The winner of the March QST Cover Plaque Award is Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA for his article “The Sun and the Ionosphere.” Congratulations Carl! The QST Cover Plaque Award -- given to the author or authors of the best article in each issue -- is determined by a vote of ARRL members on the QST Cover Plaque Poll web page. Cast a ballot for your favorite article in the April issue today.

By Gary Hoffman, KB0H
ARRL Contributing Editor

Many years ago, my grandfather used to build radio sets and sell them to his neighbors. Somewhat later, just after World War II, he and my father installed radios in cars for Western Auto. They saved up their earnings and eventually started Hoffman Radio-Television Sales and Service, which was the premiere TV shop in Savannah, Georgia for a number of...

Sterling Coffey, N0SSC
ARRL Youth Editor

Moving to a new town is a big undertaking, whether as a family, a temporary move to study abroad or get work experience while in college -- or even moving to college itself. Although it’s never easy to let go of the old and become acquainted with a new place, you never know what amazing opportunities can lie ahead.

Last month, I wrote about my move to Soco...

Solar activity was down this week, with the average daily sunspot number at 49.6, less than half last week’s figure. The average daily solar flux dropped 22 points to 97, and geomagnetic activity was quiet also. Sunspot numbers for March 21-27 were 60, 54, 56, 45, 56, 41 and 35, with a mean of 49.6. The 10.7 centimeter flux was 106.1, 100.9, 98.2, 96, 92.6, 92.4 and 93, with a mean of 97. The e...

By Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU
Contributing Editor

This week, Surfin’ remembers George Hart, W1NJM, and his National Traffic System.

My first professional job after graduating from college in 1977 was at ARRL Headquarters, working for ham radio legend George Hart, W1NJM.

George ran the Communications Department at the League. While I worked in the department’s Public Service Branch and reported directly t...

NASA will televise the launch and docking of its next mission to the International Space Station (ISS) beginning at 3:30 PM EDT on Thursday, March 28 (1930 UTC). NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy, KF5KDR, and Russian cosmonauts Pavel Vinogradov, RV3BS, and Alexander Misurkin are scheduled to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 4:43 PM EDT (2043 UTC). They will join Canadian Space Ag...

George Hart, W1NJM -- the chief developer of the National Traffic System (NTS) -- passed away Sunday, March 24. He was 99. An ARRL Charter Life Member, Hart spent more than four decades as a member of the ARRL Headquarters staff and continued to be an active amateur and regular participant in Field Day. In 1984, the ARRL Board of Directors named Hart as an ARRL Honorary Vice President.

First lic...

Acting upon a subsequent request by the ARRL, the FCC issued an Order (WT Docket No, 12-283) on March 25, granting a temporary waiver to transmit communications on amateur service channels above 30 MHz using single time-slot Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems. The temporary waiver was granted pending the resolution of a related rulemaking proceeding (RM-11625).

Currently, amateur stati...

FCC Commissioner Julius Genachowski and FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell both announced last week that they would be leaving the Commission. McDowell announced his resignation during the FCC’s open meeting on March 20, while Genachowski made his announcement in remarks to FCC staff on March 22. 

Genachowski was nominated by President Barack Obama to lead the Commission in June 2009. McDowell was...

Mary Lewis, W7QGP, of Seattle, Washington, passed away March 12. She was 85. An ARRL Life Member, Lewis served as ARRL Northwestern Division Director from 1981-1987 and 1991-1995. She also served as ARRL Section Communications Manager for Washington and ARRL Section Manager for Western Washington, as well as ARRL Assistant Section Manager and ARRL Affiliated Club Coordinator for the Western Was...

Robert “Smitty” Smithwick, W6CS (ex-W6JZU), of Los Altos Hills, California, passed away March 22. He was 92. An ARRL Life Member, Smithwick served as ARRL Pacific Division Vice Director from 1978-1981. A pediatric dentist by trade, Smithwick was one of the founders of Foothill College, a two-year community college in Los Altos Hills, and served as the first president of the college’s Board of T...

The ARRL will be promoting Amateur Radio at the annual convention of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) -- NAB Show -- scheduled for April 6-11 in at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Members of the Las Vegas Radio Amateurs Club (LVRAC) will staff the ARRL booth at NAB, providing attendees with information about Amateur Radio. The booth also serves as a meeting place for radio amateu...