On the Air
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On the Air
The On the Air podcast is a monthly companion to On the Air magazine, ARRL’s magazine for beginner-to-intermediate ham radio operators.
Episodi recenti
71 episodi
All About the EOC
ARRL Director of Emergency Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, joins the podcast in support of the September/October 2025 article “The EOC: Serving at t...
Get Inspired for Contest Season
The podcast welcomes Violetta Latham, KN2P, a young contester who has had the opportunity to operate at some big, famous contest stations such as K3LR...
Getting in on the POTA Fun
Portable operating in the Parks On the Air (POTA) program is one of the most popular ham radio activities these days. Colin Wheatley, W9UPK, author...
Your Ham Radio Everyday Carry
Everybody's talking about everyday carry, or EDC, the trendy name for the collection of necessities you tote around with you every day, whether it's i...
Field Day Options for the New Ham
With ARRL Field Day weekend just a little more than two weeks away, we talk to ARRL’s Contest Program Manager Paul Bourque, N1SFE; Digital RF Engineer...
Simple HF Antennas for Field Day
ARRL Education Specialist Wayne Greene, KB4DSF, returns to the podcast to walk readers through his May/June 2025 On the Air article, "Building Simple...
Learn APRS at the April On the Air Live Session
This month, ARRL Education Specialist Wayne Greene, KB4DSF, returns to the podcast to update us on ARRL’s new monthly livestream, On the Air Live. The...
A VHF/UHF Antenna Menagerie
There are a variety of antennas that a ham can use on the VHF and UHF bands, from simple whips, all the way up to directional beams. This month’s podc...
Have a Ham Radio Open House in April
World Amateur Radio Day (WARD) is April 18 every year, and in 2025, WARD is extra special. ARRL invites radio clubs and schools to organize a Ham Radi...
Slow-Scan TV: Sending Pictures by Radio
In preparation for the first On the Air Live interactive livestream launching on January 28, we take a look at the topic: slow-scan TV (SSTV), a ham r...
Learn Even more with On the Air Live
In early 2025, the ARRL Education & Learning Department will launch an interactive livestreamed video podcast, On the Air Live. The monthly episodes w...
December YOTA Month is Coming
December is Youth on the Air Month, also known as YOTA Month, and there are plans to celebrate young operators all month long. Blake Pearson, KN4VKY,...
ARES Task Book Updates
The ARES Task Book is an important resource and reference for amateur radio operators who hope to be of service to their communities. ARRL Director of...
A Tour of 10 Meters
The 10-meter band offers something for hams of every license class, including Technicians, who can use voice, Morse code, and digital modes on this ba...
Practice Morse Code with W1AW
The podcast takes a field trip to W1AW, ARRL’s Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Station, to hear from W1AW Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, about all the w...
New Emergency Communication Courses from ARRL
ARRL Director of Emergency Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, joins the podcast to share details about ARRL's updated Emergency Communication courses,...
Get Ready for Field Day 2024
ARRL Radiosport and Regulatory Information Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, and ARRL Contest Program Manager Paul Bourque, N1SFE, join the June episode of t...
ARRL Forums at Dayton Hamvention 2024
This year’s Dayton Hamvention, coming up May 17-19 in Xenia, Ohio, will be extra special — it’s also the 2024 ARRL National Convention. ARRL Director...
Served Agencies: Who They Are and How We Serve Them
We often hear about served agencies when hams talk about disaster response and emergency communications. ARRL Director of Emergency Management Josh Jo...
Contribute to Science While You Operate
The Solar Eclipse QSO Party (or SEQP), is an on-air event coming up on April 8, the same day as the next total solar eclipse. The SEQP is a great oppo...
The Joys of Being a General
The January/February 2024 issue of On the Air featured a story from Brian McSpadden Gardener, KE8JVX, about “The First-Year Experiences of a General-C...
Maintaining a “Junk Box”
Maintaining a “junk box” — a collection of odds and ends that can be used in future projects and repairs — is a time-honored practice among hams. Ever...
More About Bits and Baud
This episode ties into a feature in the November/December issue called “Bits and Baud,” which discussed important elements of digital communication, n...
The Value of Contest Clubs
“Contesting encompasses so much of the hobby,” says seasoned contester Craig Thompson, K9CT, “from station building, learning how to operate, understa...
The Solar Eclipse QSO Party: When Operating is Science
Gary Mikitin’s, AF8A, article, “The Solar Eclipse QSO Party: A Fun Way Support Radio Science” in the September/October 2023 issue of On the Air detail...
Foxhunting Basics: Tracking a Transmitter
The cover story of On the Air’s September/October 2023 issue, “Foxhunting Basics,” doesn’t have anything to do with chasing down a woodland creature....
Technical Coordinators: A Tech Resource in Your Section
This month, we talk with Steve Simons, W1SMS, the Technical Coordinator for the Connecticut Section, who shares his experiences as a TC, from coordina...
When Messages Matter: Passing Traffic
Passing traffic is a ham radio activity that’s nearly as old as ham radio itself, and getting accurate messages to their destination in a timely manne...
How to Get On the Air from an ARRL Field Day GOTA Station
For the June 2023 episode of the On the Air podcast, ARRL Radiosport & Regulatory Information Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, and ARRL Contest Program Mana...
Getting On the Air for the June VHF Contest
With this year's ARRL June VHF Contest fast approaching on the weekend of June 10, seasoned VHF operator Bob Witte, KØNR, joins the podcast to talk ab...
Where Do Hams Fit Into the Incident Command System?
The March/April 2023 issue of On the Air featured an article on “The Incident Command System and Amateur Radio,” which introduced the Incident Command...
The Thrill of the Chase: Radio Orienteering
Radio orienteering (aka Amateur Radio Direction Finding, or ARDF) is a radio sport like no other. It gets you out of your shack chair and bounding thr...
How to Be On the Air All Year with VOTA
ARRL has designated 2023 “The Year of the Volunteers,” to shed light on the work of the hundreds of volunteers who make ARRL and amateur radio what it...
The ARRL Field Organization
As the national association for Amateur Radio in the US, ARRL offers programs and services for its members across the country. Many of these are made...
Running an Amateur Radio Net
For many new operators, nets are one of the easiest and best ways to connect with other hams. Some nets are focused solely on emergency communications...
Operating Amateur Satellites
Even if you’re accessing a repeater, the range of your VHF/UHF handheld can be a bit constraining. You’ll probably never achieve coverage of, say, the...
Basic Gear for Public Service
Just over two weeks ago, Hurricane Ian devastated Sanibel Island and southwestern Florida. It caused tens of billions of dollars of damage and killed...
Make a Two-Meter J-Pole Antenna from Lamp Cord
Building an antenna doesn’t have to involve yards of aluminum tubing and long runs of coax. It can be as simple as soldering and snipping (carefully!)...
ARRL's On The Air - Episode 32
Getting the most out of your transceiver's scanning functions.