Red River Radio Amateurs

September is National Preparedness Month, which is a good time to look at your personal, family, and community resilience levels. For 2025, the National Preparedness Month theme is “Preparedness Starts at Home.”

Amateur radio is a valuable resource for communication and community service before and during times of crisis, and can be a significant factor in your home’s level of preparedness.

“Now is the time to make sure everything is in order,” said ARRL Director of Emergency Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV.

In this episode of ARRL’s monthly On The Air podcast: “Portable operating in the Parks On the Air (POTA) program is one of the most popular ham radio activities these days. Colin Wheatley, W9UPK, author of the July/August 2025 of On the Air article, POTA Activators and Hunters: The Great Symbiosis, joins the podcast to explain more about how POTA works, and how to get in on the fun.”¹

Are COAX cables really worth the hype? In this video, we’re going to debunk the myths and misconceptions surrounding COAX cables in just a few minutes! From their supposed “low loss” capabilities to their alleged “reliability”, we’re putting COAX cables to the test and separating fact from fiction. Whether you’re a new ham, an experienced operator or just someone who wants to know the truth about COAX cables, this video is for you! So, sit back, relax, and let’s get ready to debunk some COAX cable myths!

This video shows step by step instructions of how to measure insertion loss using a NanoVNA.

The September 2025 Contest Corral is available for download from the ARRL Contest Calendar page.