RAC Names Recipients of Amateur of the Year Award 2025

Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) announced the recipients of the Amateur of the Year Award for 2025. This year's honorees, Fred (VE1FA) and Helen (VA1YL) Archibald, are recognised for their years of dedication to the amateur radio community.

Fred and Helen Archibald have been pillars of Amateur Radio in Canada for decades. While the award traditionally reflects contributions within a given year, their sustained excellence in 2025 – combined with a lifetime of service – made them compelling joint recipients.

In addition to being avid organisers of many DXpeditions, VE1FA is an instructor and technological innovator, and VA1YL has served as President of the Canadian Ladies Amateur Radio Association. Learn more about Fred and Helen's contributions to ham radio on the RAC website.

UK Clubs to Keep Data Upto Date

If you are a member of an RSGB-affiliated club or society, the RSGB is encouraging you to check that your organisation’s details are up to date on Club Finder.

The RSGB Club Finder allows people to search for local amateur radio groups. Those people could want to join your club, find out more about amateur radio before taking their Foundation licence exam, or could perhaps need support for British Science Week activities. Updating your listing is easy. Just log into your club’s Membership Services account and go to the ‘UK Club Finder’ section.

The form includes a section called ‘Meeting details’ where you can add helpful information about disabled access, as well as details about both physical and online meetings. The Society will update Club Finder with any new data between 4pm and 6pm every Friday afternoon. I

f you wish your latest information to appear before the weekend, please ensure you update your details before 3pm on Fridays.

If you have any questions about the process, please contact membership@rsgb.org.uk

Silent Key's Rig Donated to Assist American Red Cross

The American Red Cross has many powerful tools in its repertoire to assist communities in distress - and now, in Flagstaff, Arizona, it is about to add amateur radio.

The legacy of Silent Key Jack Lunsford, NT7MM, is going to help save lives. Jack, who had been a member of the Northern Arizona DX Association, became a Silent Key at the age of 94 in December of 2024. His daughter presented his beloved Kenwood radio to the DX Association, hoping it would continue its mission of communication and goodwill.

“Ham radio provides emergency broadcasts when everything is down. They are more powerful than portable radios and can be used to communicate around the globe. Lately, there has been a resurgence of ham radios with wildfires and other disasters.”

— Denny Preisser, KC3DTB, a Red Cross recruitment specialist

Bob Wertz, NF7E, the association president, has ensured that this will happen: He has donated the radio to the American Red Cross office in Flagstaff for use by licensed amateurs among the staff and volunteers.