Annual Armed Forces Day Cross-Band Test

The US Department of Defense will host this year’s Armed Forces Day (AFD) Cross-Band Test, Friday and Saturday 7-8th May 2021, in recognition of Armed Forces Day on 15th May 2021. The event is open to all radio amateurs. For more than 50 years, military and amateur stations have taken part in this exercise, designed to include amateur radio and government radio operators alike.

The AFD Cross-Band Test is a unique opportunity to test two-way communications between military and amateur radio stations, as authorized under FCC Part 97 rules. These tests provide opportunities and challenges for radio operators to demonstrate individual technical skills in a tightly controlled exercise in which military stations will transmit on selected military frequencies and will announce the specific amateur radio frequencies being monitored.

The schedule of military/government stations taking part in the Armed Forces Day Cross-Band Test and information on the AFD message is available on the MARS website - http://www.dodmars.org/home/armed-forces-day-2021

Complete the request form to obtain a QSL card - http://www.usarmymars.org/events

WRTC 2022 Postponed Until 2023

World Radiosport Team Championship 2022 (WRTC 2022) has been postponed for 1 year. At the WRTC 2022 Association Assembly on 23rd April, the event’s Organizing Committee decided to put off WRTC 2022 until 2023 after consulting with the WRTC Sanctioning Committee.

“There have been no changes in the qualification process or to the overall structure of the event and its sponsoring committee. A detailed report on the qualification standings will be prepared and released at a later date. In consideration of the worldwide public health challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, we believe our decision is reasonable.”

— Carlo de Mari, IK1HJS - WRTC 2022 Organizing Committee President

Further announcements will be forthcoming as new arrangements for the event have been made.