PRESENTER OPINION: An Alternative View of the 2019 ARRL Annual Report→

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PRESENTER OPINION: An Alternative View of the 2019 ARRL Annual Report

After a delay caused by the covid-19 pandemic, the 2019 ARRL Annual Report has finally been published. As usual, it’s full of glowing statements about how great amateur radio is and what a fabulous job the ARRL is doing. As usual, I have a few comments of my own.

My first comment is about the cover (see right). I don’t know this guy, and honestly, he looks like someone I could be friends with, but I’m not sure that he’s the right person for the cover of the annual report. Perhaps a collage of different hams, like the one on page 2 (minus the group shot of ARRL staffers) would be more appropriate. The goal being to show the diversity of people in amateur radio and the wide range of activities that we participate in.

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PRESENTER PROJECT: Will You Take the Challenge? Or do you like getting caught in the rain?

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PRESENTER PROJECT: Will You Take the Challenge? Or do you like getting caught in the rain?

The final rules for the Fox Mike Hotel Portable Ops Challenge have been posted! This weekend, 3-4 October 2020, is the first year of this new and very differently scored HF contest. The Steering Committee has come up with a metric to make the playing field “more level” between the Big Gun contest stations and the portable operators. By making the basic score scaled on a distance-per-watt metric, the QRO operators don’t necessarily have the advantage that they have in most contest pile-ups. In addition, the POC has multipliers to make the focus on Radio Sport rather than Radio Equipment.

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PRESENTER OPINION: Time to Put up that Beam?

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PRESENTER OPINION: Time to Put up that Beam?

Is it time to put up that tower and beam? According to a NASA press release, it just might be. NASA and NOAA scientists say that Solar Cycle 25 has begun! During a media event on Tuesday, the scientists discussed their analysis and predictions about the new solar cycle – and how the new solar cycle compares to the last one the impact it will have.

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