Two WW2-Era Code-Related Events - One For Navajo Code Talkers, Another For Enigma Machine

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Two WW2-Era Code-Related Events - One For Navajo Code Talkers, Another For Enigma Machine

There was a time when US history lessons did not contain any mention of the Navajo Code Talkers because the presence of these brave Marines was still considered classified information by the US government. All of that changed – and now for many years the 14th of August has been designated as Navajo Code Talkers Day. A group of proud amateur radio operators are taking several days to honour this special unit of brave Marines who served in the US military during the Second World War.

Few of these hams could be prouder than Herb Goodluck N7HG, whose late father, John V. Goodluck, had been one of the Marines who used their own Navajo language to craft a wartime code that could not be broken.

Herb will be among those calling QRZ from the 10th to the 15th, using the callsign N7C. Operators will be using CW, phone and FT-8. Additional details, including operating frequencies, can be found on QRZ.com

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ARRL Field Day 2025 Saw Growth in Participants and Entries

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The numbers are in and showing growth. 2025 ARRL Field Day showed an increase in both participants and entries, compared to 2024. According to ARRL Contest Program Manager Paul Bourque, N1SFE, 4,369 entries detailed 31,785 people taking part in in the event. That’s up from last year. 

“There’s a growing interest in ham radio, especially after last year’s hurricane season and other high-profile situations in which radio has been essential. ARRL Field Day serves as a great chance to get engaged with your local amateur radio community.”
— ARRL Contest Program Manager Paul Bourque, N1SFE

The uptick in numbers may not be complete, as there’s still an opportunity for a few more entries to be added. “Occasionally, a club will need to update their entry. We work with them to make sure it is correct,” said Bourque. 

Field Day participants should check that all the required supporting documentation related to their entries has been received by checking the Entries Received web page at field-day.arrl.org/fdentriesrcvd.php. If the status of your entry is listed as Pending Documents, one or more of the required documents still needs to be submitted to complete your entry. Entrants may use the link provided in the confirmation email they received to upload additional documents or to modify their entries. Currently, 223 entries are listed as being incomplete. Updates to existing entries will be accepted until 29th August 2025. If you’re having difficulty completing your Field Day entry or have any questions, contact fieldday@arrl.org.

On the public outreach front, final measurement numbers of the media coverage earned by amateur radio public information volunteers have been tallied. ARRL Public Relations and Outreach Manager Sierra Harrop, W5DX, reports that the total ad value equivalence (AVE) of 2025 ARRL Field Day is $37.9 million.

“We had a tremendous response from clubs and ARRL public information volunteers this year on the heels of Ham Radio Open House into ARRL Field Day. The ARRL Public Relations Committee prepared resources to help the volunteers succeed, but they really took it to the next level in communities across the country.”
— ARRL Public Relations and Outreach Manager Sierra Harrop, W5DX

AVE measures the amount of money that would have to be spent to buy ads in media and social media to replace the news coverage volunteers secured with press outreach. The $37.9M figure measures only mentions of ARRL Field Day from January 1 – July 31 of each year. In 2024, the figure was $20M, and $18M in 2023. Harrop hopes to see further strengthening of public information volunteers leading into 2026, which ARRL has designated as the Year of the Club. Hams seeking to serve as an ARRL public information volunteer may express interest to their ARRL Section Manager.

HamSCI Meteor Scatter QSO Party 11-12 August 2025

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HamSCI Meteor Scatter QSO Party 11-12 August 2025

Call for Operators and Monitors

HamSCI – The Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation is preparing for a series of upcoming meteor scatter (MS) experiments. Operating will take place during two well known meteor showers: 11-12 August 2025, 0000 to 2400 UTC, for 48 hours (Perseids) and again on 12-13th December 2025 (Geminids).

This is a combination 'special event' and a contest to generate contact data during meteor scatter events using 10 meters and 6 meters.
Contest rules can be found at http://www.hamsci.org/msqp.

Ten meters has not been used much for meteor scatter study due to past symbol rate limits. But with recent changes in FCC rules, WSJT-X/MSK144 can now be used on HF bands. The HamSCI meteor scatter event will collect contact data from both 10 meters and 6 meters as part of the scheduled events in August and December. Data will be analyzed offline, comparing data from both bands, using both PSK Reporter raw data and operator contact logs from WSJT-X. User data including both logged contact and received reports are necessary for valid experimental analysis. The latter can be provided by any receive system reporting on MSK144 through PSK Reporter.

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