Sunspots are gone again this week, with none observed since September 12.  

Average daily sunspot number declined to zero this week from 7.6 last week. Average daily solar flux was unchanged at 68.6. Average daily planetary A index declined from 12.6 to 9.7, while average daily mid-latitude A index went from 10 to 8.3.

The Autumnal equinox is this weekend, at 0154 UTC on Sunday, September 23, 2018...

September 20 is the first anniversary of Hurricane Maria's devastating arrival in Puerto Rico. Today, many amateurs there are better prepared for the next storm or other disaster that could disrupt conventional telecommunications. With this in mind, the ARRL Puerto Rico Section is hosting monthly meetings in various cities around the island commonwealth as part of an effort to establish an Amat...

As promised, the WSJT-X Development Group has announced a new “candidate release,” WSJT-X 2.0 rc1. This beta version of the popular digital mode suite incorporates many new FT8 and MSK144 features that will be of particular interest to the Amateur Radio contesting community. It incorporates all FT8 DXpedition Mode changes already developed in WSJT-X 1.9.1.

“Enhancements to the FT8 decoder ensur...

“Tools for the Amateur Station” is the topic of the current (September 13) episode of the “ ARRL The Doctor is In” podcast. Listen...and learn!

Sponsored by DX Engineering, “ARRL The Doctor is In” is an informative discussion of all things technical. Listen on your computer, tablet, or smartphone -- whenever and wherever you like!

Every 2 weeks, your host, QST Editor-in-Chief Steve Ford, WB8IMY, a...

AMSAT-NA has announced that Tom Clark, K3IO; Mark Hammond, N8MH, and Bruce Paige, KK5DO, have won new 2-year terms on the AMSAT Board of Directors. The First Alternate is Peter Portanova, W2JV. The Second Alternate is Scott Harvey, KA7FVV. Both will serve 1-year terms. The results of the voting, with 698 ballots cast, were: Tom Clark, K3IO, 574; Mark Hammond, N8MH, 507; Bruce Paige, KK5DO, 402,...

The ARRL Public Relations Committee is seeking nominations for the 2018 Bill Leonard Award, which recognizes this year’s best newspaper, radio, or television news story about Amateur Radio. The award honors professional journalists or journalistic teams whose outstanding coverage highlights the enjoyment, importance, and public service value that Amateur Radio offers. It was created as a tribut...

Amateur Radio retailer Radio City, Inc. of Mounds View, Minnesota, has announced it is closing.

“It's been a wonderful 36 years for us at Radio City, and we have decided to retire and close,” owners Dan, KB0XC, and Maline Fish said in a message on the retailer’s website. “We are so thankful for the many years of support and we have enjoyed working you, our customers. The technical, intelligent a...

Amateur Radio Emergency Service ( ARES) volunteers from several South Carolina counties are pitching in to help support emergency communication, as the state deals with the aftereffects of Hurricane Florence. The storm, now a tropical depression, continues to generate heavy rainfall in the Carolinas.

“Amateur Radio operators are far from ‘amateurs’ when it comes to providing communication in an ...

The FCC has granted an ARRL request for a temporary waiver of Section 97.307(f) of the FCC’s Amateur Service rules to permit the use of PACTOR 4 digital mode for Amateur Radio communication within the continental US related to Hurricane Florence relief. The grant extends through Tuesday, September 18, and a formal order addressing the request for a 30-day waiver will be issued next week, the FC...