• EVARC Upcoming Events/Announcements
• • Club Meeting
  • Pass The Bill - Have You Sent Your Letter Yet?
  • Northeast Nebraska Hamfest - November 15
  • Other Information
  • Special Operating Events
• Test Sessions
• Hamfests/Conventions/Conferences
• News From the ARRL
• • Images from Space Celebrate 25 Years of Ham Radio on the ISS
  • Get Ready for the 2025 ARRL November Sweepstakes — Phone!
  • Save the Date: Annual ARRL YouTube Telethon to Support Teachers Institute
  • In Brief...
• Education and Training
• Closing Items

News From the ARRL Letters

Images from Space Celebrate 25 Years of Ham Radio on the ISS

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) will mark two major milestones this month with a special slow scan television (SSTV) event aboard the International Space Station (ISS). From November 12 through November 20, the station will transmit a series of 12 commemorative SSTV images, pausing only for a scheduled educational contact.

The “SSTV Spacetacular” will highlight both the recent World Scouting movement’s Jamboree-on-the-Air (JOTA) and the 25th anniversary of ARISS ham radio operations on the ISS.

ARISS first went on the air on November 13, 2000, when the ISS Expedition 1 crew made the inaugural ham radio contact using an Ericsson VHF radio. That same year, the first scheduled school contact linked ISS Commander Bill Shepherd, who had call sign KD5GSL, with students at Luther Burbank School in Burbank, Illinois. Since then, ARISS has connected an estimated 200,000 students, educators, and enthusiasts each year with astronauts living and working aboard the orbiting laboratory.

This SSTV image transmitted from the International Station Station, and celebrating Jamboree-on-the-Air, was captured by Zhanh, BI6PUW, from the People's Republic of China, on November 12, 2025. Pictured is NASA Astronaut Loral O’Hara, KI5TOM.

For this month’s event, scouts, educators, students, and amateur radio operators worldwide are invited to receive and decode the transmitted images. Participants may upload their received pictures to the ARISS SSTV gallery to earn a commemorative electronic award certificate.

In ARISS’s most recent SSTV campaign — held in early October to celebrate World Space Week — nearly 9,000 images were submitted by more than 3,600 participants on all continents, including three from Antarctica.

For the latest SSTV schedules, frequencies, and event details, follow ARISS on Facebook, X, and Instagram.

Thanks to ARISS for the information in this news release.

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Get Ready for the 2025 ARRL November Sweepstakes — Phone!

One of amateur radio’s most anticipated weekends of the year is almost here! The 2025 ARRL November Sweepstakes phone (SSB voice) contest takes place November 15 - 17, beginning at 2100 UTC Saturday and running through 0259 UTC Monday. The CW (Morse code) event was held 2 weeks ago.

Sweepstakes is more than just a contest — it’s a long-standing tradition in amateur radio self-training and operating skill. Participants throughout the US and Canada share a unique exchange of information designed to simulate message-handling procedures. The event traces its roots back to 1930, making it the oldest domestic radio contest. After a pause during World War II, it returned stronger than ever, continuing to connect generations of radio amateurs.

Each station may be contacted only once, and multipliers are limited to the 85 ARRL and RAC (Radio Amateurs of Canada) Sections. There are no changes to Sweepstakes multipliers for 2025. Contacting all of them earns a “Clean Sweep” and the bragging rights that come with the coveted Clean Sweep coffee mug — a badge of honor for many hams.

The 2025 ARRL Sweepstakes pin and mug can be ordered at www.arrl.org/shop

Looking Back: 2024 ARRL November Sweepstakes — Phone

Last year’s phone weekend, held November 16 – 18, 2024, delivered solid activity and good participation across the bands. A total of 1,457 logs were submitted, representing 356,085 valid contacts after log-checking.

While band conditions weren’t spectacular, they were better than the previous year, with 10 meters showing impressive early activity — carrying 14% of all QSOs in the first two hours. Twenty meters proved to be the workhorse band, accounting for 32% of all contacts, while 40 meters contributed 25% and 15 meters accounted for 20%. The Single Operator, Low Power category once again led the pack, making up 42% of entries. Overall, Single Operator categories represented 94% of all submissions. The Limited Antennas Overlay, introduced in 2023, continued its momentum with 483 participants choosing that option.

Youth participation also ticked upward, with 19 logs submitted in the Youth Overlay. Among them, Levi Jefferies, K6JO (operating as ND7K), reclaimed the top Youth Overlay position and placed seventh overall in Single Operator, High Power. Sweepstakes newcomer Max Freedman, N4ML (today, he’s a member of the ARRL headquarters staff), made a strong showing in Single Operator Unlimited, High Power, with the second-highest youth score of 158,000 points.

Join the Fun This Weekend!

Whether you’re a seasoned contester, a casual operator, or taking part in your first major event, ARRL November Sweepstakes — Phone — is your chance to be part of one of amateur radio’s greatest traditions. Fire up your rig, check your logging software, and get ready to make some memorable contacts this weekend!

For complete information, including full rules and entry details, visit the ARRL Sweepstakes page.

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Save the Date: Annual ARRL YouTube Telethon to Support Teachers Institute

Save the date for the fun and entertaining annual ARRL YouTube Telethon to raise money for the ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology, which will be held on Saturday, November 29, 2025, on the Ham Radio Crash Course YouTube channel. In past years, tens of thousands of dollars have been raised to support this important program to invest in the next generation of amateur radio!

Hosted this year by YouTuber Josh Nass, KI6NAZ, hear from several amateur radio content creators and technical contributors who will join Nass and others on the stream. ARRL Director of Education and Learning Steve Goodgame, K5ATA, will also join to discuss details of the Teachers Institute and its successes.

The ARRL Teachers Institute is a donor-funded professional development program designed to help classroom teachers elevate their STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) programs through the use of wireless technology. There were 13 sessions conducted in 2025.

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In Brief...

ARRL Solar Report November 13, 2025

There were two nights of visible aurora throughout the continental US and dead HF bands due to a severe geomagnetic storm caused by what space.com calls "a colossal X5.1 class solar flare" and associated coronal mass ejection (CME) on Tuesday November 11.

Meanwhile, Region 4274 was responsible for multiple low- to mid-level C-class flares. The largest was a C4.5/Sf on November 12. Slight decay was observed in Region 4274. Motion along the inversion lines was minimal within the group. The rest of the spot groups were either stable or in decay. No Earth-directed CMEs were observed.

Solar activity is now forecast to be high, with R1-R2 (minor - moderate) expected and X-class (R3-strong) activity likely on November 13 – 15, mostly due to the flare potential of Region 4274.

Solar wind parameters continued to reflect persistent negative polarity coronal hole high speed stream influences (CH HSS). Total field strength observed on several readings was near 8, but averaged near 5 nT. The Bz component was mostly north, but did see a brief period sustained southward near -6 nT. Solar wind speeds were between 450 km/s and 600 km/s. Phi was variable through the first half of the period before turning mostly negative for the second half. The solar wind environment was likely to become mildly enhanced with CME influences on November 10 as the November 7 CME passed in close proximity to Earth. Stronger solar wind disturbances were likely over November 11-12 due to the anticipated arrival of the November 9 asymmetric halo CME.

The 10.7-centimeter flux: November 13, 185; November 14, 180; November 15, 170; November 16, 165; November 17, 170; November 18, 165; November 19, 160.

Predicted sunspot numbers: November 13, 125; November 14, 119; November 15, 131; November 16, 116; November 17, 132; November 18, 112; November 19, 143.

For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information Service, read A Quick Guide to HF Propagation Using Solar Indices, and check out the Propagation Page of Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA.

For customizable propagation charts, visit the VOACAP Online for Ham Radio website..

ARRL has published its 2024 Annual Report. Included is a summary of the July 2024 decision made by the ARRL Board of Directors to approve a strategic direction, adding “Inspiring and Educating Youth” as a third advocacy priority, alongside ARRL’s longstanding commitments to Promoting and Protecting Amateur Radio. Also included is ARRL's Report to America, which recognizes the contributions of radio amateurs, particularly those involved with the Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®), in supporting emergency response efforts during various natural disasters. The report concludes with copies of the 2024 and 2023 financial statements and an independent auditor’s report.

On the air LIVE - Join ARRL Education Specialist Wayne Greene, KB4DSF, as he discusses the Winlink system and how it can be used to send messages to loved ones outside of a disaster area.   Date: November 25, 2025, 8 PM Eastern, Register Now

On The Air - Preparedness Takes Practice -Jessica Crotty, CEO of C. Crane, a northern California company known for designing and supporting quality radios and communication products, visits the podcast in support of her November/December 2025 On the Air article “Confidence in Preparedness Starts with Knowing Your Equipment.” The conversation centers on the importance of not only having a license and a radio, but also knowing the ins and outs of using that radio, long before the day you need it... Listen Now

ARRL Audio News - Listen to ARRL Audio News, available every Friday. ARRL Audio News is a summary of the week's top news stories in the world of amateur radio and ARRL, along with interviews and other features.

For additional updates also see the ARRL News feed...

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Education and Training

• ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration - The ARRL has many ways to continue your education in things Amateur Radio. For more information go to the ARRL Training web pagee. and the Online Course Catalogg
• FEMA Online Trainingg - FEMA has numerous Independent Study Program courses available for Ham Radio Operators and others interested in emergency support and are recommended by ARES. For a list of courses check the FEMA ISP training web sitee.  Look for courses:
  • IS-100c - Introduction to Incident Command System, ICS-100
  • IS-200c - ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents
  • IS-700b - National Incident Management System (NIMS) An Introduction
  • IS-800dd - National Response Framework, An Introductionn
• Weather Spotter Training --To be a certified Weather Spotter in the State of Nebraska, you must attend a weather spotter training session, take two on-line courses, and pass a written exam provided by your local Emergency Coordinator. The on-line courses can be found on the ucar.edu web site.
  • Skywarn Spotter Convective Basics Online Training Module
  • Role of the Skywarn Spotter Online Training Moduleee
• Are you interested in getting a license or upgrading and would like to attend a class? Take a look at YouTube. There are YouTube videos available that were recorded during actual class sessions. Videos are available for training for all license classes. These have been recorded in 2049 and 2019 and are based on the latest editions of the ARRL Study Guides.  In addition there is a link to hamstudy.org
  
  • Link to the Tecnician Class recorded fall 2025 - first lesson - https://www.youtube.com/live/MzWpExCVN64?si=R_oV7Rfsoir1HFwoo
  • Link to General Class recorded 2024 - first lesson - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Au90k_gKDE&list=PLZ_9BZQ8gpzh7NC1WVKwCCmOTULSj1f93&index=1
  • Linkl to Extra Class recorded Fall 2024 - https://www.youtube.com/live/kYHm4PL2SHM?si=xUhfnXFkvGC6zME5
  • Ham Radio Crash Course (Minimal Fee Required) - Tech, Gen, Extra - https://www.youtube.com/c/hamradiocrashcourse/videos
  • Ham Study: On line study program (minimal fee required) https://hamstudy.org/
• Learn CW - The CW ops' CW Academy (CWA) offers free, remote Morse code classes at four separate levels -- beginner through advanced, running from not knowing the code at all to reaching 25 WPM. CWOps also provides a CWOps Test (CWT), an hour-long event every Wednesday at 1300 and 1900 UTC, and Thursdays at 0300 UTC. -- Thanks to The ARRL Contest Update.
  For more information and CW assistance (ELMER) contact Bruce, K8UDH
• Did you know you can practice code on-line? The ARRL posts their code practice files on the web. These audio files can be played on line or downloaded for later play back on your own computer. Practice files are available for 5, 7.5, 10, 13, 15, 18, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 Words per Minute. To find the files click the following link: http://www.arrl.org/code-practice-files
• The ARRL offers Webinars, live and pre-recorded, of their Learning Network pagee. There are many subjects of interest to hams at all levels. Check-out this learning resource.  New talks/lectures are added frequently

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CLOSING ITEMS

The EVARC weekly net meets every Monday evening at 7:30 PM on the club 2 meter repeater (146.73 - ). Check-in to the net to hear an update on activities of other club members, announcements of local interest, and any late breaking information. Everyone is welcome to check in.

The DMR net meets every Thursday evening at 8:00 PM on the club DMR repeater (446.200 +) Nebraska Talk Group 3131 . Check-in for general discussion and a weekly trivia question.

Want to try your hand as Net Control? Contact Andy, KF0CSI.

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