2025 ARRL Field Day is just three weeks away! The excitement is building. Most clubs have their activations planned. In the last two weeks, 350 more sites have been added to the Field Day Site Locator, with a total of 886 listed as of June 5. ARRL Field Day is a great way to connect with your local amateur radio community, for Technician-class operators to get on lower HF bands, to shake down your portable operating gear, and to have fun and enjoy the camaraderie of your fellow hams.

If you can’t make it out to an activation near you, or you’d just rather get on for a little bit from your home station – never fear: there’s an operating class for you.

According to Field Day rules:

Class D stations are home stations operating from permanent or licensed station locations using commercial power. Class D stations can count contacts with any other station for QSO credit. If you’re operating on a radio plugged into a power supply connected to your wall outlet – this is for you.

Class E are home stations using emergency power for transmitters and receivers. Class E may work all Field Day stations. If you’re operating off a battery, solar, wind, or any other off-grid redundancy – you’re in Class E.

To determine your exchange for ARRL Field Day, use the number of transmitters in simultaneous use, the class of operation, and your ARRL or Radio Amateurs of Canada section prefix. For example, if an amateur in Nebraska turned on their shore-powered home station and operated in the event, they’d be “1 Delta November Echo”. See the full rules for more information and find a list of ARRL Sections at this link.

ARRL Field Day is fun, but the outreach value is serious, according to ARRL Public Relations and Outreach Manager Sierra Harrop, W5DX. “Each year, ARRL Field Day is the driving force for official proclamations declaring amateur radio a vital part of communities,” she said. States like Hawaii and New Hampshire, among others, have joined with towns and counties around the country to declare the importance of amateur radio.

“Having the governor or even a town council recognize the value that the hams in their community provides is invaluable,” continued Harrop. “Not only does it honor the work of amateur radio volunteers, but it raises awareness of ham radio among the public.”

If a proclamation has been issued in your area, send it to ARRL via pr@arrl.org.

Hurricane season begins on Sunday, June 1. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts this season to be above-normal in activity, citing above-average Atlantic Ocean temperatures. The scientists say the season will likely produce between 13 and 19 named storms, including 3 – 5 major hurricanes.

Amateur radio provides a robust toolset, a trained volunteer corps, and durable infrastructure for emergency preparedness. There are several ham radio nets that the National Hurricane Center (NHC) relies on to inform forecasts through surface observations made by the volunteer operators.

ARRL encourages all amateurs to participate in the Hurricane Watch Net , the VOIP Weather Net and others that provide support and information via WX4NHC, the amateur radio station at the NHC . ARRL Director of Emergency Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, says each ham’s individual observations can make all the difference in a critical situation. “We know of stories from hurricanes in the past where a report from a ham radio station changed the forecast for landfall and impact by the NHC. We are also aware of information being shared of people being trapped and were able to get assistance to those victims after the storm.” Amateur radio operators provide an important tool before, during and after a storm. The Hurricane Watch Net is hosting a special operating event to mark its 60th anniversary on June 7 – 8.

ARRL Public Relations and Outreach Manager Sierra Harrop, W5DX, says recent storms underscore the value of amateur radio When All Else Fails®. “ During Hurricane Helene , it was the volunteer hams who jumped into action to relay health and welfare information . As mountainsides washed away, the repeaters on top were still working. Licensed amateur radio operators took to the air using their own equipment to provide a link of important information that no other means could. During Hurricane Ian, a ham saved lives on Sanibel Island by providing emergency crews the information they needed to rescue a family from rising flood waters.”