• 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
• • FCC Extends Renewal Filing Deadline; Filing 2500+ Ham License Applications
  • Amateur Radio Digital Communications Funding Opportunities
  • SKYWARN Recognition Day 2025 Cancelled
  • In Brief...
• Education and Training
• Closing Items

News From the ARRL Letters

FCC Extends Renewal Filing Deadline; Filing 2500+ Ham License Applications

ARRL News reported that the FCC has extended the filing deadline to March 5, 2026, for amateur radio licenses that otherwise were due to expire from October 1, 2025, to March 5, 2026. The announcement is included in an FCC Public Notice (DA-25-943) released on Monday, November 17, 2025.

The news follows the recent reopening of the federal government on November 13, following a 43-day shutdown. Since reopening, many federal agencies, including the FCC, have resumed activities, though reducing backlogs and rebounding to full operations may take some time.

This includes continued delays in filing amateur radio license applications.

ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (ARRL VEC) Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM, explained that the announcement means that amateurs whose license expired, or will expire, between October 1, 2025, and March 5, 2026, may continue to operate upon completing a license renewal filing by March 5, 2026.

Somma added the FCC ULS systems are intermittently available again, which include the license manger system, FCC license search, and application search databases, as well as the CORES system. However, FCC system issues are affecting application processing.

The FCC had also briefly resumed accepting application filings via its Electronic Batch Filing (EBF) system on late Wednesday afternoon, November 19. “The EBF system is used by ARRL VEC and all VEC organizations to file exam sessions, new and upgraded licenses, as well as individual and club license filings, none of which are not being processed at this time,” said Somma.

During the shutdown, the ARRL VEC urged its Volunteer Examiners to continue giving ham radio exam sessions. “We have over 2,500 license applications ready to file as soon as the EBF system becomes available and fully operational,” said Somma. “ARRL VEC is prepared to submit the backlog of sessions and applications to FCC for issuing licenses.”

ARRL VEC has published important information For ARRL VEC exam candidates who were unable to get an FCC Registration Number (FRN) while the FCC CORES system was unavailable.

To read this complete story and the latest updates, and for instructions For ARRL VEC exam candidates, visit https://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-vec-ready-to-file-2-500-ham-radio-license-applications-fcc-extends-renewal-filing-deadline (ARRL News 11/18/2025).

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Amateur Radio Digital Communications Funding Opportunities

If you or your club are developing projects that advance amateur radio or digital communications, now’s a great time to apply for Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) grant funding, with the next application deadline on February 1, 2026. The foundation has been awarding grants since 2019, supporting a wide range of initiatives that strengthen and expand the amateur radio and digital communications communities.

ARDC’s priority areas for funding reflect the organization’s broader vision and strategy for supporting experimentation, education, and open technology within the amateur radio and digital communications communities. They are especially interested in projects that align with these three areas:

● Research & Development (R&D): Open hardware and software systems that enable learning and experimentation, such as software defined radios, open codec technologies, and new modulation techniques.

● Space-Based Communications: Projects that create or expand access to satellite communications for amateur radio and digital communications, engaging communities in wireless experimentation programs, such as repurposed commercial satellites, and space-based tools for learning.

● Open Source Education: Scalable, open educational materials and hands-on projects that make amateur radio and digital communications more accessible, especially for new learners and clubs.

Proposals are welcome across the full range of projects that align with these areas and remain a priority in ARDC grantmaking decisions.

Learn more about these priority areas and ARDC at ARDC.net.

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SKYWARN Recognition Day 2025 Cancelled

NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS) has announced the cancellation of SKYWARN™ Recognition Day (SRD) 2025.

The necessary time and resources required to plan a comprehensive national event for SKYWARN™ Recognition Day 2025 are not available this year. Thus, the difficult decision was made to cancel this year's event by the NWS.

The NWS will work with ARRL and SKYWARN™ spotters to brainstorm ideas to redevelop a spotter appreciation event in 2026.

ARRL, which has a Memorandum of Understanding with NWS, emphasized the strength of the long-standing partnership behind the event. “ARRL is proud of the continued partnership with the National Weather Service to promote and recognize SKYWARN and the volunteers around the country. We look forward to working together to revitalize and promote SKYWARN Recognition Day again next year,” said Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, ARRL Director of Emergency Management.

Established in 1999 by the National Weather Service and ARRL, SKYWARN Recognition Day celebrates the critical contributions SKYWARN volunteers make in supporting the NWS mission to protect life and property. Amateur radio operators constitute a significant portion of these volunteers, providing essential communication links between NWS and emergency management agencies when traditional communications fail.

The NWS-ARRL SRD National Committee extends its appreciation to all SKYWARN volunteers for their dedication and service to their communities, and offers best wishes for a safe and happy holiday season.

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In Brief...

ARRL Solar Report November 26, 2025

Solar flare activity has been at low levels this week with only C-class flares observed.

Region 4291 remains the most complex region on the disk but has been relatively quiet. Region 4290 was also responsible for a few flares while experiencing overall decay. Region 4292 exhibited evolution as it gained intermediate spots with rudimentary penumbra and developed asymmetric penumbra around its trailing spot. There were no Earth directed CMEs in available coronagraph imagery.

Flare probabilities remain low with a 15% chance for M-class (R1-R2, minor-moderate) and a 1% chance for X-class (strong), but may slightly increase in the next 24 hours given the current development observed in AR 4292.

Solar wind parameters were enhanced throughout the period due to the arrival of a co-rotating interacting region (CIR) and its associated coronal hole high speed stream (CHHSS). Solar wind parameters will remain enhanced through November 27 due to the continued influence of the CHHSS.

The 10.7-centimeter flux: November 26, 130; November 27, 135; November 28, 140; November 29, 145; November 30, 155; December 1, 155; December 2, 150; December 3, 155.

Predicted sunspot numbers: November 26, 125; November 27, 119; November 28, 131; November 29, 116; November 30, 136; December 125; December 2, 120; December 3, 131.

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..

The ARRL VEC has processed most of the backlog of 2,500+ license applications that could not be filed with the FCC during the recent federal government shutdown (see last week’s ARRL News story). Intermittent outages across several FCC systems — including CORES (used for payments) — may delay processing of new, upgraded, and renewal license applications, as well as individual and club filings. Some FCC search pages may display “Access Denied” or time out. Please be patient and try again as the FCC works to resolve these issues. Candidates who still need an FRN (FCC Registration Number) should continue to visit the CORES website. An FCC alert detailing these ongoing website issues is available here: https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/uls-asr-tcns-experiencing-significant-performance-degradation.

ARRL's 2025 Holiday Gift Guide is now available, featuring amateur radio equipment and station accessories from well-known businesses. The guide also includes a special offer from ARRL. 'Tis the Season! Browse and shop at tinyurl.com/arrl-holiday-gift-guide-2025.

On the air LIVE -ARRL Education Specialist Wayne Greene, KB4DSF, will lead another session in this recent series introducing various methods and modes for emergency communications. During this session, he’ll discuss the digital mode JS8 and how it can be used to send messages to family and friends — even to those who are not hams — outside of a disaster area. The session will be held on Tuesday, December 23, 2025, at 8 PM Eastern. Registration is required via the ARRL Learning Center at learn.arrl.org. 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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