Amateur Radio Has The Power Of Awareness

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Amateur Radio Has The Power Of Awareness

World Giraffe Day is celebrated annually on 21st June 2026, the longest day of the year, in honor of the world’s tallest land animal. This special event station brings amateur radio operators together to raise awareness about giraffe conservation while combining our shared passion for radio communication and public outreach.

For this event, the group will be transmitting from the giraffe area near the Lehigh Valley Zoo, home to resident giraffes Tatu and Joshua. That makes this event especially meaningful, allowing the group to celebrate these incredible animals from a location directly connected to giraffe education and conservation.

Giraffes, despite their iconic status, face significant threats in the wild, including habitat loss, poaching, and human-wildlife conflict. Conservation organisations worldwide use World Giraffe Day to highlight the silent extinction facing giraffe populations and encourage education and support for preservation efforts.

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Cat Pix on the Air - 2026

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The internet was made for sharing funny cat pictures and movies. On August 8th, International cat day, so will the radio waves! Ham radio amateurs will celebrate this day with a special SSTV event using cat pictures only.

Event runs from 00:00 UTC 08-08-2026 to 23:59 UTC 08-08-2026

All SSTV frames must contain feline-related imagery

All SSTV modes are acceptable

A valid QSO requires:

  • Exchange of both callsigns

  • Exchange of signal report and grid locator

  • Successful reception of an SSTV image meeting the event requirements

The submitted image must be an unmodified off-air capture received during the QSO of at least 320x240. The filename should be in format: "your callsign_receiver callsign" and be a .gif, .jpg or .png. This image must clearly* contain:

  • Both callsigns

  • The signal report received from the QSO partner

  • The grid locator of the QSO partner

Amateur Radio to Participate in DoD Armed Forces Day Crossband Test

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Amateur Radio to Participate in DoD Armed Forces Day Crossband Test

Amateur radio operators will participate in the Department of Defence’s Armed Forces Day (AFD) Crossband Test on 9th May 2026. The annual event will not impact any public or private communications.

For more than 50 years, military and amateur stations have participated in this interoperability exercise between the amateur and government radio services. The AFD Crossband Test provides a unique opportunity to conduct two-way communication between military communicators and stations in the Amateur Radio Service (ARS), as authorised in 47 CFR 97.111. These tests present both opportunities and challenges for radio operators to demonstrate individual technical skills in a tightly controlled exercise scenario.

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