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[https://www.arrl.org/club-news]


June 16, 2026
Editor: Josh Johnston, KE5MHV [ mailto:jjohnston@arrl.org ]

Icom when you want to give those you love the very best [https://www.icomamerica.com/lineup/amateur/]


In this Issue:

Club License Reminder
Upcoming Club QSO Party
Salty Walt's Forum Provides Clubs an opportunity for Portable Antenna Discussion

A Call for QST's "Club Station" Column Submissions
It's Time for Field Day ?-?26
"On the Air Live" Offers Learning Opportunities for ARRL Members
Club Spotlight
Club News Announcement
How to Plan and Apply for an ARRL Hamfest or Convention
Important Links

Club License Reminder

By Maria Somma, AB1FM, ARRL VEC Manager

While amateur radio operators are generally diligent about updating and renewing their licenses, club licenses can sometimes be overlooked. It's important for clubs to periodically review their club license information to ensure everything is current.

Take a few moments to verify that your club's mailing address and trustee information are accurate in the FCC license database [ https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/searchLicense.jsp ] . Also,
confirm that the license is not approaching expiration.


All club license transactions (except for new vanity call sign requests) must be handled through an FCC-approved Club Station Call Sign Administrator
(CSCSA) by completing a 605-C Form (Club Station Application). This form
cannot be submitted directly to the FCC, and club transactions cannot be completed through the FCC's website. The ARRL VEC is a CSCSA and can process these requests for your club.


Please refer to the appropriate instructions and club application form [ https://www.arrl.org/club-call-signs?utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=ARRL
] to help you update or renew your club license.


Keeping your club license up to date helps ensure smooth operations and continued FCC compliance.


If you have questions or need help, please contact the ARRL VEC [ mailto:vec@arrl.org ] department at vec@arrl.org [ mailto:vec@arrl.org ] .


Upcoming Club QSO Party

When the South Jersey Radio Association (SJRA), K2AA, turned 100 years old in 2016, it created the Club QSO Party to celebrate. All members of SJRA signed their call signs/100 for the entire year of 2016. During 2026, SJRA is celebrating 110 years.


SJRA members had so much fun with the Club QSO Party in 2016 that we're inviting all clubs to celebrate this year. We've created a special event station to coincide with ARRL's Year of the Club initiative. This provides an opportunity to share club information with other radio amateurs.


Members of other clubs sign their call sign/###, indicating the age of the
club they're affiliated with. We also encourage clubs to put their club stations on the air as well, making this a large-scale coordinated effort.


Please join us in celebrating your radio club's age and history, as we celebrate our own.

The June 2026 Club QSO Party is co-sponsored by the Phil-Mont Mobile Radio Club, South Jersey Radio Association, Kent Amateur Radio Society, South
Jersey Mountain Toppers Amateur Radio Club, Gloucester County Amateur Radio Club, and South Jersey Radio Association.


When: June 20, 2026, 00:00 UTC to June 21, 2026, 23:59 UTC (48 hours) Objective: Contact as many amateur radio club members and listed amateur
radio club stations as possible.


Bands: All amateur radio bands (except for 60, 30, 17, and 12 meters) and modes, including repeater, satellite, and EME contacts, will be accepted.


For more information: www.clubqsoparty.org [ http://www.clubqsoparty.org ] Questions: info@clubqsoparty.org [ mailto:info@clubqsoparty.org ]

Salty Walt's Forum Provides Clubs an opportunity for Portable Antenna Discussion


You can now watch the 2026 Dayton Hamvention(R) featured presentation, Salty Walt's Portable Antenna Forum: Live from Dayton Hamvention 2026, on ARRL's YouTube channel [
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dXyaEV8ajU&feature=youtu.be ] . In the session, Walt Hudson, K4OGO, demonstrates how hams can build antennas from inexpensive materials and get on the air at parks, beaches, summits, and
other portable operating locations.


The 25-minute video gives clubs a great meeting night topic and opportunity
for discussion and training as Hudson goes beyond construction details to explore the idea that antennas are tools for exploring propagation. He discusses how the antenna design, takeoff angle, ground conditions, and operating location can dramatically affect results, and he encourages
operators to experiment rather than rely on a single one-size-fits-all
antenna.


[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dXyaEV8ajU&feature=youtu.be]


Drawing from his ARRL books, Salty Walt's Portable Antenna Sketchbook [ https://home.arrl.org/action/Store/Product-Details/productId/2026924035 ] and Salty Walt's Next Level Portable Antenna Sketchbook [ https://home.arrl.org/action/Store/Product-Details/productId/2094335552 ] , Hudson shares practical, field-tested ideas for building portable antennas
that are simple, affordable, and effective.

Whether you're new to portable operating or looking for fresh ideas for operating Parks on the Air(R), beach operations, or DX chasing, the presentation is packed with practical insights and real-world examples.


Watch the video now, at youtu.be/7dXyaEV8ajU [ http://youtu.be/7dXyaEV8ajU ]
.


Thanks to Hamvention [ https://hamvention.org/ ] for supporting this ARRL-sponsored forum.


A Call for QST's "Club Station" Column Submissions

Clubs are the backbone of the amateur radio community. Whether you're part of
a special or general interest club, its members are the community that you serve. In the same way that every ham is different, each club is also
different ?-" not every club will offer the same programs and projects to
their member community.


QST's "Club Station" is a space for clubs to share their practical ideas
about what's helped lead them to their success. If your club has developed a creative way to get around common challenges, we want to hear from you!


If you're interested in writing for "Club Station," please follow the author guidelines that are tailored to this column. Additionally, you'll find a Club Profile Form at the end of the author guidelines, which must be filled out
and included with your submission. If this form is missing, your submission will not be considered complete.

www.arrl.org/qst-club-station-guidelines-and-profile-form [ http://www.arrl.org/qst-club-station-guidelines-and-profile-form?utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=ARRL
]


It's Time for Field Day ?-?26

With 2026 being the Year of the Club, we hope you're planning a great ARRL Field Day [ https://www.arrl.org/field-day?utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=ARRL
] event for June 27 - 28. Invite community officials, celebrate on-the-air accomplishments, and invite new and potential hams to operate.

Take the time to mentor new or potential hams by helping them get on the HF bands for their very first HF contact, and demonstrate the capabilities hams have to make contacts and relay messages.



Whether your club participates in Field Day by focusing on food and
fellowship or the number of contacts made, we hope you make the most of the weekend event. We would love to see photos and hear stories about how the day went for you. Please send any club activity information to clubs@arrl.org [ mailto:clubs@arrl.org ] so we can share your story.


[https://www.arrl.org/field-day]


"On the Air Live" Offers Learning Opportunities for ARRL Members

Join ARRL's Education Specialist Wayne Greene, KB4DSF, during "On the Air
Live" as he compares the most popular portable antennas, including the ubiquitous end-fed half-wave, random wire, linked dipole, and 17-foot
vertical. We will compare performance and packing tradeoffs and deployment requirements.

Whether you are headed to a park, going on a hike, paddling a canoe, or operating from your backyard, this session will help you choose an antenna
that fits the operating conditions.

The livestream will air at the ARRL's Learning Center, learn.arrl.org, on
June 23 at 8:00 PM Eastern. Pre-registration is required and can be accomplished through the Learning Center web page at learn.arrl.org/webinars/125287 [ http://learn.arrl.org/webinars/125287 ] .


Club Spotlight

On April 16 - 19, 35 amateur radio volunteers from four different counties logged nearly 1,200 hours of emergency communications for the Life Time Sea Otter Classic bicycle race at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in
Monterey, California.

Many of the bicycle races took the racers to the Fort Ord National Monument, where hams provided operational awareness.

A temporary repeater allowed net control and management at Laguna Seca to be connected with those in the field.

On Saturday, April 18, the 90-mile Carmel Valley route was run with amateur radio support where there is nearly no cellular coverage.


Club News Announcement

To ensure that all ARRL Affiliated Clubs are receiving information to support Year of the Club, ARRL Club News is now being sent to all club email
addresses of record, club presidents, and club newsletter editors, as
submitted in affiliated club listings.


[https://www.arrl.org/year-of-the-club]


How to Plan and Apply for an ARRL Hamfest or Convention

If your amateur radio club is planning to host a convention, hamfest,
tailgate, or swapfest, please consider applying for it to be an
ARRL-sanctioned event. To learn what it means to be an ARRL-sanctioned event, and to get some ideas on how to prepare for and conduct a hamfest or convention, visit www.arrl.org/arrl-sanctioned-events [ http://www.arrl.org/arrl-sanctioned-events?utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=ARRL
] .


To have your event sanctioned, complete the online application at www.arrl.org/hamfest-convention-application [ http://www.arrl.org/hamfest-convention-application?utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=ARRL
] .


Please send a copy of the application that returns to you to Steve Ewald at sewald@arrl.org [ mailto:sewald@arrl.org ] .


The ARRL Hamfests and Conventions Calendar can be found online at www.arrl.org/hamfests [ http://www.arrl.org/hamfests?utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=ARRL
] . In addition, the Convention and Hamfest Calendar that runs in QST each month also presents information about upcoming events.


Important Links

ARRL Home: www.arrl.org [ http://www.arrl.org/?utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=ARRL ]

Find an ARRL Affiliated Club: www.arrl.org/clubs [ http://www.arrl.org/clubs?utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=ARRL ]

Find your ARRL Section: www.arrl.org/sections [ http://www.arrl.org/sections?utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=ARRL
]

Find a license class in your area: www.arrl.org/class [ http://www.arrl.org/class?utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=ARRL ]

Find a license exam in your area: www.arrl.org/exam [ http://www.arrl.org/exam?utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=ARRL ]

Find a hamfest or convention: www.arrl.org/hamfests [ http://www.arrl.org/hamfests?utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=ARRL
]

Email ARRL Clubs: clubs@arrl.org [ mailto:clubs@arrl.org ]

ARRL Club News is published every month (12 times each year). ARRL members
may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing their Member Data Page at www.arrl.org/opt-in-out [ http://www.arrl.org/opt-in-out?utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=ARRL
] .


Copyright ?(c) 2026 American Radio Relay League, Incorporated. Use and distribution of this publication, or any portion thereof, is permitted for non-commercial or educational purposes, with attribution. All other purposes require written permission.


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