Open Source in Amateur Radio
When I first got my Technician license in 2019, I heard people call amateur radio “the hobby of experimentation”. I was told I had received a “license to learn”. Indeed, 47 CFR Part 97, the section of the Code of Federal Regulations that governs amateur radio in the United States says this in Subpart A under Basis And Purpose:
New Types of New Amateur Radio Operators and Their Expectations
This article has been in the draft queue for some time and it seems appropriate to complete it as a companion to the previous article.
On the eve of Hamvention 2025, the largest (?) Amateur Radio conference in the world, I think it’s an opportune moment to recognize that Amateur Radio, like all other organized activities, needs to constantly renew itself with new entrants. My perception from my research for Zero Retries is that this trend — more technical entrants, is not widely recognized, or perhaps is only just now beginning to be recognized. And, perhaps more importantly, what these new Amateur Radio Operators are expecting from, and contributing to Amateur Radio.
Communication Planning for Large Scale Events
In this RATPAC Amateur Radio video Travis Johnson, KE5FXC, an Emergency Communications Coordinator with the Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)—speaking in an unofficial capacity as KE5SXC—addresses communications plans for large-scale events and presents the framework that he personally uses for communications planning and discusses some of the ideas behind it.
Armed Forces Day Crossband Test
The Department of Defense will host this year’s Armed Forces Day (AFD) Crossband Test, scheduled for May 10, 2025. This annual event is open to all licensed amateur radio operators and will not impact any public or private communications. For more than 50 years, military and amateur stations have taken part in this event, which is an interoperability exercise between hobbyist and government radio stations.
First 630 Meter Band Was Awards Issued
Eric Tichansky, NO3M, of Saegertown, Pennsylvania, has been issued the first Worked All States award from ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® for the 630-meter band. He picked up the award at ARRL Headquarters in Newington, Connecticut, on April 21, 2025. That was the culmination of years of study, work, and experimentation.
