Pirate radio on Halloween

 

Chasing Pirate Radio can be a  lot of fun and Halloween weekend is one of the best times of the year to catch some Pirate radio on the low bands. Halloween is usually the peak broadcast day for unlicensed shortwave pirates, though major holidays always have quite a few stations coming out of the woodwork.

Turn on your radio anytime today, but especially around twilight and tune between 6,920 – 6,980 kHz. Pirates broadcast on both AM and SSB; you’re may hear a few.

Follow real-time pirate radio spots and loggings on the HF Underground discussion forum. If you’ve never tuned to a pirate in the past, these real-time loggings will help you find pirates while they’re on the air and also help you ID them!

One of our favorite web sites; SWLing has a great primer for how and where to catch some Pirate Radio this Halloween! Check out their post and have some fun this weekend!

SWLing link:  https://swling.com/blog/category/pirate-radio/

Nice primer on how to listen : https://swling.com/blog/2014/03/how-to-tune-in-pirate-radio-broadcasts-on-shortwave/

Link to: HF Underground discussion forum

War of the Worlds - Special event

 

To commemorate the 88th anniversary of Orson Welles’ legendary 1938 War of the Worlds Halloween radio broadcast, members of the Delaware Valley Radio Association (DVRA) will activate special event station WØW near Grovers Mill, New Jersey—the site of the fictional Martian landing!

📅 Date: Sunday, November 1, 2026

⏰ Time: Noon–5 PM EDT (1600–2100 UTC)

📍 Location: Van Nest Park Picnic Pavilion218 Cranbury Rd., West Windsor Township, NJ 08550

More info at: https://www.w2zq.com/%F0%9F%9B%B8wow-special-event-on-11-1-martians-are-landing/

CQ WW contest - Oct. 24-25, 2026

 

The CQ World Wide contest is the largest Amateur Radio competition in the world. Over 35,000 participants take to the airwaves on the last weekend of October (SSB) and November (CW) with the goal of making as many contacts with as many different DXCC entities and CQ Zones as possible.

Operators try to contact as many DXCC entities and CQ zones as possible. The 2026 SSB mode runs October 24–25, and the CW mode runs November 28–29, with both events lasting from Saturday 0000 UTC to Sunday 2359 UTC.

Detailed info at: https://cqww.com/index.htm

Plan your POTA activations - FieldQTH map

 

FieldQTH is a free map to plan your POTA (Parks on the Air) activations: the park's likely boundary, the zones where several parks overlap (n-fer), the picnic tables, benches, shelters, campgrounds and parking inside it, and the 100-foot activation zone around trails. Fifteen countries, no account.

Plan your POTA activations

Park boundaries, n-fer zones, trail activation zones, picnic tables, shelters, campgrounds and parking. Free, no account.

More info: https://fieldqth.app/about.html

New Radio rag worth checking out

 Check out this new FREE Ham Radio E-magazine; SWR Magazine. We just recently stumbled upon it and the content looks fairly well done. So far it looks like it's completly paid for by advertising and donations. This issue had several equipment reviews and interesting coverage on various radio topics. You can use their online app or download a PDF copy to your local device for a later read.

Link: https://swrmagazine.org/

Alexanderson alternator transmision - Oct. 24th

 

On Saturday 24 October — UN Day — a machine that is over a hundred years old will send a peace message to the world. 📻

SAQ Grimeton in Sweden is home to the last working Alexanderson alternator transmitter on Earth, a 200 kW spark-era giant completed in 1924. It still transmits on 17.2 kHz, down where almost no modern radio will tune. It's a UNESCO World Heritage site — and once or twice a year, it goes on the air.

The schedule (all times UTC): technical walk-through on the YouTube live stream from 12:20, startup and tuning of the alternator at 12:30, test calls "VVV de SAQ" around 12:45, and the peace message itself 

On Saturday 24 October — UN Day — a machine that is over a hundred years old will send a peace message to the world. 📻  (from the Moonraker website)

More details here: https://alexander.n.se/en/saq-grimeton-scheduled-to-air-on-un-day-oct-24th-2026/?fbclid=IwY2xjawUx1IxleHRuA2FlbQIxMABwZG9mAWJyaWQRMUI4ZG96dGx3NWF6ZEd4SzhzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEe6IIcJsAxQr7QYTqzLrcHva1Xwo_C5UtZKFKfzuoz2rTChhbYFUpY4ZHIftw_aem_AyyE2_ggZwjBRsOcH1CKyA

Antique Wireless Association Conference & Flea Mkt - 9/29-10/3/26

AWA Conference & Flea Market 9/29-10/3/26

A highlight of each year is the annual gathering in the Rochester, NY area for a multi-day event of fellowship, information exchange, flea marketing and the sharing of communications history and technology. 

In addition to a series of presentations and the flea market each year an AWA Communication Technologies Museum open house provides an opportunity for all to explore changes and the growth to the collection displays over the past year.

The AWA Annual Conference has a flea market starting on Thursday and running through Friday (October 1 and 2) buyers and sellers can come to the flea market for free. 

We invite you to register for the Conference and enjoy all that it has to offer. You don’t need to register for the conference to sell in the flea market.

See this link for more  details: https://www.antiquewireless.org/homepage/annual-conference/

2026 Skywarn Fall/Winter Training

 

The 2026 Skywarn Fall/Winter Training Season is upon us!

Learn more from your local NWS office listed below:

Binghamton NY NWS SKYWARN page: http://www.weather.gov/bgm/outreachSKYWARNtraining

Buffalo NY NWS SKYWARN page: http://www.weather.gov/buf/Skywarn

Albany NY NWS SKYWARN page:  http://www.weather.gov/aly/skywarn

The effects of severe weather are felt every year by many Americans. To obtain critical weather information, NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS), part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, established SKYWARN® with partner organizations. SKYWARN® is a volunteer program with nearly 290,000 trained severe weather spotters. These volunteers help keep their local communities safe by providing timely and accurate reports of severe weather to the National Weather Service.

Although SKYWARN® spotters provide essential information for all types of weather hazards, the main responsibility of a SKYWARN® spotter is to identify and describe severe local storms. In the average year, 10,000 severe thunderstorms, 5,000 floods and more than 1,000 tornadoes occur across the United States. These events threatened lives and property.

Since the program started in the 1970s, the information provided by SKYWARN® spotters, coupled with Doppler radar technology, improved satellite and other data, has enabled NWS to issue more timely and accurate warnings for tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and flash floods.

Learn more about CNY SKYWARN here: https://www.upstateham.com/p/skywarn.html

Learn more at the National SKYWARN web site: https://www.weather.gov/SKYWARN

Route 66 On-the-Air! ...running thru 9/20/26

 

Celebrating 100 Years of America’s Main Street — 1926–2026

Get your rigs ready — Route 66 is turning 100!

Saturday Sept 12th at 0001Z to Sunday Sept 20th at 2359Z

In 2026, amateur radio operators from across the country and around the world will once again come together to celebrate one of America's most recognizable highways during Route 66 On The Air.

From its establishment in 1926 to the present day, Route 66 has represented travel, adventure, small-town America, friendship, and the freedom of the open road. For amateur radio operators, Route 66 On The Air gives us another way to keep that history alive: one contact at a time.

A Tradition That Began in 1999, Route 66 On The Air has its own history within amateur radio.

The event was originally founded and started in 1999 by the Northern Arizona DX Association, which operated the event for its first two years.

In 2001, the Citrus Belt Amateur Radio Club (CBARC) took the reins and has proudly continued that tradition ever since.

That makes 2026 the 25th consecutive year that W6JBT and CBARC have sponsored Route 66 On The Air.

More info at: https://w6jbt.org/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

NY QSO Party 2026 - Sat. October 17th

 

NY QSO Party Objective :

● New York stations: Work as many stations inside and outside New York as possible during the contest period. 

● Stations outside of New York State: Work as many New York stations and as many New York counties as possible during the contest period. 

● Stations may be contacted on multiple bands and modes, subject to entry class. 

● 12-hour Contest Period: October 17, 2026, from 14:00:00 UTC through 01:59:59 UTC. (10:00 AM Eastern Time through 9:59:59 PM Eastern Time). 

More info at: https://nyqp.org/wordpress/

Lancaster/Lockport Hamfest - Sat. 9/12/26

 

More info at: https://w2so.org/index.php/hamfest/

LARC VE Testing -Syracuse - 9/8/26

 

Elmira Hamfest - Sat. 9/26/26

 One of our favorite hamfest coming up at the end of September!

more info at: https://www.arasth3.org/hamfest/

High Altitude Balloon Launch - 8/19/26 - Kopernik Observatory STEM Camp

 from the ARRL

Kopernik Observatory STEM Camp High Altitude Balloon Launch

I am Drew Deskur, KA1M, and I am the Director of the Kopernik
Observatory, a public observatory and Informal STEM Education Center in Vestal NY. We are once again running a High Altitude Balloon camp for local high school students next week.

On the payload of the balloon, we will be running APRS (K2ZRO-11) for tracking and we will also be flying SSTV on 145.600 using Martin 1 mode throughout the flight. We plan to launch on Wednesday, August 19th hopefully between 10 to 10:30 am (1400-1430Z) and the balloon should reach over 100,000 feet. Last year we had SSTV reports from New England, Canada, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Maryland.

This is a bulletin to ARRL members in the Northeast to alert them of
this opportunity to track the flight on aprs.fi and download the SSTV
images. We would love to get copies of images received from stations in
the Northeast so we can share with the students how altitude matters on
VHF. SSTV Images and signal reports can be sent to: k2zro@kopernik.org

73, Drew KA1M
--
Drew Deskur
Executive Director
Kopernik Observatory & Science Center

Look Up... Dream Big!

Bear Bait Radio Club - Tailgate Fest 9/19/26

 

more info at: https://bearbaitradioclub.com/index.php/events/category/special-event/

ROC City Hamfest - Sat. 8/29/26

 

more info at: https://roccitynethamfest.com/

International Lighthouse/Lightship events - Sat/Sun 8/15-16

 (from the August 2026 RARA Rag)

ILLW AT THE CHARLOTTE-GENESEE LIGHTHOUSE

GEORGE ADAMS, K4GWA

 Here's a combination that never gets old: Ham Radio and Lighthouses! RARA is once again taking part in International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend (ILLW), and we'd love for you to join us at the Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse. This year's event runs Saturday and Sunday, August 15th and 16th, 11 AM to 3 PM, at the same spot as always. We'll set up antennas the Friday before, August 14th, starting at 3pm — extra hands are always welcome if you want to help raise a mast or just watch us figure out where the flagpole and the lighthouse tower will hold a dipole. ILLW isn't a contest — it's a friendly, worldwide event that started back in 1998 with a small radio club in Ayr, Scotland, and has since grown to include hundreds of lighthouses and lightships in dozens of countries every August. The point is simple: get on the air, make contacts, and help spread the word about these historic beacons and why they're worth preserving. 

Speaking of historic — the Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse is a great one to operate from. Built in 1822 for a grand total of $3,301 and finished in just seven months, it's the oldest surviving lighthouse on Lake Ontario. It was nearly torn down in 1965, but local high school students wrote letters and saved it. Decades later, in 1984, students from Edison Tech built the replica lantern room that let tours begin again. And after sitting dark for over a century, the light itself was relit in 2014 and is once again an official Coast Guard aid to navigation. RARA will have radios, antennas, and operators on hand, and you're welcome to operate on any authorized band or mode. If you've never made a contact from a lighthouse before, this is your chance. Tours of the lighthouse are also available if you'd like to climb up and take in the view of the lake and the mouth of the Genesee River. 

Come out, meet old friends, make new ones, and chew the rag. Hope to see you there! 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also....Oswego NY. Once again Fred Legawiec, W2LGA will be set up at the H Lee White Maritime Museum for a special event station activation. 

We will set up as W2G for the International Lighthouse / Lightship Weekend on August 15th and 16th from 8am -5pm. This will be our 15th year participating in the event. More information can be found at illw.net. The public as well as hams are more than welcome to participate and observe.

Fred Legawiec, W2LGA (w2lga@yahoo.com)

Learn more about the lighthouse museum at: https://hlwmm.org/

More info on the ILLW event here: https://illw.net/

St. Albans Vt. Hamfest - Sat. 8/8/26

 

More info at: https://www.starc.org/STARC%20Hamfest/

KLARA Hamfest - Sat. 8/15/26

 

More info at: https://www.klara.us/events

ADK Hamfest - Fonda NY - Sat.8/8/26

 

More info at: https://www.adkhamfest.org/

Ithaca Hamfest - Sat. August 1, 2026

 

More info at: https://www.tcara-ny.org/hamfest

W2JWW's 83rd birthday! Send him some B-day well wishes!

 

W2JWW put on several nice Hamfests in Moravia for a few years. He coincided those hamfests with his birthday. Mike has been working through some health issues recently, but is on a path to improved health. So unfortuneately, no hamfest this year, but we wanted to see if folks could send some birthday card well wishes Mike's way for his 83rd birthday on July 21st.

Please consider sending a card to Mike D Agostino; W2JWW at: 2553 Jugg St. Moravia NY 13118.

Batavia Hamfest - Saturday July 18, 2026

 

More info at: https://w2so.org/index.php/hamfest/

RAGS- Field Day - Syracuse

 

More info at: https://ragsclub.org/

Volunteers needed - Boilmaker Race - Utica NY

 

Urgently Needed Assistance....Volunteers needed in Utica NY on Sunday July 12th, 2026

I'm forwarding you the information below on volunteering for the Boilermaker Road Race Ham Radio net. I don't know how familiar you may be with this activity so I'll give you a summary and invite your questions.

The Race Date is Sunday July 12th, 2026 with Volunteers Party on Monday, July 13th, 2026.

Basically, we run a directed net to support the health and safety of the runners during the race. Ham operators (licensed hams only) are stationed along the course, usually at water stations or with first aid personnel, but occasionally at other points to observe as well. If an operator sees a runner that seems to be in distress, he/she can alert the medical people at or near their location and work with them to communicate their needs to the net control (e.g. ambulance), golf cart/ 4 wheeler for transport if needed, and relay information. Net control is at the command center, so the communications goes to the necessary folks from there and will get relayed back to you. If the net control has an inquiry that an observer at a particular location may be able to answer, the operator may get a request. Often, those are questions about personnel at a location, where the end of the race is, etc. We don't use names on the air and refer to runners by "bib number" for privacy. This is an early morning activity and operators need to be at their assigned location along the course before 6:00 AM. All operators get credentials that identify them by name and a volunteer t-shirt to wear on race day. The race allows 2 1/2 hours for completion, and with a start time around 8:00AM, the activity will take a good part of the morning. Operators are released from their assignments when the last runner passes their post, so the actual amount of time required varies, but won't go any later than that.

You'll need a reliable dual band HT with sufficient batteries to cover the morning, note paper and a pen, sunscreen, water, and whatever snacks you need for the morning so that you can stay at your location. We cannot park vehicles on the course, so you'll need to be able to stand or sit along the course in a position that you can observe from. Full instructions on net operations, frequencies, times, locations, etc. will be provided before the race and we typically do a "practice net" prior to the race as well so you can check out your radio and get familiar with things.

The race also has a volunteer party on the Monday following the race at the Utica Memorial Auditorium that you'll get an invitation to. If you're interested in signing up, it volunteers for all aspects of the race must register electronically through the site RunSignup . Our group is Ham Radios, and when you sign up, the process will ask you to provide an e-mail and create a password as well as sign a waiver form. If you have any difficulties with the site, let me know. I can provide you with specific instructions.

We need to have signups as soon as possible, as t-shirt orders and credentials processing is going on now. If you are interested, please let me know of any questions you may have this week if you can.

We are still in need of more volunteers for the Boilermaker this year.

If you can assist - please contact Bob Decker ASAP.

Bob Decker tbd2626@yahoo.com

Bob Decker, Coordinator

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fort Herkimer Amateur Radio Association, Inc info: https://www.fhara.net/

Race info: https://www.boilermaker.com/

RAGS Syracuse Hamfest

 

More info at: https://ragsclub.org/

Rochester Hamfest - 6/20/26

 

More info at: https://www.rochesterham.org/hamfest.htm

MFJ sells Ameritron and Mirage RF Amplifier Brands

 The rumored aquisition has finally been confirmed. ITU Corporation is acquiring Ameritron and Mirage RF Amplifier Brands from MFJ Enterprises. ITU also
aquired Hy-Gain and Cushcraft antenna brands from MFJ earlier this year.

Manufacturing of Hy-Gain, Cushcraft, Ameritron, and Mirage are being relocated from Starkville, Mississippi, to ITU Corporation’s 15-acre facility in Linton, Indiana. The transfer is expected to be completed later this year.

Read the full story here:https://www.lintonnews.com/itu-corporation-acquires-ameritron-and-mirage-rf-amplifier-brands-from-mfj-enterprises-free-article/

Link to our earler ITU acquisition story: https://www.upstateham.com/2026/04/mfj-sells-hy-gain-and-cushcraft-product.html

Field Day 2026 - June 27-28

 Field Day is ham radio's open house. Every June, more than 31,000 hams throughout North America set up temporary transmitting stations in public places to demonstrate ham radio's science, skill and service to our communities and our nation. It combines public service, emergency preparedness, community outreach, and technical skills all in a single event. Field Day has been an annual event since 1933, and remains the most popular event in ham radio.

The object of Field Day is to work as many stations as possible on the 160, 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 Meter HF bands, as well as all bands 50 MHz and above, and in doing so to learn to operate in abnormal situations in less than optimal conditions. A premium is placed on developing skills to meet the challenges of emergency preparedness as well as to acquaint the general public with the capabilities of Amateur Radio

Field Day locator map: https://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator

Is your club or group doing something special? Let us know, so we can share it here.

Interesting website for Coax Cable info

 

They says it is "The Ham Radio Operator's Complete Guide to Coax Cable". 

(We will let you be the judge of that. All kidding aside, lots of information here and they build and sell lots of Coax cable configurations.)

"Everything you need to know about coax for ham radio — from choosing between RG-58 and LMR-400 to connectors, weatherproofing, and checking SWR after install."

Check it out: https://www.coaxrf.com/blog/ham-radio-coax-cable-guide

CHU time standard transmissions to end on 6/22/26

 

The National Research Council (NRC) of Canada announced that the station's transmissions will cease. The NRC's official shortwave time signal is scheduled to permanently stop broadcasting on June 22, 2026.

National Research Council Canada station CHU was one of the world’s best-known shortwave time signal stations. Operating continuously from near Ottawa, Ontario, CHU transmitted official Canadian time signals on three frequencies: 3330 kHz, 7850 kHz and 14670 kHz. The station broadcast 24 hours a day using atomic-clock-derived timing signals. Listeners would hear precise one-second ticks, minute markers, bilingual voice announcements, and digital time codes. Unlike ordinary broadcast stations, CHU served a technical purpose. Engineers, researchers, surveyors, broadcasters, radio operators, and hobbyists used it to synchronize clocks and calibrate equipment with remarkable precision.

More info at: https://nrc.canada.ca/en/chu-short-wave-station/

Good article: https://swling.com/blog/2026/05/canadas-chu-will-go-silent-on-shortwave-on-june-22-2026/

New Ham Jumpstart Program

 

QRZ New Ham Jumpstart Program

Through a partnership with GigaParts, this program is designed to lower the barrier to entry into amateur radio by providing new hams with a high quality radio for only $19.99 (plus tax and shipping). Effective April 15, 2026, new hams will be entitled to a 50% discount on the Explorer QRZ-1 VHF/UHF handheld transceiver, as well as a variety of accessories.

The eligible ham must have a QRZ user account and be able to log in and apply for the program. Certain types of identification, including a photo ID, will be required. This information is not shared or exchanged with any party and is used only to validate eligibility under this program. 

This program is available exclusively to USA licensed amateur radio operators who obtained their first license from the FCC within the last 6 months. The Jumpstart program may be changed or terminated without notice based on availability and corporate sponsors.

Get more details here: https://www.qrz.com/jumpstart

SkyWarn Training - Syracuse on 5/20/26

 

Register here: https://www.weather.gov/bgm/outreachskywarntraining

Cortland Hamfest - Sat. June 13, 2026

 

More info at: https://skylinehamradioclub.org/

Lockport Summer Hamfest - 6/6/26

 

More info at: https://www.lockportara.us/home

SteppIR returning to support Amateur radio market

 SteppIR, which announced in June 2025 that it was halting production of its popular antennas for the amateur radio market, is now returning to the ham radio business. 

A statement last week on the Stepp IR website said that although SteppIR had decided last year to focus on commercial sales, recent favorable developments in that sector are permitting the company to resume supplying hams with antenna kits, parts and accessories as before. The ham radio market will be served only by online sales.

Speaking with folks who own their antennas, all praise of their quality, performance and aesthetics. Most seem to feel that SteppIR antennas fill an important niche, as a great performing beam, for those who want a limited visual and wind load footprint. Most also acknowledge the higher price you pay for this higher end level of product.

learn more at: https://consumer.steppir.com/

Happy Marconi Day!

 

Museum Ship Weekend June 6-7, 2026

 OPERATE W2L WITH FRED AT THE LT-5 TUGBOAT

June 6th and 7th 2026 we will be operating at the World War II Army Tugboat LT-5 in Oswego, New York for the annual Museum Ship Weekend Event. The LT-5 was an instrumental part of Operation Overlord (The D-Day Invasion). She is moored at the H Lee White Museum in Oswego Harbor Oswego, New York.

  A few twists this year though … I have obtained a Special Event Call Sign, W2L, for the event. Oswego Waterfront Festival is also going on at the same time!! I am hoping many other hams want to come and enjoy the weekend and operate from their own portable set ups. My station will be set up inside the Derrick Boat which is moored next to the LT-5. I will be operating Saturday and Sunday, June 6 & 7 from about 8:00 am until 5:00pm. I will coordinate the log submission to the USS New Jerey Amateur Radio club which sponsors the event upon event completion. Please contact Fred Legawiec, W2LGA at W2LGA@Yahoo.com if you are planning to set up a portable station and participate. I have also verified that this is also a POTA location so it will be considered a POTA Activation also. June 6, 2026 is also the 82nd anniversary of Operation Overlord (D-Day). For event detail see the Battleship New Jersey ARS - Museum Weekend Event info: https://www.nj2bb.org/museum/

Fred Legawiec, W2LGA

MFJ sells Hy-gain and Cushcraft product lines

 MFJ Enterprises, Inc. President Martin F. Jue announced this week the sale of the Hy-gain and Cushcraft antenna, rotator, and communication product lines to ITU Corporation of Linton, Indiana. It was almost one year ago that MFJ announced that it would cease on-site production of Ameritron, Hy-Gain, Cushcraft, Mirage, and Vectronics brand products at their Starkville, Mississippi, facility.

ITU announced that it has purchased the former Linton National Guard Armory to serve as the new manufacturing hub for Hy-gain and Cushcraft. The new ITU manufacturing operation will employ around 20 employees initially and up to 50 as the operation moves into full production.

ITU Corporation Founded in 2003, provides products and services for clients all around the United States and abroad. ITU Corporation’s trademarked LearnLab training systems offer high impact classroom training solutions to schools and companies. ITU also owns Tek Shack a Radio & Electronics online retailer, as well as a retail store in Linton, Indiana.

See the full news article here: https://www.lintonnews.com/itu-corporation-re-purposes-linton-armory-facility-to-house-iconic-amateur-radio-manufacturing-free-article/

MFJ closure story link: https://www.arrl.org/news/mfj-ceasing-on-site-production

Sources: Linton News, ITU website, ARRL News

2026 Spring SkyWarn Training

 The 2026 Skywarn Spring Training Season is almost upon us!

Learn more from your local NWS office listed below:

Binghamton NY NWS SKYWARN page: http://www.weather.gov/bgm/outreachSKYWARNtraining

Buffalo NY NWS SKYWARN page: http://www.weather.gov/buf/Skywarn

Albany NY NWS SKYWARN page:  http://www.weather.gov/aly/skywarn

The effects of severe weather are felt every year by many Americans. To obtain critical weather information, NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS), part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, established SKYWARN® with partner organizations. SKYWARN® is a volunteer program with nearly 290,000 trained severe weather spotters. These volunteers help keep their local communities safe by providing timely and accurate reports of severe weather to the National Weather Service.

Although SKYWARN® spotters provide essential information for all types of weather hazards, the main responsibility of a SKYWARN® spotter is to identify and describe severe local storms. In the average year, 10,000 severe thunderstorms, 5,000 floods and more than 1,000 tornadoes occur across the United States. These events threatened lives and property.

Since the program started in the 1970s, the information provided by SKYWARN® spotters, coupled with Doppler radar technology, improved satellite and other data, has enabled NWS to issue more timely and accurate warnings for tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and flash floods.

Learn more about CNY SKYWARN here: https://www.upstateham.com/p/skywarn.html

Learn more at the National SKYWARN web site: https://www.weather.gov/SKYWARN

AWA Spring Meet, Flea Market & Auction - Sat. 5/2/26

 Mark Your Calendars For a Huge Event!        Saturday May 2, 2026  

The annual AWA Spring Meet, Flea Market & Auction will be held at Veteran’s Park in Bloomfield, NY. The park is just across the road from the AWA Communication Technologies Museum, 6925 State Route 5, just east of the intersection of Routes 5 & 20 and Route 444. AWA will be operating a Museum Bargain Table and a large Museum Book Sale in the former AWA Annex building located in the park. Also, an Open Flea Market will be held for visitors and members.

As part of the meet, AWA will hold an Auction of duplicate and surplus items from the Museum’s artifacts. Don’t miss it!  This auction will be held in the afternoon in the former AWA Annex. Payment must be by cash or check.  We will not be able to accept credit cards. Auction items will be listed on the AWA web site as they are identified. Watch for updates to the list.

Schedule

Time                         Event
7 AM- Noon              Open Flea Market, at Veteran’s Park
8 AM- Noon              AWA Bargain Table & Book Sale, in the former Annex
10 AM – Noon           AWA Communication Technologies Museum open for visitors
8 AM – 1 PM             Auction pre-view, at the former AWA Annex
1 PM – To End           AWA Auction

Admission for the Day is $5

Flea Market Vendor Pass is an additional $7

More info at: https://www.antiquewireless.org/homepage/

Bouvet Island DXpedition updates (following Adrian KO8SCA)

 

15 March 2026 2100z - Ken LA7GIA (3Y0K Team lead):

 

We just finished a very successful expedition to Bouvetøya in the South Atlantic Ocean. What an incredible trip! Depsite all the challenges, the team overcome each of them. We made contact with 102.000 persons during our 15 day stay. We encountered harsh conditions, snow, and wind sometimes was so strong we could barely walk outdoor. Bouvetøya is a beautiful island, but is known for its remoteness and unpredictable weather. The team worked well together and we're proud of having made 100k contacts under these conditions. Today everyone is safely back on the vessel and we're bound for Cape Town this weekend. Thanks to everyone who supported us and who was in the pileup!

BOUVET ISLAND DX -  ATTENTION DX COMMUNITY:

14 March 2026 1600z  - 3Y0K is QRT.

6 persons remain on the island to take down the last tents and pack the rest of our supplies. 15 persons are back on vessel, included most of cargo. We anticipate full extraction tomorrow. Thanks for all the support, More info later.

13 March 2026 - LIVE DX Engineering interview with Adrian and the Team (Great team update!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UDm9W5ddkM

STATUS / OPERATIONAL UPDATE-  07 March 2026:

The team is doing well on Bouvet, we are all in good spirit as we see the camp build up take place and operation is now going well.

We have all tents and antennas installed at this point. We have 4 Yagis installed, WIMO monobanders on 15 and 20 + two dual banders on 17/12 and today a 5 element monobander on 10m. We have 18m top loaded spiderpole on 160m, full-size on 40m using Spiderbeam poles. We run in band operation on 40,20,17,15,12 and 10 using our ICOM radios and ACOM amplifiers also supported by DX Engineering hardware.

We also have a FLEX Aurora 500W radio setup. We have 6 stations and amplifiers with 500W to 1 kW + power output, and we have enough fuel to run high power throughout the operation.

On Top Band you should look for us as we are QRV every night through our sunrise. Propagation on some bands is challenging, and they close earlier than expected. All yagis have excellent take off towards EU/Asia and also NA. Our camp is located at the upper area where we planned to setup a NA camp. There is no camp in the lower area due to the wildlife. Since we visited Bouvet last time the global warming has made the glacier recede, so the seals and penguins now occupy a large area of Cape Fie even as much as 3-400 meter uphill. In some ten years from now, this area might be out of reach for any expedition!

The weather at Bouvet is windy and cold and it is challenging to keep the antenna farm up. While we have reached our max setup, we see increased maintenance, things that must be fixed and repaired.

We had several days with high wind, snow and rather cold days. Setting up antennas in this weather has been challenging, but fun! Today is an exceptional day with no wind and blue sky, a truly very nice day at the island that also allowed us to take a hike and do some sightseeing.

Our logs will be uploaded once a day and you can check the log at M0OXO website. We expect to run another 7-9 days at full setup before we start planning how to gradually extract from the island.

73, 3YØK

more info: https://www.upstateham.com/2026/01/3yok-bouvet-dxpedition-local-connection.html

Thanks to sources: DX Engineering, 4F1EBD, Charles Wilmott