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ARRL Letter Issue



96

The ARRL Letter for October 1, 2026



Richard Moseson, W2VU, Editor | October 1, 2026ARRL Homepage

ARRL Homepage

In this Issue:Year of the Club ... Special Delivery to 7Q (Malawi)Year
of the Club ... Keep on Truckin Ukrainian/Polish Radio Club Celebrates
Centennial2026 Collegiate QSO Party is October 3  4Amateur Radio in the
NewsARRL Live Events and PodcastsAnnouncementsIn Brief...The ARRL Solar
ReportJust Ahead in RadiosportUpcoming ARRL Conventions and Major
EventsGetting it RightYear of the Club ... Special Delivery to 7Q
(Malawi)Its ARRLs Year of the Club, and several radio clubs are helping
to build up amateur radio some 8,000 miles away in the African nation of
Malawi. One of them is the New Providence Amateur Radio Club (NPARC), an
ARRL Affiliated Club in New Jersey, which contributed one very full
pickup truck with antennas, coax, test instruments, and tools to a
shipping container packed with gear heading to the Jeffrey Dahn Memorial
Foundation in Embangweni, Malawi. The foundation is run by Don Jones,
7Q6M, and according to its website, its purpose is to help encourage
interest and skills in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math)
fields through the hands-on discipline of amateur radio.NPARCs
relationship with this program goes back to a random QSO a few years ago
between 7Q6M and NPARC activities director Sam Sealy, KC2OSR. Dons QSL
card piqued Sams interest, since the club had a large collection of
surplus equipment that had been donated by families of Silent Keys.
Making contact off-air, Don told Sam hed take whatever they could spare.
That resulted in the clubs first shipment of 140 pounds of gear destined
for Malawi. The club has recently been collecting more items, including
two Hamtek oscilloscopes it purchased for use at the foundations
technical school in Embangweni, the Jeffrey Dahn Learning Center. The
newly-gathered gear from NPARC and other clubs is about to begin its
journey across the Atlantic, as Don told the club this week that hed
received a shipping container in which to pack all of the equipment
headed for its new home.

New Providence Amateur Radio Club Activities Director Sam Sealy, KC2OSR
(left), presents Don Jones, 7Q6M (right), with one of two new
oscilloscopes purchased by the club for technical education in Malawi.
[Photo by Al Hanzl, K2AL]

Year of the Club ... Keep on TruckinOne way to introduce people to
amateur radio is to link it with other interests and activities. The
Keystone Truck & Tractor Museum in Colonial Heights, Virginia, already
has a ham station as part of its permanent exhibit, and this summer,
volunteers from six area radio clubs joined museum volunteers to present
a Radio Day, during which visitors not only learned about radio history,
but were introduced to modern-day amateur radio.The museums exhibit is
built around the extensive antique radio collection of John DeMajo,
K5HTZ (SK). His daughter, Kathleen DeMajo Adams, now holds that call
sign and is known around the museum as The Radio Lady. She explained how
his collection fit in with the trucks and tractors. There were several
institutions interested in my dads radio collection, she said, but
ultimately it was the character of the people at Keystone that made it
feel like the right home for it. They value American ingenuity,
mechanical knowledge, preservation, and keeping old technology alive and
working rather than simply displaying it. I felt very strongly that my
dad would have respected that.Adams said Radio Day demonstrated that
radio history is not something locked behind glass, but rather an
experience that can still be heard, touched, and explored. She also
pointed out that radio continues to be very important to farmers while
working in the fields. And truckers, of course, rely heavily on radio
while on the road.At the August 8 event, Adams explained, visitors tried
Morse code, studied antique equipment, watched live amateur radio
demonstrations and learned how radio supports emergency communication.
Children followed a scavenger hunt, designed imaginary antennas and
discovered that signals are moving invisibly around us all the time.
Participating clubs included the Richmond Amateur Radio Club, Richmond
Amateur Telecommunications Society, and Powhatan Area Radio Club  all
ARRL Affiliated Clubs  plus the Hanover Virginia Amateur Radio Club,
Lower Appomattox Regional Radio Club, and the Central Virginia 6 Meter
Group.

A 1950s vintage ham station is the heart of the permanent radio exhibit
at the Keystone Truck & Tractor Museum in Colonial Heights, Virginia.
[Photo by Kathleen DeMajo Adams, K5HTZ]

Ukrainian/Polish Radio Club Celebrates CentennialThe Lviv Shortwave Club
(Lwowski Klub Krotkofalowcow, or LKK), known as the cradle of Polish
amateur radio, is celebrating its centennial in 2026 with special
anniversary call signs and commemorative certificates, as well as a
ceremonial meeting taking place later this month. If you look at a map
of Europe, youll see that the city of Lviv is actually in Ukraine, and
the club is based there as well. But before the border changes that
occurred at the end of World War II, Lviv was in Poland, and in its
early days  according to a club history provided by Nikolai
Magnushevsky, UR5WHT, and Rich Assarabowski, K1CC  LKK represented
Polish amateurs in the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) until
the formation of the PZK, the Polish Amateur Radio Union, in 1930. The
club also published its own magazine between 1928 and 1939, provided
equipment for a scientific expedition in the Carpathian Mountains in
1930 and was active in emergency communications as well. LKK was also
the original administrator of what is today the SP DX Contest.After
World War II, Lviv found itself in Ukraine, but LKKs membership
stretched across both sides of the border, and continues to do so today.
That is reflected in the special call signs you may encounter on the
air, Ukrainian calls EN1WLKK, EN1WQ, EM1W, EN1W, and EM1WD, as well as
Polish calls 3Z1LKK, HF1LKK, SN1LKK, SO1LKK, SPLKK, SP1LKK, and SQ1LKK.
Details on the commemorative certificates are at
https://radiodyplom.pl/ses/282 (Youll need to use your browsers
translation service to read it in English). The culmination of the
anniversary celebrations will be a ceremonial meeting which will take
place in the main hall of the Lviv Polytechnic National University, the
largest university in Ukraine, as part of the International Conference
on Advanced Trends in Radioelectronics and Infocommunications
(ATRIC-2026) on October 15-17, 2026. In an acknowledgement of the
ongoing hostilities between Ukraine and Russia, it is noted by UR5WHT
and K1CC that the hall is equipped with a bomb shelter, which allows the
ceremony to proceed safely even in the event of an air raid alert.

2026 Collegiate QSO Party is October 3  4Get ready to contact college
and university radio clubs during this weekends Collegiate QSO Party,
0000 UTC October 3 through 2359 UTC October 4 (Friday evening through
Sunday in the US). Students, faculty, staff, and alumni will be on the
air using the call sign of a college, university, or other post-
secondary academic institution. Look for stations on CW, phone, and
digital modes on any band except 12, 17, 30, and 60 meters. The exchange
is call sign, US state, Canadian province, or DX, and signal report.
Points are scored for each mode and band worked.Theres another reason to
work these college radio clubs. Many are ARRL Affiliated Clubs and can
count toward the Affiliated Clubs endorsement for the ARRL America250
Worked All States Award, provided the club uploads its QSOs to Logbook
of The World (LoTW).Schools interested in participating should register
now. Visit the Collegiate QSO Party website for registration details and
operating information. Among the registered schools so far are Bursa
Uludag University, Carnegie Mellon University, Cornell University,
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Indiana University, Kansas State
University, Lehigh University, Michigan State University, Milwaukee
School of Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology,
New York University, North Carolina State University, Purdue University,
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology,
The Ohio State University, University of NebraskaLincoln, University of
WisconsinStout, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.Visit the ARRL
Collegiate Amateur Radio Program at www.arrl.org/WeWantU for other ways
to support and promote amateur radio among students and ham radio clubs
at colleges and universities.Amateur Radio in the NewsGadsden Hamfest
draws amateur radio enthusiasts / Gadsden Messenger (Gadsden, AL),
September 25, 2026 -- Gadsden Amateur Radio Club is an ARRL Affiliated
ClubAmateur radio provides communications for MICL / The Garrett County
Republican (Clarksburg, WV), September 24, 2026 -- Garrett County
Amateur Radio Emergency ServicePi Pico Recreates the Heathkit Pocket
Packet / Hackaday (Online), September 25, 2026Youth needed to ensure
future PNW ham radio emergency coverage / Oregon Public Broadcasting
(Portland, OR), July 11, 2026 -- Clark County Amateur Radio Club is an
ARRL Special Service Club

ARRL Live Events and PodcastsOn the Air LIVE Contesting for the
Beginning Radio Amateur Join Wayne Greene, KB4DSF, ARRL Director of
Education and Learning, for the October episode of On the Air Live on
Tuesday, October 27, at 8 PM Eastern. Wayne will introduce the fun and
benefits of amateur radio contesting, with a special focus on how newly-
licensed hams can get started.Contesting is more than chasing points and
making contacts. Its a great way to improve your operating skills, gain
confidence on the air, learn about propagation, and become a more
effective operatorall while having a lot of fun. Whether youre
interested in casual operating, awards, emergency communications, DXing,
or eventually competing in major contests, contesting can help sharpen
skills that carry across the hobby. The livestream will air on the
ARRL's learning center, learn.arrl.org. Preregistration is required and
can be accomplished through the Learning Center. Date: October 27, 2026
Time: 8 PM Eastern / 5 PM Pacific Register Now |  Previously Recorded
SessionsListen to , available every Friday.  is a summary of the week's
top news stories in the world of amateur radio and ARRL, along with
interviews and other features. More info | Listen on Blubrry | Also
available on iTunes and Apple Podcasts.On the AirSponsored by IcomAbout
the New QST Product Review Comparison Tool for ARRL Lab-Tested
DevicesSome of the products seen in QST Product Review,  including
transceivers, receivers, and amplifiers, are tested in the ARRL Lab to
see how they stack up against the manufacturers claims. Those test
results are included in the published review to help you make more
informed buying choices. ARRLs new online interactive Comparison Tool
for ARRL Lab-Tested Devices makes it even easier to refer to, compare,
and understand the test results.  ARRL Digital RF Engineer John Jobin
McAuliffe, W1DRF, visits the podcast to talk about what the tool does
and how to use it to better inform your radio purchases. More info |
Listen on Blubrry | Also available on iTunes and Apple Podcasts.

AnnouncementsThe following America250 W1AW Portable Activations begin
0000z on Wednesdays, and end 2359z on Tuesdays (7 days total for each
activation). See the complete schedule at www.arrl.org/america250-was.
Review your award progress and order your certificate and endorsements
at america250.arrl.org. 09/30/2026 No activations scheduled10/07/2026
New Mexico W1AW/5 (host KA8JMW)10/07/2026 South Dakota W1AW/ (host
KBBC)10/07/2026 Connecticut W1AW/1 (host W8ZY)10/14/2026 California
W1AW/6 (host NZ6Q)10/14/2026 Georgia W1AW/4 (host AF4DN)10/14/2026
Missouri W1AW/ (host NAX)Look for college and university radio clubs
this weekend during the 2026 Collegiate QSO Party, Oct. 3-4. Many are
ARRL Affiliated Clubs, and contacts with these stations confirmed via
Logbook of The World (LoTW) may count toward the Affiliated Club
endorsement for the America250 WAS Award.

In Brief...Peter Nowinski, W3LIX, of Greencastle, Pennsylvania, was
honored by the Antietam Radio Association and the family of Steve
Struharik, WA8EIH (SK), of Myersville, Maryland, for his response to
events that led to the discovery of Steves sudden passing on May 27,
2026. According to the clubs Activities Manager, Joe Maguire, WA1ZZQ,
Stuharik was net control of the groups weekly Four-States Net when he
suddenly stopped responding to check-ins. After repeated calls on the
radio and to his cellphone went unanswered, the local sheriffs office
was asked to make a welfare check. That was delayed due to other calls,
so Nowinski drove 45 minutes to Stuhariks home to check on him. He
arrived at the same time as the sheriffs deputy. Steves wife, Jean,
answered the door, having no idea there might be a problem. Maguire said
that Peter and the deputy went to Steves shack and discovered that he
had passed away in his chair. Through his incredible compassion and
selflessness, Peter was there in Steves familys hour of need, said
Maguire, adding that Steves family had a Special Service Award plaque
made for Peter, which was presented at the clubs August meeting. The
Antietam Radio Association is an ARRL Affiliated Club.Beware of email
scams! ARRL reminds members to be very careful about responding to
emails that dont look right, even if they appear to be from a known
sender. Weve received several reports recently from members who received
emails claiming to be from ARRL that contain only a link, button, or
some other suspicious element. A closer look at these messages and the
From field will show a non-ARRL address as the originating station, to
borrow a phrase from message-handling. These are likely phishing
messages designed to get you to click or respond in an attempt to steal
personal information or plant malware in your computer, or spam messages
trying to separate you from your cash. If something doesnt look right in
(any) email youre not expecting, delete it, or contact the person or
organization it claims to be from using a new message or another trusted
method to ask whether its legit.Open Positions at ARRLCome join the
headquarters staff of ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio!
We are currently seeking qualified applicants for the following
positions:Technical EditorRFI Lab EngineerPublic Relations and Outreach
ManagerAdvertising Sales ManagerFull details may be found on the ARRL HR
web page at www.arrl.org/careers.ARRL is an equal opportunity employer.

The ARRL Solar ReportSolar activity is expected to remain at low levels
in the coming days, according to NOAAs Space Weather Prediction Center,
with a slight chance of a minor to moderate solar flare (coronal mass
ejection, or CME). One CME observed on September 28 may cause the Earths
geomagnetic field to reach minor storm levels on October 2. Another
flare observed on September 30 is expected to deliver a weak glancing
blow to Earth on October 4.Australias Space Weather Forecasting Centre
predicts normal to normal-fair HF propagation in the middle latitudes in
coming days, with the degradation due to anticipated geomagnetic
activity.The W3LPL Propagation Forecast from the Daily DX suggests that
the low bands are your best bet for DXing right now, as the sunspot
cycle continues to decline, although 20 meters still offers good DX
opportunities. Long-distance propagation on 10 and 12 meters is
generally poor, with good openings on 17 and 15 meters when the solar
flux index is 100 or higher (its currently hovering right around 100;
see below). Good DX conditions can be expected on 20 meters throughout
the day and into the night, says W3LPL, with 30, 40, and 80 meters
offering excellent DX during hours of darkness. Predicted
10.7-centimeter solar flux: Oct 1, 105; Oct 2, 100; Oct 3, 95; Oct 4,
90; Oct 5-6, 91, Oct 7, 92. (Source: NOAA SWPC)Send your tips,
questions, or comments to w2vu@arrl.org.For more information concerning
radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information Service, read
"What the Numbers Mean...," and check out the Propagation Page of Carl
Luetzelschwab, K9LA.A propagation bulletin archive is available. For
customizable propagation charts, visit the VOACAP Online for Ham Radio
website.Share your reports and observations.

Solar image on October 1, 2026 [Photo courtesy NOAA Space Weather
Prediction Center]

Just Ahead in RadiosportOctober 1 -- VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest - NA
(digital)October 1 - 2 -- Walk for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW)October 2
-- URC DX RTTY Contest (digital)October 3 - 4 -- Collegiate QSO Party
(CW, phone, digital)October 3 -- German Telegraphy Contest (CW)October 3
-- 50 MHz Fall Sprint (CW, phone, digital)October 3 - 4 -- Russian WW
Digital Contest (digital)October 3 - 4 -- International HELL Contest
(digital)October 3 - 4 -- California QSO Party (CW, phone) October 4 --
UBA ON Contest, SSB (phone)October 4 -- Peanut Power QRP Sprint (CW,
phone)October 6 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW)October 7 -- UKEICC 80m
Contest (phone)October 7 - 8 -- 432 MHz Fall Sprint (CW, phone,
digital)October 8 -- VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest NA (digital)October 10
-- QRP ARCI Fall QSO Party (CW)October 10 -- 10-10 Intl 10-10 Day Sprint
(CW, phone, digital)October 10 - 11 -- Makrothen RTTY Contest
(digital)October 10 - 11 -- Oceania DX Contest, CW (CW)October 10 - 11
-- Scandinavian Activity Contest, SSB (phone)October 10 - 11 -- SKCC
Weekend Sprintathon (CW)October 10 - 11 -- Arizona QSO Party (CW,
phone)October 10 - 11 -- Pennsylvania QSO Party (CW, phone)October 10 -
11 -- South Dakota QSO Party (CW, phone)October 10 - 11 -- PODXS 070
Club 160m Great Pumpkin Sprint (digital)October 11 -- UBA ON Contest, CW
(CW)October 12 -- 4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint (CW,
phone)October 14 -- NAQCC CW Sprint (CW)October 15 -- VHF-UHF FT8
Activity Contest NA (digital)Remember to visit the ARRL Contest Calendar
for more events and information.

Upcoming ARRL Conventions and Major EventsARRL Section, State, and
Division Conventions (next 60 days)Search the ARRL Hamfest and
Convention Database at www.arrl.org/hamfests to find events in your
area. October 3 | Rock Hill Hamfest, hosting the ARRL South Carolina
Section Convention, Rock Hill, South CarolinaOctober 3 | Third Annual
Micro Expo, hosting the ARRL Santa Barbara Section Convention,
Camarillo, California October 3 | Wichita Area Hamfest, hosting the ARRL
Kansas Section Convention, Wichita, Kansas October 9  10 | SPARK-CON
2026, hosting the ARRL Midwest Division Convention, Sedalia, Missouri
October 10 | North Star Radio Convention, hosting the ARRL Dakota
Division Convention, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota October 11 | Nutmeg
Hamfest, hosting the ARRL Connecticut State Convention, Meriden,
Connecticut October 11 | HamFest, hosting the ARRL Southern New Jersey
Section Convention, Mullica Hill, New Jersey October 16  18 | Pacificon,
hosting the ARRL Pacific Division Convention, San Ramon, California
October 24  | ARRL Day in the Park, hosting the ARRL Mississippi Section
Convention, Ridgeland, Mississippi. October 30  31 | Stone Mountain
Hamfest, hosting the ARRL Georgia State Convention, Lawrenceville,
Georgia. November 7 | Superstition ARC Superfest, hosting the ARRL
Arizona State Convention, Mesa, Arizona November 14 | Montgomery
Hamfest, hosting the ARRL Alabama State Convention, Montgomery, Alabama

Getting it RightA story in last weeks ARRL Letter (September 24, 2026)
incorrectly identified the agency that cooperated with the Trilogy
Amateur Radio Club on installation of its new repeater in Bonney Lake,
Washington. The agency is East Pierce Fire & Rescue, not the Bonney Lake
Fire Department. East Pierce serves the communities living in and around
Bonney Lake, Sumner, Lake Tapps, the Ridge Communities, South Prairie,
Tehaleh, Edgewood, and Milton.Have News for ARRL?Submissions for the
ARRL Letter and ARRL News can be sent to news@arrl.org. -- Richard
Moseson, W2VU, ARRL News EditorARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for
Amateur Radio News and InformationJoin ARRL or renew today! No other
organization works harder to promote and protect amateur radio.
Membership supports benefits, services, programs, and advocacy to help
you get (and stay) active and on the air. Membership includes access to
digital editions of all four ARRL magazines: QST, On the Air, QEX, and
NCJ.Listen to , available every Friday.The ARRL Letter is available in
an accessible format, posted weekly to the Blind-hams Groups.io email
group. The group is dedicated to discussions about amateur radio as it
concerns blind hams, plus related topics including ham radio use of
adaptive technology.On the Air. Published bimonthly for newer hams,
featuring introductions to popular activities and key concepts,
equipment buying guides, and practical projects with step-by-step
instructions  all in language thats easy to understand.NCJ -- National
Contest Journal. Published bimonthly, features articles by top
contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprints, and QSO
parties. QEX -- A Forum for Communications Experimenters. Published
bimonthly, features technical articles, construction projects, columns,
and other items of interest to radio amateurs and communications
professionals. Free of charge to ARRL members...Subscribe to the ARES
Letter (monthly public service and emergency communications news), the
NTS Letter (monthly news about the ARRL National Traffic System message-
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Follow us on Threads, X, and Instagram.  The ARRL Letter is published on
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out.Copyright  2026 American Radio Relay League, Incorporated. Use and
distribution of this publication, or any portion thereof, is permitted
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Copyright  2026 ARRL. All rights reserved.To update your newsletter
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