Bill's Weekend Update for 9/18/2026

By: Bill (KC3FOX)

Drum Roll, Please!! It is time for all the news that is the news for your Weekend Update, on everything that will keep your radio humming, and your antennas tuned.

Weather

The weather for this weekend should be mostly nice, with cloudy to partly cloudy throughout the weekend, leading into showers on Sunday evening. Highs are in the low 80’s, and lows in the low 60’s. Man, this is great camping weather…IDEA!!!!

The solar conditions show an SFI of 97 (solar flux index (SFI) is the intensity of solar radio emissions. Higher the better up to about 300, so not great, and a drop from 115 last week, and has been dropping steadily), A index of 9 ( daily numerical average of the K Index of Earth’s geomagnetic field and activity. The lower the better from 0-400, and a the same from last week), and K index of 0 (lower is better, 0=  VERY quiet and stable Earths magnetic field, a drop from 2 last week). 10-12m are poor, with the rest of the bands being fair to good.

Events

• September 20th 2026 – Eastern Pennsylvania Amateur Radio Club – EPARA Hamfest 2026 - Moose Lodge 1336 705 Stokes Mill Rd. East Stroudsburg, PA 18301 (about 3 hrs from APL).

Special Events Stations

• ARRL America250 Worked All States - A Year-Long Worked-All-States Operating Event Celebrating the 250th Anniversary (Semiquincentennial) of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Ongoing.
• Sep 16-Sep 26, 0000Z-0000Z, PAARC Founders Week Special event Station K3ZMC, Pottstown, Pa. Pottstown Area Amateur Radio Club . 14.325 7.225 3.980 28.415. Certificate & QSL. Walt Skavinsky KB3SBC, 1574 Layfield Road, Pennsburg, PA 18073-1702. Celebrating 50 Years of Friendship, Service, and Amateur Radio Join the Pottstown Area Amateur Radio Club as we celebrate 50 years of organized amateur radio in the Pottstown area. Throughout the week, club members will operate K3ZMC from home, portable, and club stations to commemorate the club’s history, honor its founders, and share the excitement of amateur radio with operators around the world. The celebration begins with a kickoff picnic and continues with 10 days of on-the-air activity across multiple bands and modes. We invite everyone to join us in celebrating the friendships, service, and spirit of amateur radio that have defined PAARC for more than five decades. Electronic certificates will be emailed to your QRZ address, and paper QSL cards are available; send SASE to KB3SBC.
• Sep 16-Sep 24, 0000Z-2359Z, The Saving of The Liberty Bell - W3L, Harleysville, PA. WV2M. 7.030 7.240 14.030 14.240. QSL. Frank Gallo , 106 Tweed Way, Harleysville, PA 19438.
• Sep 17-Sep 24, 0700Z-0700Z, Constitution Day/Week W3C, Rancho Cucamonga, CA. Jeff Widen. 14.239 7.239 21.339 28.339. QSL. Jeff Widen, 7548 Ramona Ave, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730. Special Event celebrating the 239th anniversary of the signing of our Constitution in Philadelphia in 1787. Come join us during this second year of this special event. There will be 4 stations on the air this year: W3C, W0C, W4C and W8C. A QSL card and a copy of our Constitution will be available. See our QRZ page at event time. Contact [email protected]
• Sep 19, 1400Z-2000Z, Fred Harvey House Museum on the Air - KSØLV, Leavenworth, KS. Pilot Knob Amateur Radio Club. 14.046 14.304 7.240 21.362. QSL. Steve Rice, 6850 Deer Ridge Dr, Shawnee, KS 66226.
• Sep 19, 1400Z-2000Z, State Line Radio Club Annual Picnic W3A, Holtwood, PA. State Line Radio Club. 14.240 21.280. QSL. Edward Reichenbach, 108 PARK CIR, Elkton, MD 21921. State Line Radio Club’s Annual picnic at Muddy Run Park in Holtwood, Pa. Public is welcomed!
• Sep 19, 1400Z-2359Z, Wright Brothers’ First Complete Circular Flight near Dayton, Ohio W8DGN, Bellbrook, OH. Bellbrook Amateur Radio Club (BARC). 7.250 14.317 28.425. Certificate. Secretary, P.O. Box 73, Bellbrook, OH 45305. Contact [email protected]
• Sep 20, 1200Z-2000Z, Fort Herkimer Recognition - W2FHA, Ilion, NY. Fort Herkimer Amateur Radio Association, Inc.. 7.262 14.262. Certificate. Donald Rankins N2ZWO, 1435 Elizabethtown Rd., Ilion, NY 13357. This special event celebrates Fort Herkimer and the colonists of German Flatts during the American Revolution on the New York frontier. Contact [email protected]

Contests

State QSO Contests

ARRL Contests

• 10 GHz & Up - Round 2 - 19-21 September - For North American amateurs to contact as many amateur stations in as many different locations as possible in North America on bands from 10-GHz through Light. Amateurs are encouraged to operate from more than one location during this event. See the detailed rules for restrictions.

Other Contests

International Contests not ARRL, more information can be found at the Weekly Contest Calendar.

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