In this episode of ARRL’s monthly On The Air podcast: “In support of the November/December 2025 article Ten Tips for Programming Your 2-Meter Handheld, Karin Thompson, KD4DXX, of RT Systems, joins the podcast to talk about how to approach the crucial task of programming your handheld.”1
In this episode of ARRL’s monthly On The Air podcast: “Jessica Crotty, CEO of C. Crane, a northern California company known for designing and supporting quality radios and communication products, visits the podcast in support of her November/December 2025 On the Air article Confidence in Preparedness Starts with Knowing Your Equipment. The conversation centers on the importance of not only having a license and a radio, but also knowing the ins and outs of using that radio, long before the day you need it.”1
In this episode of ARRL’s monthly On The Air podcast: “ARRL Director of Emergency Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, joins the podcast in support of the September/October 2025 article The EOC: Serving at the Hub, by Rick Palm, K1CE, which talks about what an Emergency Operations Center, or EOC, is, and offers tips for hams who are serving at an EOC for the first time. Josh takes us through more Emergency Operations Center functions, as well as what hams need to know before they walk into one. “1
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
In the community of radio amateurs scattered around the planet we have a habit of getting together with others to have fun in whatever shape that takes. The obvious ones are HAMfests, car boot sales, raffles and other amateur adjacent pursuits, but we also do things like licence training, weekly on-air nets, contesting, portable activations, climbing mountains, or hills, setting-up in parks, or lighthouses, we set-up on a field day, just for fun, and find excuses, sorry, reasons, for any number of other activities.
Some of these are solitary affairs, but many are best enjoyed shared with multiple friends, both old and new ones. Having been a member of this community since 2010 I’ve come to observe an aspect of this community that is odd, to say the least.
