive -

The Broadcast Engineer looks at Cincinnati Public Radio’s transmitter site -

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

In the log this week

* Amateur Radio News and Notes on New Years Break Next Week

* Straight Key Night Returns New Years Day

* ARRL Kids Day 1/3/2026

* Reminder: Free Extra Class Course Online Starting January 15, 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

Thanks for reading MVARC News! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Amateur Radio News and Notes on New Years Break Next Week

Amateur Radio News and Notes will be taking a break next week to enjoy the coming of the New Year and get on the air with Straight Key Night. We’ll return for our next edition on January 9, 2026. We wish you and yours a joyous holiday season and a prosperous New Year filled with great DX and fun on the air.

Straight Key Night Returns New Years Day

New Year’s Day brings one of the most fun operating events of the year: ARRL Straight Key Night. From 0000 UTC on New Year’s Day (7 PM ET New Year’s Eve) until 2359 UTC New Year’s Day (6:59 PM ET New Year’s Day) people will be on the air using their straight keys and bugs. The idea behind the event, which is not a contest, is to celebrate our CW heritage utilizing manual keys like straight keys or bugs. This is always a fun event, with a laid back pace, and a social feel. I’ve had many great ragchews on Straight Key Night and had some great conversations. Since it isn’t a contest, all bands are fair game. I particularly enjoy working it on New Year’s Eve (on the East Coast) as it is always a whole lot more entertaining than the countdown shows trying to get you to watch more advertising before the year’s end. Slow things down a bit and get out your favorite old key and get on the air for a great way to close out 2025 and welcome 2026. If you end up having an interesting QSO you can submit it to the ARRL as well. For more information visit https://www.arrl.org/straight-key-night. Good luck.

ARRL Kids Day 1/3/2026

On Saturday, January 3, 2026 the ARRL will host the next edition of their Kids Day special event. The event is designed to build excitement about Amateur Radio with kids and the community at large. The idea is to get kids on the air with licensed amateurs to make contacts around the country and the world. The event runs from 1800 UTC (1 PM ET) until 2359 UTC (6:59 PM ET) and the ARRL encourages you to operate as much or as little as you like. The suggested exchange is Name, Age, Location, and Favorite color. If the operator changes, working the same call sign again is encouraged. When calling CQ say “CQ Kids Day” to let people know what you’re doing. The ARRL encourages you to submit stories and pictures on the Kids Day Soapbox page and there is a printable certificate you can give to young ops who get on the air. This is a great way to get kids on the air. I know from events I have done with kids that this brings out some of the kindest and most welcoming ops in the hobby to share the magic of radio. For more information including suggested frequencies and stories about past Kids Day operations visit https://www.arrl.org/kids-day. Good luck.

Reminder: Free Extra Class Course Online Starting January 15, 2026

Rol Anders K3RA and the National Electronics Museum will be starting a 11 week online course to help operators study for the Amateur Extra Class license. Classes will be held on Zoom on Thursdays at 6:30 PM ET from January 15, 2026 until March 26, 2026. Attendees should hold (or be studying for) the General Class license. If you’ve been considering upgrading your license and learning a lot more about the hobby, these free classes are a fantastic opportunity. To sign up contact Rol at [email protected].

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 over the next two weeks. Stations on the air include South Sudan (Z81D), Morocco (CN2DM), Cambodia (XU7GNY), Greenland (OX7A, OX7AM, OX7AKT, OX3LG), Gambia (C5YK), Solomon Islands (H44MS), Palau (T88HS), Colombia (HK3JCL), and Antarctica (DP0GVN, FT4YM).

A calendar of DXpeditions can be found at https://dxnews.com/calendar/

Solar Activity Update

As we go to press the Solar Flux Index (SFI) was 134 and the estimated sunspot number was 103 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 quiet to unsettled levels and the Kp index reached 3 yesterday. The solar wind peaked at 663 km/s. Solar activity is predicted to be at low levels with a chance of an M-class flare today through Sunday. The geomagnetic field is forecast to be at quiet to unsettled levels today and at quiet levels on Saturday and Sunday. The chance of solar radiation storms at the S1 or greater level is at 1% today through Sunday. R1 to R2 radio blackouts are possible in the near term with a predicted probability of 40% today and 45% on Saturday and Sunday. R3 or greater blackouts are unlikely with a 5% chance predicted today through Sunday. There is a chance of 6 meter propagation so keep an eye on the band and spotting clusters to be ready for the next time the magic band does its thing. 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

Since Amateur Radio News and Notes will be taking a break next week, here are the highlights on the contest calendar over the next two weeks. This weekend brings the Stew Perry Topband Challenge, the Original QRP Contest, and the RAEM Contest. During the week we’ll see the YOTA Contest, the Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest, the QRP Fox Hunt, and the Bogor Old and New Contest. Next weekend will bring the PODXS 070 Club PSK Fest, the Marconi Club ARI Loano QSO Party Day, the WW PMC Contest, the RSGB AFS Contest on CW, the ARRL RTTY Roundup, ARRL Kids Day, the EUCW 160 meter Contest, and the FOC Old School Classic 1960s QSO Party. As always the K1USN SSTs, MSTs, and 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

Steve KM9G assembles some All-In-One-Cable boards -

Sean W9FFF transforms a Spotify Car Thing into a radio controller using AI -

SAQ Grimeton makes its annual Christmas Eve transmission on VLF and we get a tour -

Adam K6ARK climbs a challenging summit with friends with zero SOTA Activations -

Ciprian YO6DXE tries to listen to SAQ’s VLF transmission using an upconverter -

Kevin KB9RLW designs and 3D prints a wrist mounted set of CW paddles -

Craig KM6LYW shows how to use AX.25 to connect to BBSes via Packet Radio -

Ciprian YO6DXE shows us how he built his VLF up-converter -

Tim K5OHY shows us the SaVVy Portable Yagi by Jacob KC7WXD -

Steve KM9G shows off his TOADS DI6 board and gives a demo -

Matt M0DQW talks about PoC radios that use the cellular networks to communicate -

Ara N6ARA gives us part 3 of the build and test of his Tiny Gawant antenna -

Mike M0MSN refines his mobile installation -

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

In the log this week

* Special Event Spotlight: The 12 Days of Christmas

* Contest Spotlight: ARRL Rookie Roundup CW

* Free Extra Class Course Online Starting January 15, 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

Special Event Spotlight: The 12 Days of Christmas

The 7th annual 12 Days of Christmas Special Event station is currently underway from December 14th through the 25th. There will be 12 1x1 calls to represent the lines from the classic 12 days of Christmas song including 12 Drummers Drumming (W2D), 11 Pipers Piping (K2P), 10 Lords a-Leaping (K2L), 9 Ladies Dancing (W2L), 8 Maids a Milking (W2M), 7 Swans a Swimming (W2S), 6 Geese a-Laying (W2G), 5 Golden Rings (W2R), 4 Calling Birds (W2C), 3 French Hens (W2F), 2 Turtle Doves (W2T), and a Partridge in a Pear Tree (W2P). There will also be a bonus station WP3S in Puerto Rico.

If you work any of the stations you’ll be eligible for a certificate, and if you get them all you’ll get a Full Sweep endorsement. Ops will be on all bands on both CW and Phone. More information can be found on the QRZ pages for each of the special event calls and on https://forums.qrz.com/index.php?threads/tis-the-season-12-days-of-christmas-is-on-the-air.975349/. Happy Holidays and Good Luck!

Contest Spotlight: ARRL Rookie Roundup CW

This weekend brings the latest edition of the ARRL Rookie Roundup. This contest is a 6 hour event that focuses on newly licensed amateur radio operators who have been licensed in the last 3 years. The event runs Sunday from 1800 UTC (1 PM ET) until 2359 UTC (6:59 PM ET) and this edition is entirely on CW.

The purpose is to get newly-licensed ops (which the ARRL calls “Rookies”) in North America on the air. Experienced ops are very much encouraged to participate. The bands of operation are 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters and power is limited to 100 Watts. The exchange is the call sign of the station worked, your call sign, your first name, the two digit number of the year you were first licensed (called a “check”) and your state/province (or DX for all others). For example if I were working K1ABC my exchange would be “K1ABC DE N2EC ED 90 VA”. For scoring, each rookie-to-rookie QSO gets 2 points and rookie-to-non-rookie QSOs get 1 point. Contacts not with a Rookie station are not valid for the purposes of the contest. Multipliers are each US State and DC, Canadian Provinces, Mexican Call Sign Areas, and 1 DX multiplier for all other areas.

Logs need to be submitted within 72 hours of the end of the event. The top 5 rookies in each US call area, Canadian province, Mexican call areas, and DX will get electronic certificates emailed and all rookies who submit a score get a participation certificate. This is a great way to dip your toes into CW contesting if you’re a new op, or a great way to give back to the next generation of ops if you’re more experienced. More information and full rules can be found at https://www.arrl.org/rookie-roundup. Get on the air this weekend and have some fun. Good luck.

Free Extra Class Course Online Starting January 15, 2026

Rol Anders K3RA and the National Electronics Museum will be starting a 11 week online course to help operators study for the Amateur Extra Class license. Classes will be held on Zoom on Thursdays at 6:30 PM ET from January 15, 2026 until March 26, 2026. Attendees should hold (or be studying for) the General Class license. If you’ve been considering upgrading your license and learning a lot more about the hobby, these free classes are a fantastic opportunity. To sign up contact Rol at [email protected].

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 South Sudan (Z81D), Madagascar (5R8IC), Mali (TZ4AM), Colombia (HK3JCL), Gabon (TR8CR), Greenland (OX7A, OX7AM, OX7AKT, OX3LG), Gambia (C5YK), Solomon Islands (H44MS), Marcus Island Minami Tori Shima Islands (JG8NQJ/JD1), and Antarctica (DP0GVN, FT4YM).

A calendar of DXpeditions can be found at https://dxnews.com/calendar/

Solar Activity Update

As we go to press the Solar Flux Index (SFI) was 116 and the estimated sunspot number was 68 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 and the Kp index reached 4 yesterday. The solar wind peaked at 723 km/s. Solar activity is predicted to be at low levels with a slight chance of an M-class flare today through Sunday. The geomagnetic field is forecast to be at quiet to unsettled levels today through Saturday and at quiet levels Sunday. The chance of solar radiation storms at the S1 or greater level is at 1% today through Sunday. R1 to R2 radio blackouts are unlikely in the near term with a predicted probability of 15% today through Sunday. R3 or greater blackouts are unlikely with a 1% chance predicted today through Sunday. There is a chance of 6 meter propagation so keep an eye on the band and spotting clusters to be ready for the next time the magic band does its thing. 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 AGB-Party Contest, the Feld Hell Sprint, the OK DX RTTY Contest, the RAC Winter Contest, the Croatian DX Contest, the ARRL Rookie Roundup on CW, and the Run for the Bacon QRP Contest. As always the K1USN SSTs, MSTs, and 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, Ara N6ARA, and Josh KI6NAZ talk SOTA, YouTube, and Antenna on Sofas on the Air -

Jerry KM4ZKB builds a 1:1 choke balun for his ZS6BKW antenna -

Walt K4OGO give his top 5 portable commercial HF antennas -

Peter VK3YE shows how to support a mast with your own body weight -

Matt M0DQW tests out the Xiegu GPA100 100 Watt amplifier -

Mike K8MRD does an A/B comparison between the Icom 7300 and the Icom 7300 MK2 -

George VK2AOE talks about some issues he’s had with his QMX radio -

Farhan VU2ESE demonstrates the newly available Larcset 40 meter radio kit -

Peter VK3YE shows the FreeDV mode on HF and how it provides power efficient voice communication -

Steve KM9G tests the ATU-10 QRP ATU -

Mike K8MRD takes a first look at the Icom 7300 MK2 -

Matt M0DQW looks at the HamGeek 6699 radio -

Rob N1NUG builds a hidden transmitter for foxhunting -

Evan K2EJT shows his most used radios of 2025 -

Alan W2AEW uses a TinySA to measure keyer speed on a Kenwood TS-890S -

The Long Island CW Club has a new promo video with a voice you may recognize -

Kevin W1DED reads “Twas the Nite B4 Ten Opened” by Mike VE9AA -

Walt K4OGO builds a Rhombic Antenna -

Mike K8MRD builds an antenna with paracord like RSE line -

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

In the log this week

* Parks on the Air Delists Virginia WMAs and State Fishing Lakes From The POTA Database

* HamSCI Meteor Scatter QSO Party

* Contest Spotlight: ARRL 10 Meter Contest

* FCC Expands Access to the 60 Meter Band

* MVARC Holiday Party 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

Parks on the Air Delists Virginia WMAs and State Fishing Lakes From The POTA Database

Logo Courtesy Parks on the Air

Parks on the Air Virginia mapping coordinator Sean Pyne W4BKR announced on a Facebook post that all State Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) and State Fishing Areas in the Commonwealth of Virginia have been inactivated on the POTA.app site. He states that there have been increasing conservation officer contact with activators at many WMAs and most State Fishing Lakes due to not having a Special Use Permit (SUP). When activators have filed for an SUP that request has been denied. Sean notes that authorities have indicated that all future requests would also be denied. The reasoning is that “amateur radio activity is considered outside the intended purpose of these areas”.

Allen Graves AG4VA sent a follow-up email on the SOTAppalachia groups.io to address the SOTA side of things and recommends suspending SOTA activations in Virginia in State WMAs including Blue Mountain, Fork Mountain, Jack Mountain, Fort Lewis Mountain, and Short Hills High Point which all reside in various WMAs. Allen goes on to share some research he has done about the WMAs and Fishing lakes and the legal basis for these issues. The properties are designated for primary uses only (to include hunting, fishing, wildlife restoration, habitat protection, and boating and angling access). Anything not on that list is defined as a special use (including bird watching, photography, hiking, amateur radio, and school groups among others). The need for special use permits predates the existence of POTA and SOTA. He advocates some solutions in his email including pursuing blanket exemptions, simplified permits, or partnerships with the agencies. Hopefully some progress can be made in those directions, but for now, it is best to refrain from radio operations in Virginia WMAs and State Fishing Lakes.

This highlights the importance of ensuring that we do our best as amateur radio operators to maintain positive interactions with those who manage the public areas we use for portable operations. To that end, Sean had some advice. Always try to keep your activation footprint small and minimize impact on the environment and other park users. If you do have an encounter with the authorities it is important to be respectful and polite. If you are asked to leave, do not argue. If you have permits, show them, but don’t escalate the situation. And finally, if you have problems contact the state mapping representatives so they are aware and can work to address them.

More information can be found at https://qrper.com/2025/12/pota-sites-deactivation-in-virginia-wildlife-management-areas-and-fishing-lakes/ and https://groups.io/g/SOTAppalachia (requires membership).

HamSCI Meteor Scatter QSO Party

On December 12-13 HamSCI is hosting their Meteor Scatter QSO Party. The QSO Party is a combination of an operating event and a citizen science endeavour that seeks to better understand propagation via meteor scatter. Activity will be on 6 meters (50.260 MHz) and 10 meters (28.145 MHz) using the MSK144 mode during this year’s Geminid meteor shower. They need stations that can both be Two-Way (transmit/receive) and Monitor stations (receive only) and will be using reception reports sent to PSKReporter (so make sure to set your software to report as described on their web site). If you run FT8, you’re already setup as WSJT-X supports MSK144. This is a great way to be a part of scientific exploration into our hobby while having a whole lot of fun. For more information check out the HamSCI Meteor Scatter QSO Party site at https://www.hamsci.org/msqp.

Contest Spotlight: ARRL 10 Meter Contest

This weekend brings this year’s highly anticipated ARRL 10 meter contest on December 13-14, 2025. This is a great contest that can be worked by all amateurs, regardless of license class. Since we are near the top of Cycle 25 propagation should be excellent to make lots of contacts around the globe. The contest starts at 0000 UTC on Saturday (7 PM ET Friday) and goes until 2359 UTC Sunday (6:59 PM ET Sunday). The band will, of course, be the 10 meter band. Contacts can be made on Phone and CW and you can contact stations only once per mode.

Categories of operation include Single Operator and Single Operator Unlimited which can enter as CW Only, Phone Only, or Mixed-Mode. Multioperator stations can only enter as Mixed-Mode. The Single Operator category can’t use spotting assistance, however Single Operator Unlimited and Multioperator stations may use spotting assistance. Power levels include High (more than 100 Watts), Low (between 5 and 100 Watts), and QRP (5 Watts or less). There is also a Limited Antennas Overlay for those using single element antennas no more than 50 feet elevation at its highest point. The exchange for US, Canadian, and Mexican stations is to send their State or Province. DX stations send a serial number, and Maritime Mobile stations send their ITU region. So for me in Virginia, my exchange would be “599 VA”. Phone contacts count for 2 QSO points while CW contacts count for 4 QSO points. Multipliers include US States, Canadian Provinces, Mexican States, DXCC entities, and ITU Regions. Total score is QSO Points multiplied by the sum of Multipliers. Logs must be submitted within 7 days of the conclusion of the event, with Cabrillo formatted logs being the preferred method.

This may be one of the last opportunities to work this contest during Solar Cycle 25, so get on the air and have some fun this weekend. Full rules and details can be found at https://www.arrl.org/10-meter. Good luck.

FCC Expands Access to the 60 Meter Band

On December 9, 2025 the FCC released its Report and Order FCC 25-60 which among other actions, expands the Amateur Radio allocation on the 60 meter band to include a new region of spectrum from 5351.5 kHz to 5366.5 kHz. This is in addition to the discrete channels already assigned at 5332, 5348, 5373, and 5405 kHz. This new allocation harmonizes with a proposal from WRC-15 to allocate it globally in all ITU regions with a maximum of 15 Watts equivalent isotropically radiated power (EIRP) which is about 9.15 Watts effective radiated power (ERP). This means that inside the new 15 kHz allocation we are limited to 9.15 Watts ERP. The FCC decided to limit it to this lower level to protect the Federal operations on the band which are the primary users. (the Amateur service is permitted usage on a secondary basis). The four channels that are outside this range are still permitted to run at 100 Watts.

The amendments to the rules should be effective 30 days after publication in the Federal Register. The full Report and Order can be found at https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-25-60A1.pdf and the sections relating to the 60 meter band allocation are on pages 18-24. Additional coverage can be found at https://qrper.com/2025/12/welcome-breaking-news-our-60-meter-band-just-got-bigger/.

MVARC Holiday Party Recap

Image Courtesy Corey KN4YZY

Last night, we had a great turn out to our annual MVARC Holiday Party at the Hybla Valley Denny’s. We had lots of great conversation and enjoyed each other’s company. We hope that you and yours have an absolutely wonderful holiday season.

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 South Sudan (Z81D), Madagascar (5R8IC), Mali (TZ4AM), Colombia (HK3JCL), Gabon (TR8CR), Greenland (OX7A, OX7AM, OX7AKT, OX3LG), Gambia (C5YK), Solomon Islands (H44MS), Marcus Island Minami Tori Shima Islands (JG8NQJ/JD1), and Antarctica (DP0GVN, FT4YM).

A calendar of DXpeditions can be found at https://dxnews.com/calendar/

Solar Activity Update

As we go to press the Solar Flux Index (SFI) was 147 and the estimated sunspot number was 123 with 7 numbered sunspot regions visible from Earth. Over the last week the SFI has decreased. Solar activity has been at moderate levels in the last 24 hours. The geomagnetic field has been at quiet to major storm levels and the Kp index reached 6 yesterday. The solar wind peaked at 500 km/s. Solar activity is predicted to be at moderate levels with a slight chance of an X-class flare Friday and moderate conditions through Sunday. The chance of solar radiation storms at the S1 or greater level is at 10% today, 5% Saturday, and 1% on Sunday. R1 to R2 radio blackouts are likely in the near term with a predicted probability of 65% today, 60% Saturday, and 55% on Sunday. R3 or greater blackouts are possible with a 10% chance predicted today and 5% Saturday and Sunday. There is a chance of 6 meter propagation so keep an eye on the band and spotting clusters to be ready for the next time the magic band does its thing. 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 10-Meter Contest we spotlighted earlier as well as the PODXS 070 Club Triple Play Low Band Sprint, the TRC Digi Contest, the SKCC Weekend Sprintathon, the ARI 40/80 Contest, the International Naval Contest, the QRP ARCI Holiday Spirits Sprint, and the 4 States QRP Second Sunday Sprint. As always the K1USN SSTs, MSTs, and 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

Josh KI6NAZ talks about the new 60 meter band allocation -

Bob WV1W gives his 10 tips for CW head copy -

TJ K9KJ shows us how to use Remote Ham Radio -

Mike K8MRD uses iFTX on his iPhone to run FT8 while portable -

Thomas K4SWL, Scott VA3EKR, and Vlado N3CZ activate SOTA together -

Walt K4OGO builds a portable cubical quad antenna -

Jeff KF0MYB and Joe KF0MYJ take a look at the radio station in Stranger Things to see how accurate it was -

The Smokin Ape talks counterpoises for End Fed Half Wave antennas -

Mike K8MRD goes over some hacks to elevate your Baofeng experience -

Mort G4BSK looks into fixing his QMX radio -

Walt K4OGO does hotel balcony portable with a small MA-01 antenna system -

EarthSky talks about why the earliest sunset isn’t usually on the shortest day -

Paul OM0ET shows us how to flash the firmware on the Quansheng UV-K1 -

Michael KB9VBR talks about the Virginia POTA State WMA and Fishing Lake removals -

Callum M0XXT shows us how he fixed his 40 meter 4-Square antenna system -

The Broadcast Engineer shows us the new Cincinnati Public Radio broadcast studios -

Mark KD7DTS celebrates his SOTA goat milestone with friends -

Matt M0DQW takes a look at the SharkRF M1KE digital mode transceiver -

Craig KM6LYW gives a 6 month update for his Packet Radio node -

Jerry KM4ZKB shows us how he builds, tunes, and deploys his ZS6BKW antenna -

Tim K5OHY shows us his Challenger PVC Mount for fast portable deployment -

Kevin W1DED debriefs Dan N6MJ on his CQ WW CW Win at EF8R -

Kevin W1DED debriefs Chris KL9A on his CQ WW CW 2nd Place Finish at CQ9A -

George VK2AOE talks about his love of QRP Labs -

Kevin KB9RLW shows how to install Satdump on Linux -

Evan K2EJT shows his Winter SOTA Loadout -

Mike K8MRD shows his QMX Go Bag -

Stuart VE9CF talks about the Virginia POTA WMA and Fishing Lake removals -

Linas LY2H shows us his first Beverage Antenna -

Walt K4OGO takes a look at a V-Beam Antenna -

That’s it for this week.

Best 73,

Ed

N2EC

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